Scott, D;
(2007)
Critical Realism and Statistical Methods: A Response to Nash.
British Educational Research Journal
, 33
(2)
pp. 141-154.
10.1080/01411920701208167.
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Abstract
This article offers a defence of critical realism in the face of objections Nash (2005) makes to it in a recent edition of this journal. It is argued that critical and scientific realisms are closely related and that both are opposed to statistical positivism. However, the suggestion is made that scientific realism retains (from statistical positivism) a number of elements that result in misleading accounts of social processes and events: indicators are used which do not reflect the close relationship between structure and agency; indicators refer to reified and not real properties of both structures and agents; and indicators do not refer to causal properties of objects and entities. In order to develop a narrative of causal processes, as Nash argues researchers should, then some adjustments need to be made to the principles that underpin scientific realism.
Type: | Article |
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Title: | Critical Realism and Statistical Methods: A Response to Nash |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.1080/01411920701208167 |
Additional information: | This is an electronic version of an article published in Scott, David (2007) Critical Realism and Statistical Methods: A Response to Nash. British Educational Research Journal, 33 (2). pp. 141-154. British Educational Research Journal is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/01411920701208167 |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1533484 |
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