Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets method

CITATION

Fletcher, A.J. (2017). Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2), pp.181-194

For library access / research help in a similar topic: anyangoceline19@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Critical realism (CR) is a useful philosophical framework for social science;
however, little guidance is available on which precise methods – including
methods of data collection, coding, and analysis – are best suited to applied
CR research. This article provides a concrete example of applied qualitative
research using CR as a philosophical and methodological framework.
Drawing examples from a study of Canadian farm women’s experiences
with agricultural policy, I suggest a flexible deductive process of coding
and data analysis that is consistent with CR ontology and epistemology. The
paper follows the typical stages of qualitative research while demonstrating
the application of methods informed by CR at each stage. Important
considerations CR ontology and epistemology raise, such as the use of
existing theory and critical engagement with participants’ knowledge and
experience, are discussed throughout. Ultimately, I identify two key causal
mechanisms shaping the lives of farm women and suggest a future direction
for feminist political economy theory to more effectively analyze women’s
work in agricultural contexts.


REFERENCES
Ackroyd, S., & Karlsson, J. C. (2014). Critical realism, research techniques, and research resigns. In P. K. Edwards, J. O’Mahoney, & S. Vincent (Eds.), Studying organizations using critical realism: A practical guide (pp. 21–45). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

Archer, M. S. (1995). Realist social theory: The morphogenetic approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Archer, M. S. (2010). Morphogenesis versus structuration: On combining structure and action. The British Journal of
Sociology, 61, 225–252. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01245.x

Archer, M., Bhaskar, R., Collier, A., Lawson, T., & Norrie, A. (1998). General introduction. In M. Archer, R. Bhaskar, A. Collier, T. Lawson, & A. Norrie (Eds.), Critical realism: Essential readings (pp. ix–xxiv). London: Routledge.

Bakker, I. (2007). Social reproduction and the constitution of a gendered political economy. New Political Economy, 12,
541–556.doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13563460701661561

Bakker, I., & Gill, S. (2008). New constitutionalism and social reproduction. In I. Bakker & R. Silvey (Eds.), Beyond
states and markets: The challenges of social reproduction (pp. 19–33). New York, NY: Routledge.

Bezanson, K., & Luxton, M. (2006). Social reproduction: Feminist political economy challenges neo-liberalism. Montreal:
McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Bhaskar, R. (1979). The possibility of naturalism: A philosophical critique of the contemporary human sciences. Atlantic
Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press.

Bhaskar, R. (1998). Philosophy and scientific realism. In M. Archer, R. Bhaskar, A. Collier, T. Lawson, & A. Norrie (Eds.),
Critical realism: Essential readings (pp. 16–47). London: Routledge.

Bhaskar, R. (2014). Foreword. In P. K. Edwards, J. O’Mahoney, & S. Vincent (Eds.), Studying organizations using critical
realism: A practical guide (pp. v—xv). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Braedley, S., & Luxton, M. (2010). Competing philosophies: Neoliberalism and the challenges of everyday life. In S.

Braedley & M. Luxton (Eds.), Neoliberalism and everyday life (pp. 3–21). Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Brodie, J. (2008). We are all equal now: Contemporary gender politics in Canada. Feminist Theory, 9, 145–164. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1464700108090408.

Brown, A., Fleetwood, S., & Roberts, J. M. (2002). The marriage of critical realism and Marxism: Happy, unhappy or on the
rocks? In A. Brown, S. Fleetwood, & J. M. Roberts (Eds.), Critical realism and Marxism (pp. 1–22). London: Routledge.

Carter, B., & New, C. (2004). Introduction: Realist social theory and empirical research. In B. Carter & C. New (Eds.),
Making realism work: Realist social theory and empirical research (pp. 1–20). London: Routledge.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage.

Clarke, J., & Alston, M. (in press). Understanding the “local” and “global”: Intersections engendering change for women
in family farming in Australia. In A. Fletcher & W. Kubik (Eds.), Women in agriculture worldwide: Key issues and
practical approaches. Farnham: Gower/Ashgate.

Collier, A. (1994). Critical realism: An introduction to Roy Bhaskar’s philosophy. London: Verso.

Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. L. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded
theory. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Danermark, B., Ekström, M., Jakobsen, L., & Karlsson, J. C. (2002). Explaining society: An introduction to critical realism
in the social sciences. London: Routledge.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2011). The Sage handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Edwards, P. K., O’Mahoney, J., & Vincent, S. (Eds.). (2014). Studying organizations using critical realism: A practical
guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Epp, R., & Whitson, D. (Eds.). (2001). Writing off the rural West: Globalization, governments and the transformation of
rural communities. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press and Parkland Institute.

