The Nature of Social and Educational Inquiry

In a clear concise fashion this book describes the underlying issues involved in the current discussion over different approaches (empiricist vs. interpretive quantitative vs. qualitative scientific vs. naturalist) to social and educational inquiry. The author shows why the issues are currently of interest briefly describes the standard empiricist perspective on inquiry and examines the historical origins of the issues. Additionally there is a discussion of the relationship of the researcher to the subject matter the relationship of facts and values the goal of inquiry and the role of procedures in the inquiry process. In the final chapter there is a summary of these points in terms of the major question of objectivism versus relativism.