ABSTRACT

This paper suggests philosophical foundations for mixed methods research based on the philosophy of critical realism. In particular, it suggests that the critical realist idea of the primacy of ontology helps bridge the apparent paradigmatic gap between qualitative and quantitative research. It illustrates this foundational idea by showing why and how a multi-disciplinary team used a mixed methods approach to understand the significance of religion in prison through a multi-site study of religious conversion to Islam in prison and how this gives a better account than a single method approach. The mixed method research design used in the project sets out a new way of mapping and understanding religious conversion and differences within a faith group that draws on the emancipatory potential of critical realist thought.

摘要

本文提出了基于批判现实主义哲学的混合方法研究的哲学基础。特别是，它表明本体论至上的批判现实主义思想有助于弥合定性和定量研究之间明显的范式差距。它通过展示一个多学科团队为什么以及如何使用混合方法方法通过对监狱中宗教皈依伊斯兰教的多地点研究来理解监狱中宗教的重要性以及这如何提供比单一方法方法。该项目中使用的混合方法研究设计提出了一种绘制和理解宗教皈依和信仰群体内部差异的新方法，该方法利用了批判现实主义思想的解放潜力。