Min(e)d the Labels: Rethinking the Concept, Methodologist

• In Event: Methodologists, Who Needs 'Em?

Abstract

Overview
Methodological discussions and discord permeate educational research, and there are traditional silos that position qualitative and quantitative research studies at opposite ends of the methods spectrum. Adding to that divide, the concept, methodologist, has appeared in recent discourse, and we contend that this concept will further divide the field.

Perspectives
Richardson and St. Pierre (2005) draw upon the metaphor of the crystal to represent the complexity of perception and the limits of our perceptual field. They explain that interpretation is based on “an infinite variety of shapes, substances, transmutations, multidimensionalities, and angles of approach. Crystals grow, change, and are altered, but they are not amorphous…there is no single truth… Crystallization provides us with a deepened, complex, and thoroughly partial understanding of the topic” (Richardson & St. Pierre, 2005, p. 963). We call upon crystallization as a conceptual frame and critical dialectical pluralism (CDP; Author, 2013) as a philosophical frame supporting democratic, participatory research; this conceptual/philosophical intersection for discussing multiple methodological perspectives acknowledges that there is no single truth in research and reminds the field not to rush to label or to limit interpretations. Through crystallization and CDP lenses, the concept, methodologist, is problematic because it privileges the knowledge and experience(s) of one researcher over others.

Method
We used a mixed methods research design to (a) conduct a classical content analysis of extant literature and websites associated with the term, “methodologist,” and (b) interview three education researchers who assume a methodologist role in their profession.

Results
The term, methodologist, permeates the fields of marketing and economics, as well as job searches specifically pertaining to grant research. Although this term suggests expertise in research methods, the definition of the role varied according to context. Considering the job title, political methodologist, Leeper (2018) suggested that the label signals that one teaches and researches methods and is recognized by senior scholars for methodological expertise. Yet, job descriptions and marketing-based definitions suggest that methodologists are primarily concerned with collecting and analyzing quantitative data. Roller (2018) interviewed a methodologist who described her role in “design[ing] all the steps in conducting a survey to make sure that the data collected are accurate and tell the right story” (para 6). In light of the crystallization and social constructionist lenses, the concept of data “tell[ing] the right story” underscores the very point that data can be manipulated and there is no universal truth. These lenses also emphasize the importance not to adopt a label, such as methodologist, which privileges the particular expertise, perception(s), and epistemologies of specific individuals. If all researchers are able to contribute to the conversation about methods, then there will be room for verstehen, or deep understanding, to emerge.

Significance
Although the concept of the methodologist primarily is used beyond the field of education, it is important to resist such labeling and flatten hierarchies that use of unnecessary terms creates. Doing so also can help to facilitate multimodal narratives to democratize evidence and underscore the importance of collaboration and participation among all stakeholders.

Authors

• Sandra Schamroth Abrams, Saint John's University

• Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, University of Cambridge

• Elena Forzani, Boston University