Book Review
The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process
Michael J Crotty
ISBN: 978-0-761961-05-5 1998 vii+248 pages Allen & Unwin, St Leonards
AP Thompson
Charles Sturt University, NSW
Crotty's book promises an overview of the ‘major epistemological stances and theoretical perspectives that colour and shape current social research'. Current social research, from my point of view, is increasingly multidisciplinary. I have long felt the need to better understand the perspectives of my non-psychologist colleagues. I have picked up and vaguely understood references to terms such as constructionism, interpretivism, hermeneutics, intentio operis, intentio lectoris, Foucauldian, Gadamerian - big words some of them, as Crotty himself quips at one point.
In the opening chapter Michael Crotty promises to provide a framework for understanding these perspectives. He warns that the reader will have to use his scaffolding to establish a more substantive understanding. He notes that even experienced researchers are often bewildered by the teeming variety of research methods and methodologies. Crotty provides a simple model for conceptualising the research process. Thus I was encouraged to think of the ‘four elements' - methods, methodology, theoretical perspective and epistemology. The four elements can be described alternatively as the data collection techniques, the strategy behind the techniques, the philosophical stance informing the strategy, and the theory of how we know what we know.
Crotty's book is primarily about epistemologies and theoretical perspectives - in short, the assumptions that underlie all research efforts but which are frequently not well clarified or understood. The book embarks upon ‘a long journey', as Michael Crotty himself observes in both his introductory and concluding chapters. We travel through positivism, constructionism, interpretivism, critical inquiry, feminism and postmodernism. Crotty is a knowledgeable guide, for he explores with impressive detail the major research stances, their evolution, and their derivatives. It is an interesting journey, but the undergrowth is frequently dense. The ideas themselves are not simple - that is to be expected. However, I sensed that I could have made better progress if not bogged down by the trappings of so many theoretical and epistemological explorers who had gone before. I thought Crotty made me carry too much. His chapters were packed with detail, often via direct quotes, so that I yearned for clear landmarks to bolster my spirits.
As with all long journeys, I was happy when this one was over, but I did not feel my time was wasted. I did grasp the essence of the traditions covered. There were also highlights. On a number of occasions I delighted in new insights and my expanding understanding of the assumptions that underlie social research. However, I wished Crotty had provided me with a chapter by chapter summary of the strands that he unravelled within each broad perspective. This would have helped me with ‘delving into the ideas and modes of analysis of so many thinkers'. There was more than I could absorb in a single read, but I will return to Crotty's book. I know that breadth of coverage and detail are there. I recommend his book as reference point for those conducting social research or teaching research methods. In the preface the author tells us that this work grew out of teaching a subject on qualitative methods. I believe the book would overwhelm most undergraduate students unless accompanied by much direction and discussion.
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