Author: Pranee
Liamputtong
Oxford
University Press, Melbourne, 2013
This book argues
that to understand and respond to the multiple social and physical facets of
human lives, research methods must be capable of exploring the complexity of
human behaviour beyond the scope of numbers and statistics. Qualitative enquiry is an essential means of
eliciting evidence from diverse individuals, population groups, and contexts. Qualitative research is research that has its
focus on the social world. It is a form
of social inquiry which has looks at how individuals make sense of their
experiences and the world they in which they live. Because of its flexibility and fluidity,
qualitative research is suited to understanding the meanings, interpretations
and subjective experiences of individuals. Qualitative enquiry allows the researchers to
be able to hear the voices of those who, due to their social positions, are
often othered, silenced, and marginalised in society. The in-depth nature of qualitative methods
allows the research participants to express their feelings and experiences in
their own words. In many areas of health
including health promotion, researchers have argued about the value of
interpretive data. In public health and
health promotion which recognise the need to understand people within their own
social, cultural and political contexts, many researchers argue for the need
for qualitative methods since they allow us to understand and interpret complex
nature of human behavior and their health concerns. The book sits well within the themes of this
conference, particularly ‘Research and
Development and Communication in Health Promotion’.Questions for discussion:
- Why is qualitative approach important for health and health promotion?
- Many people argue that qualitative research has no value in measuring the health of people. What is your view about this? How will you respond to this question if you are asked as such?
- In the era of evidence-based practice (which is also a practice in health promotion), qualitative research is located at the bottom level of evidence, which signifies that it does not provide strong evidence in health care. What is your view about this?
No comments:
Post a Comment