Interpretivist Approach Paper

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The second reading for this week is titled “Alternative Approaches for Studying Naturally Occurring Human Behaviour and Thought in Special Education Research” by Evelyn Jacob. In this paper the author Jacob discusses a number of approaches to research in special education that include two methods we are familiar with: positivist approach and a interpretivist approach (Jacob, 1990).

In the beginning part of the article the author Jacob discusses the idea of outlining assumptions and goals of research before beginning (Jacob, 1990).). She explains that in order to pick a research design that works best for you, it is important to understand the issue you are researching along with any research assumptions you may have (Jacob, 1990).). After the goals of the research have been stated, and the
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We learned that creating assumptions and goals in the beginning will set the stage for the type of approach you take when gathering research. The traditional positivist approach has a number of limitations, however the alternate approach to this view would be case studies that open up to a large range of data (Jacob, 1990).). The interpretivist approach differs from the positivist approach and focuses in on the meaning people give to behaviour (Jacob, 1990).). We also learn that the assumptions in the interpretivist approach can be applied to many other disciplines for example anthropology which we looked at in this paper. The biggest takeaway from this article is understanding that the goals and assumptions of research will help you select which approach will fit best for each situation (Jacob, 1990).). As we learned in this paper on special education, understanding alternate approaches to research will help uncover new information and new perspectives on the subject, creating an overall better understanding of the topic at

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