Constructivist Approaches and Research Methods

This book builds on George Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Psychology, demonstrating the potential power and versatility of this approach for exploring people's understanding and interaction with the world. It explains from inception to completion how to conduct interpretive, constructivist research, from philosophical underpinnings, through methodological design, to practical considerations and caveats about its use. Within social sciences, positivist approaches to research assume that people can best be studied by breaking them down into constituent aspects of their behaviour, cognition or internal traits or drives. Constructivism, on the other hand, proposes that people are irreducible beings and, as such, their actions and intents can best be understood by studying their perceptions and interpretations, many of which operate at an unconscious level and cannot be accessed through positivist methods. Personal Construct Psychology offers researchers a range of proven techniques to explore these deeply held attitudes, interests, beliefs and identities as they interact and influence behaviour in personal, work or cultural settings. This is an essential companion for researchers who want to understand the why's, what's and how's of conducting a rigorous constructivist research project. Written by a team of experts, it will help you determine an appropriate methodological approach to meet your research needs and equip you with the necessary tools and understanding to manage your research effectively throughout the project lifecycle.