Methodology for the Human Sciences: Systems of Inquiry (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)

Rating:
Summary: Solid, informative, and what you want in a good textbook
Review: The aim of this book is to provide the reader with a comprehensive textbook that surveys the emerging body of research literature, and clearly describes procedures and methods for carrying out new research. (From the back cover) This book does that and more. While most historical overviews will cover the major personages and movements, Polkinghorn does so with easy-to-understand and adequate descriptions so you get a good idea how of the field of science, and its methods have shifted through the years. His work served me like a tour guide, and filled in the gaps in my thinking about the historical unfolding drama in science, and their seminal figures. What I got out of the book was the courage and freedom to explore new areas of qualitative research, and not worry about conforming my research to some illusionary image of what I thought science what to be about all about. The book is a dense read, but will serve as a good foundational text in and out of the classroom for those who want to understand research in the human sciences.