Jensen Quote

I think it is interesting when I see how influenced we are by scientific method and how the language of this approach to understanding our world has forced us to only see the world through this particular lens.  I see this happening here in trying to understand objectivity/subjectivity in research.  Objectivity in quantitative research is tied to a controlled research context, and yes, there is the premise here that the researcher wants to distance him/herself from the participants/objects of the study. But it goes further than that, in that objectivity must be linked with reliability and validity in the research design.  The main way that we can achieve reliability is if the research design can be repeated (reliability) and if it measures what it was designed to measure (validity).  Through this, we achieve rigor. Reliability and validity are not premises or assumptions of qualitative research and so objectivity has a different meaning.  We achieve rigor in qualitative research through trustworthiness.  This means that because the researcher has followed the specific processes linked with the chosen methodology, the audience can have a high degree of confidence that the interpretative process is an accurate and plausible view of reality linked with the topic.  Since it is all based on an interpretive process, subjectivity is inherently part of the process, because the researcher and the participants work together to interpret the data in an effort to illuminate that part of reality they are seeking to uncover.  The objective element is the researcher stepping back to get a more global view of the research context and the data to make sure that the interpretive process/data analysis is trustworthy.  Meaning that the audience sees the research design and the interpretation of the data as believable.  So objectivity is not about distancing oneself from the research context and that which is being studied.  Objectivity in qualitative research is distancing oneself from the data analysis and interpretive process so that you can make sure you have done things correctly as it pertains to the epistemological and ontological premises of your study.