Fletcher, A. (2013). The view from here: Agricultural policy, climate change, and the future of farm women in Saskatchewan
(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Regina, Regina, SK.

Gilgun, J. (2011). Coding in deductive qualitative analysis. Current Issues in Qualitative Research: An Occasional
Publication for Field Researchers from a Variety of Disciplines, 2(1), 1–4.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New Brunswick,
NJ: Aldine Transaction.

Hart, A., New, C., & Freeman, M. (2004). Health visitors and “disadvantaged” parent-clients. In B. Carter & C. New
(Eds.), Making realism work: Realist social theory and empirical research (pp. 151–170). London: Routledge.

Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hsieh, H.-F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15,
1277–1288. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687

Jaffe, J., & Blakley, B. (1999). Coping as a rural caregiver: The impact of health care reforms on rural women informal
caregivers. Regina: Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence.

Kubik, W. (2004). The changing roles of farm women and the consequences for their health, well being, and quality of life
(Doctoral dissertation). University of Regina, Regina.

Kubik, W. (2005). Farm women: The hidden subsidy in our food. Canadian Woman Studies, 24, 85–90.

Kuyek, D. (2007). Sowing the seeds of corporate agriculture: The rise of Canada’s Third Seed Regime. Studies in Political
Economy, 80, 31–54.

Lawson, T. (1997). Economics and reality. London: Routledge.

Lawson, T. (1998). Economic science without experimentation. In M. Archer, R. Bhaskar, A. Collier, T. Lawson, & A.
Norrie (Eds.), Critical realism: Essential readings (pp. 144–169). London: Routledge.

Luxton, M. (2006). Feminist political economy in Canada and the politics of social reproduction. In K. Bezanson &
M. Luxton (Eds.), Social reproduction: Feminist political economy challenges neo-liberalism (pp. 11–44). Montreal:
McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Martz, D. J. F. (2006). Canadian farm women and their families: Restructuring, work and decision making (Doctoral
dissertation). Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan.

Maxwell, J. A. (2012). A realist approach for qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morse, J. M., Barrett, M., Mayan, M., Olson, K., & Spiers, J. (2008). Verification strategies for establishing reliability and
validity in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 1, 13–22.

New, C. (2005). Sex and gender: A critical realist approach. New Formations, 56, 54–70.

Nielsen, P. (2002). Reflections on critical realism in political economy. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 26, 727–738.

O’Mahoney, J., & Vincent, S. (2014). Critical realism as an empirical project: A beginner’s guide. In P. K. Edwards, J. O’Mahoney, & S. Vincent (Eds.), Studying organizations using critical realism: A practical guide (pp. 1–20). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

Oliver, C. (2012). Critical realist grounded theory: A new approach for social work research. British Journal of Social
Work, 42, 371–387. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcr064

Parr, S. (2013). Integrating critical realist and feminist methodologies: Ethical and analytical dilemmas. International
Journal of Social Research Methodology, 18, 193–207. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2013.868572

Psillos, S. (2007). Causality. In M. Hartwig (Ed.), Dictionary of critical realism (pp. 57–61). London: Routledge.

Redman-MacLaren, M., & Mills, J. (2015). Transformational grounded theory: Theory, voice, and action. International
Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14(3), 1–12.

Rioux, M. (1969). A study of Canadian farm women: A report of the results of a survey by the Family Herald magazine.
Conducted for the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, 1970.

Roppel, C., Desmarais, A. A., & Martz, D. (2006). Farm women and Canadian agricultural policy. Ottawa: Status of
Women Canada. Retrieved from http://www.aic.ca/gender/pdf/Farm_Women.pdf

Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Sayer, A. (1992). Methods in social science: A realist approach. London: Routledge.

Springer, S. (2013). Neoliberalism. In K. Dodds, M. Kuus, & J. Sharpe (Eds.), The Ashgate research companion to critical
geopolitics (pp. 147–164). Surrey: Ashgate Publishing.

Statistics Canada. (2011). 2011 census of agriculture. Ottawa: Government of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.
gc.ca/daily-quotidien/120510/dq120510a-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2012). Snapshot of Canadian agriculture: Farm and farm operator data (No. 95-640-XWE). Retrieved
from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/95-640-x/2012002/01-eng.htm

Suddaby, R. (2006). From the editors: What grounded theory is not. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 633–642.

Vosko, L. F. (2003). The pasts (and futures) of feminist political economy in Canada: Reviving the debate. In C. Andrew,

P. Armstrong, H. Armstrong, W. Clement, & L. F. Vosko (Eds.), Studies in political economy: Developments in feminism
(pp. 305–332). Toronto: Women’s Press.

Yeung, H. W. (1997). Critical realism and realist research in human geography: A method or a philosophy in search of
a method? Progress in Human Geography, 21, 51–74.