ABSTRACT
This book begins with an introduction to the philosophic underpinnings that shape our understanding of the qualitative research enterprise. A philosophic orientation to inquiry will aid you in forming a frame of reference about the nature of qualitative inquiry and help you form a platform upon which to build a hands-on practical guide for conducting a qualitative research project from beginning to end. Our goal in the philosophic section is to get you to think differently about doing research before you begin doing research. This goes against the trend of most books on qualitative research which begin with a presentation of methods for conducting research (Berg, 1989; Bogdan and Taylor, 1975; Burgess, 1985; Patton, 1990), or at most a brief history of qualitative inquiry (Bogdan and Biklen, 1982). On the other hand, Kincheloe (1991) presents a philosophic perspective on qualitative research but frames it more or less exclusively within the context of teacher empowerment and provides little practical help for the beginning researcher. It is our firm belief that a frame of reference built on an understanding of the philosophic underpinning of quantitative and qualitative research is essential for the beginning qualitative researcher.
