Theories and Heuristic Constructs Informing the Mmogo-method

Abstract

This chapter provides a broad overview of the heuristic constructs of theories underpinning the Mmogo-method. To facilitate a point of discussion, different perspectives are described from the position both of researchers and of participants. Researchers assume an onto-epistemological stance (relativism-realism) to obtain detailed data from participants about their subjective perspective (discursive and verbal) in relation to social reality and use their methodological skills and expert knowledge to interpret findings to describe patterns and tendencies of social reality (realism). A more nuanced understanding of the social phenomenon under investigation is obtained when researchers adopt a meta-reflective position to move between participants’ and the researcher’s positions. From the participants’ position, subjectively-informed and symbolic meanings are expressed verbally and visually through visual representations (constructivism). It is assumed that people behave towards things on the basis of the meanings they have for them; that they develop symbolic meanings in interaction with the social and physical world; and that meanings are handled through interpretative processes (symbolic interactionism). Since language can limit the ability to express symbolic meanings, visual representations are used to support the discursive representation to produce rich and nuanced data. Visual representations are the objectification of meanings (social representations theory). Social constructs are also informed by the social and cultural environment and therefore participants are collectively involved in data collection (social constructionism).