Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...

However, Jessop (1997:40) maintains that:
Arguably, qualitative methods are more sensitive to the nuances and texture of complex
social realities than the scientific method. This is linked to their reliance on textual
sources of data, which are more inclined to open up shades ofmeaning than numbers.
Qualitative methods are also particularistic in intent rather than universally generalisable
to other contexts, as is in the case with most quantitative research.
My research study was certainly rooted in an interpretative, qualitative paradigm, as this
approach was more likely to provide opportunities to discover meanings and realities and
rich tones and shades ofthe research context. Qualitative research affords a better means
ofreflecting social reality than quantitative research. Qualitative researchers are
interested in meaning, that is, how people make sense oftheir lives, what they
experience, how they interpret their experiences and how they structure their social world
(Merriam 1988). Interpretivist research assumes that human action is inherently
meaningful. In order to understand a particular social action, it is important for the
researcher to grasp the meanings that constitute that action. Human action has a certain
intentional content that suggests the kind ofaction that it is. The meaning ofan action can
only be grasped in terms ofthe systems ofmeanings to which it belongs (Schwandt
2003).
Lincoln and Guba (1985) coined the term 'naturalistic inquiry'. The following are the key
features ofthis approach:
• The context influences the phenomena under study. Phenomena under study can
only be understood in relationship to the time and context that spawned the said
phenomena. This implies that research takes place in a natural setting, that is,
where the phenomena actually occurred. These settings are not contrived but
occur naturally. The researcher should be aware ofthe various meanings that may
exist in a given context. The aim ofresearch in a natural setting is to get a real
feel for the 'vibe' and ethos ofthe research site.
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