The Problem of Appropriate Method for Educational Sciences: Qualitative Research and A Response to Erkuş

Abstract

My intent in writing this opinion paper was to discuss Erkuş’s (2015) views on qualitative research and to provide counter arguments. In doing so, I divided this paper into four sections in each one of which I argued following theses: (I) Denying qualitative research is scientism, (II) Denying qualitative research is related to demarcation problem, (III) Just as quantitative research, there are standards and precautions for robustness of studies in qualitative research. Hence, the issue is not to deny qualitative research as a type of real research, but to have an intellectual effort, and (IV) Due to its congruency with education, qualitative studies should be used in educational researches. In addition, in section four, I presented seven propositions that are related to the nature of education and purported that qualitative research is congruent with it. Finally, in the conclusion, I highlighted that we should discuss the possibilities that qualitative research may provide to education instead of rejecting it completely.