Naturalistic inquiry

"Showing how science is limited by its dominant mode of investigation, Lincoln and Guba propose an alternative paradigma "naturalistic" rather than "rationalistic" method of inquiryin which the investigator avoids manipulating research outcomes. A "paradigm shift" is under way in many fields, they contend, and go on to describe the different assumptions of the two approaches regarding the nature of reality, subject-object interaction, the possibility of generalization, the concept of causality, and the role of values. The authors also offer guidance for research in the field (where, they say, …