metodtraditioner

Metodtraditioner, or methodological traditions, are historically rooted families of research methods that share core assumptions, goals, and practices. They provide coherent guidance for designing studies, collecting data, analyzing results, and reporting findings. Traditions develop within and across disciplines, often reflecting broader epistemological and ontological commitments. They help researchers justify choices about design, instruments, and analysis, and they shape what counts as credible evidence in a given field.

Key features include a characteristic set of questions, preferred data types, typical analytical procedures, and standards for validity or trustworthiness. Examples include the quantitative tradition, which emphasizes measurement, experimentation, and statistical generalization; the qualitative tradition, which focuses on context, meaning, and interpretation through methods such as interviews and ethnography; and the mixed-methods tradition, which integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the humanities and social sciences, hermeneutic, critical, and narrative traditions guide interpretive work. In the natural sciences, the experimental and modeling traditions structure inquiry.

The evolution of metodtraditioner is linked to debates about how we know what we know, and about how to balance rigor, relevance, and ethics. Critics argue against methodological dogmatism and advocate reflexivity, transparency, and pluralism, including combining methods across traditions when appropriate.

Practically, researchers select or combine traditions to suit research questions, disciplinary norms, and practical constraints. Evaluations often consider the fit between question and method, as well as the rigor and transferability of findings.