Epistemology in Practice: Exploring Standards of Quality in Qualitative Education Research

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Qualitative Research in the Big Tent: Conversations Across Epistemologies and Ontologies (Table 1)

Abstract

This paper explores the diverse standards used by education researchers to assess qualitative research quality, highlighting the lack of a universal framework. Through semi-structured interviews with 25 researchers from a graduate school of education, the study identifies key evaluative criteria and motivations underlying qualitative research practices. It examines how different epistemological approaches—post-positivist, interpretivist, and critical theory—influence research design and assessment. Findings reveal that while researchers align with specific epistemologies, they often integrate elements from multiple frameworks. The study suggests a need for a more flexible evaluation approach that accommodates this epistemological diversity, offering insights into how qualitative research can be assessed and justified across varied scholarly perspectives.

Authors

• Jacob H. Wolf, Harvard University

• Hwa Pyung Yoo, Harvard University