1st Edition
Critical Realism for Health and Social Research
As the social sciences can be based on quite different assumptions or ‘philosophies’ about what the social world is like and how knowledge about it can be obtained, this book will help students navigate the need for consistency between empirical work, the research question, research design, values and philosophy of science.
Based on a critical realist perspective the book seeks to elucidate and to reflect on such connections, and to argue for the requirements of coherence as well as taking a critical look at the dilemmas that arise in health and social care/work research.
Comprised of thirteen chapters which cover theoretical frameworks, research questions, objectives of the study, research ethical considerations, values, and the question of validity, it shows how these must be interlinked if a project is to have a good design.
It will be of interest to researchers, PhD candidates and master's students in the field of health care and social work/care.
Chapter One – Introduction
May-Britt Solem, Per Arne Tufte and Dag Jenssen
Chapter Two – Coherence: The need to think about the whole
Dag Jenssen
Chapter Three – Critical realism and “the situated knowledges” methodology: Coherent and comprehensive positions in health and social research?
May-Britt Solem
Chapter Four – Coherence and methodological issues specific for interdisciplinary research
Berth Danermark
Chapter Five – Dialectical Critical Realism, Action Research and Social Work
Stanley Houston
Chapter Six – The role of values in a critical realist perspective
Dag Jenssen
Chapter Seven – Quality criteria in research: the empiricist approach and critical realism
Knut-Andreas Christophersen
Chapter Eight – Quality in critical realist qualitative research
Kaja Larsen Østerud
Chapter Nine – Mechanism explanations in social research
Per Arne Tufte
Chapter Ten – Rethinking research on young adults’ labour market inclusion: a critical analysis of ambivalent outcome categories
Ivan Harsløf
Chapter Eleven – Climate Change is Real: Critical Realism and the Unequal Social Impacts of Climate Change
Amber J. Fletcher
Chapter Twelve – Mixed methods research a strengthening of validity?
May-Britt Solem
Chapter Thirteen – Conclusion
May-Britt Solem and Dag Jenssen
Biography
May-Britt Solem is Professor Emerita of Social Work at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. She is the editor of Critical Realism for Welfare Professions: Routledge (2017).
Dag Jenssen is Associate Professor of philosophy of science at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway.
