长度访谈:经验社会研究的一种质性方法

Long Interview: Qualitative Methodology and Its Influences on Social Work Practice

在现代社会,经验的社会研究中,使用传统的人类学方法,如参与式观察的方法,越来越受到限制,这种限制在质性研究中也有体现。有什么方法能够突破限制,建立关于认识对象的真知识?本文首先讨论质性研究,并讨论"长度访谈"这一特殊的质性研究方法。本文认为,长度方法能够突破限制的前提下,在经验研究中完成传统人类学方法所能完成的知识任务。质的研究建立在不同与实证主义研究范式所持有的本体论、认识论和方法论基础之上;由于强调了社会现实的建构性质,质的研究基本上把在实证主义那里理所当然地加以接受的社会现象的"客观性"当作主观地、社会地建构的结果;合乎逻辑地,质的研究同时也强调本体论意义上的相对性。同样合乎逻辑的是,质的研究往往采用第一人称的写作手法,将研究者个人的情感与价值立场带入研究的过程之中,使之与标榜价值中立的实证主义研究在方法论上形成鲜明的对立。本文将着重讨论质的研究中一种影响力日盛的方法,即长度访谈的方法,以便认识量化研究和质性研究的分野。本文认为,社会工作作为国内新兴的专业和实务,在借鉴、思量实证主义研究范式的同时,应该从质的研究中获得更多的启迪。

Qualitative research is based on special orientations of ontology,epistemology and methodology which are different from those of positivism.Because of stressing the construction of social reality,qualitative methodologies regard the objectivity of social facts as the result of actively subjective and social constructing,and such objectivity is taken for granted in positivism.Logically,qualitative methodologies emphasize ontological relativism,and what is logically true is that very often qualitative research uses first person writing,and thus researcher＇s personal affection and value orientations intervene in the process of studies.The author in this paper focuses on the long interview as one of the important qualitative methodologies and makes clear the distinctions between quantitative and qualitative methods.The author argues that as a newly emerging discipline in China,while reflecting on paradigms influenced by positivism,social work practices can draw upon a lot from qualitative methodologies.