Contextualising the EDI research agenda in the larger social sciences research landscape

Abstract

In this chapter we set the stage for the chapters that follow, each one exploring in depth a specific research methodology and its application for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) research. We provide a short overview of qualitative research methods including a discussion of (1) ontology, the assumptions about the nature of reality, (2) epistemology, the nature of knowledge and how we know, (3) axiology, the role of values and ethics in the inquiry process, and (4) methodology, the decision-making in identifying and justifying the research methods chosen. Other definitional issues, such as research approaches, paradigms, methods, and techniques, are clarified and defined. Rather than focusing on the artificial distinction between quantitative and qualitative research approaches, this chapter uses research paradigms as an organising principle. To that effect it gives a cursory overview of the major research paradigms, namely, positivist and post-positivist, interpretivist/constructivist, post-structuralist/postmodern and critical/radical/transformative paradigms, emerging paradigms such as Indigenous Kaupapa Māori, and their applicability for EDI research. The importance of reflecting on and making our own positionality and research stance explicit is also discussed along with enduring issues of establishing rigour and trustworthiness of research, followed by the way forward for EDI research.