Dancing with quantitoids: a brief and benevolent commentary on the special issue of QRSEH

Abstract

In this brief commentary on the excellent contributions to this special of Qualitative Research in Sport, Health and Exercise, I attempt to draw out several major themes that ran through many of the articles, and address a few other points that stood out in my readings of the submissions. After a short introduction of my own history with respect to becoming a (predominately) qualitative researcher, I discuss issues related to the philosophy of knowledge and research paradigms in qualitative work. I then address to the issue of the politics of knowledge in qualitative research, and call on scholars to move towards more progressive ways of conducting qualitative research that reflect the current ways of thinking about qualitative work. Next, I provide a couple of notes regarding the applications of qualitative research, as well as the need to better educate ourselves and our students on the latest qualitative approaches. I end with a few specific comments on Jeffery Martin’s challenging and insightful article, and end with a point about qualitative research in an era of new media and abbreviated modes of communication.