Interpretive Decision Making in Research

Abstract

This paper examines key junctures at which researchers make interpretive decisions. Our underlying assumption is that all research is interpretive, and reality is being constructed at every stage of a research process. Our purpose is to explore three research constructs, role of the researcher, research questions, and underlying assumptions, as these affect the process of research. We address two questions: When are meanings constructed in social science and educational research, and Why do researchers from varied interpretive traditions develop simultaneously viable, even though disparate, meanings? Our focus is on the hermeneutic orientation to research. Literature from the study of construct validity, in particular the work of Cherryholmes (1988), provides a foundation for the development of an interpretive framework. We conclude with a brief application of this framework used as a tool to examine selected examples of research in art education.