Interpretivist Paradigm Reflections

For me, the Interpretivist Paradigm answers the question I have been asking myself about research since my first "teacher as researcher" assignment in graduate school - what is the effect of research on the subject(s) being researched? Anderson-Levitt puts this much more succinctly in the question "Are we doing more harm than good by studying this person or community? How are we preventing value bias from researchers? (p.283-284).

The Interpretivist Paradigm treats the researcher, the subject(s), and the process of research in more humane way than say the Positivist paradigm, and for me, that matters. While the hard facts or numbers of the Positivist paradigm appeal to my desire for reliable information, my real interest is in the Why? of those numbers. Number are just that...numbers. However, the interpretation of those numbers is often written out in the Results/Findings and Implications portion of a study leaving quite a bit unsaid. The numbers gained from the positivist methods could hold much greater meaning if interpretive data were added to them.

Ethnography, a specific kind of research that is part of the Interpretivist paradigm, is new to me. In an ethnography, the qualitative methods employed can allow the researcher to interpret and build theories about how and why a social process occurs. This aspect of ethnographies is especially interesting to me, and I feel it holds powerful potential for educational studies. For example, while certain reading interventions can be measured for effectiveness based on numerical data gained from pre and post assessments, I often ask myself about the enjoyment in using these interventions on the part of students and teachers. I dream of interventions for students that are not only effective in improving reading skills, but are also engaging for students and add to their overall educational experience. I feel that certain groups of students would respond to interventions differently not just based on academic skills, but due to cultural backgrounds, interests, etc. An ethnographic study could help to answer these and other questions while also not harming the subject (students and teachers) in the process.

For me, the interpretivist paradigm seems authentic, would actually be interesting to complete and read, and paired with numerical data in something that may resemble a mixed-methods study or triangulation, could provide real solutions for real problems.