Qualitative Research Methods and Evidential Reasoning. Issue 5 (September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Matta, Corrado
• Is Part Of: Philosophy of the social sciences. Volume 49:Issue 5(2019)
• Page Start: 385
• Page End: 412
• Publication Date: 2019-09
• Subjects: qualitative methods -- evidential reasoning -- methodological separatism -- defeasible reasoning; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Périodiques; Sciences sociales -- Méthodologie -- Périodiques; 300.1
• DOI: 10.1177/0048393119862858
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0048-3931

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of evidential reasoning in the context of qualitative research methods in the social sciences. A conceptualization of qualitative evidential reasoning is proposed. This conceptualization is based on the analysis of an example of qualitative methods applied to the study of music education. I argue that this conceptualization identifies specific and nontrivial conditions for qualitative evidential reasoning and, at the same time, supports the claim that there is no essential methodological separation regarding evidence between quantitative and qualitative methods.