The bookS in this series are intended for those doing smallscale
research in real-life settings. No previous knowledge of
research methods is assumed and the series is particularly
suited to practitioners studying for a higher degree or who
want to research some aspect of their practice. The thinking
underlying the series reflects a major shift in social science
research methods over the past fifteen years – away from a
natural-sciences style which emphasizes deductive theorytesting,
a prior determination of method (usually experimental)
and ‘generalizable’ results, towards a recognition
that such requirements are often unworkable and inappropriate
in the real world.
This is not a defect, because the traditionally ‘scientific’
methods are often not adequate as a way of understanding
how people behave ‘in context’. This does not mean that one
should give up an empirical, evidence-based research tradition
but adapt to what is possible and, more importantly,
what is likely to yield a truer picture.
Bill Gillham