Why we should rethink the method section in higher-education qualitative research

In this paper, we suggest that in most cases there is no need for a lengthy description of methodological procedures in qualitative higher education journal articles. Doing so often adds no real value beyond creating a scientific façade, and the space this requires as a proportion of the total paper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of research & method in education Vol. 47; no. 1; pp. 93 - 98
Main Authors Wald, Navé, Harland, Tony, Daskon, Chandima
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Routledge 01.01.2024
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
contribution to knowledge
Epistemology
qualitative research
research methods
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Summary:In this paper, we suggest that in most cases there is no need for a lengthy description of methodological procedures in qualitative higher education journal articles. Doing so often adds no real value beyond creating a scientific façade, and the space this requires as a proportion of the total paper word limit could be better utilized for crafting a more critical contribution for the field. With the relatively short word limits allowed for articles, there is always a trade-off between what can be covered and what might be needed. However, our preference would be to have journals and authors use the space to develop a deeper conceptual or theoretical engagement with the topic of interest, rather than writing about interview protocols and how codes and themes were identified.
ISSN:1743-727X
1743-7288
DOI:10.1080/1743727X.2023.2165642