The Proliferation of Theoretical Paradigms Quandary: How One Novice Researcher Used Eclecticism as a Solution

Authors

David W. Stinson, Georgia State UniversityFollow

Abstract

When a doctoral student plans to conduct qualitative education research, the aspect of the dissertation that often becomes problematic is determining which theoretical paradigm(s) might frame the study. In this article, the author discusses how he resolved the quandary through eclecticism. The author begins by describing briefly the purpose of his dissertation study, providing a justification for eclecticism in the selection of theories. He follows with a description of the three theories-poststructural theory, critical race theory, and critical theory-that framed his study and discusses briefly the methodology employed. The author concludes with a discussion of likely objections of his study and with an explanation of why his study was positioned within a critical postmodern paradigm.

Keywords

Qualitative Research, Poststructural Theory, Critical Race Theory, Critical Theory, Critical Postmodern Theory, and Paradigm Proliferation

Acknowledgements

This article was derived from the author’s dissertation, completed in the Department of Mathematics Education at the University of Georgia. The author wishes to thank the members of his doctoral committee for their support and wisdom: Denise Mewborn (chair), Jerome Morris, George Stanic, Paola Sztajn, and Dorothy White (and Bettie St. Pierre). I also wish to think the editors and reviewers of The Qualitative Report, Angela McCreery, Ginny Powell, and Bettie St. Pierre, who provide critiques and suggestions on earlier drafts of this article. Portions of this article can be found in an earlier published account of the author’s dissertation study: Stinson, D. W. (2008). Negotiating sociocultural discourses: The counter-storytelling of academically (and mathematically) successful African American male students. American Educational Research Journal, 45(4), 975–1010.

Publication Date

9-1-2009

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2009.1408

Recommended APA Citation

Stinson, D. W. (2009). The Proliferation of Theoretical Paradigms Quandary: How One Novice Researcher Used Eclecticism as a Solution. The Qualitative Report, 14(3), 498-523. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2009.1408