Abstract
At the heart of the paradigm conflict between positivists and interpretivists are the different ways each group views subjectivity and objectivity in the research process; positivists view subjectivity as a contamination to research, whereas interpretivists view objectivity as unattainable. This essay first revisits the so-called paradigm wars between positivists and interpretivists throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century that have shaped and continue to shape educational research in general and American music education research in particular. To provide but one slim point of reference for which readers might anchor the discussion and contextualize their thoughts, I offer an analysis of the trajectory of methodological pluralism within the Journal of Research in Music Education. Then, using Gage’s (Gage, N. L. Educ Res, 18(7), 4–10 (1989)) predictions as a framework, I make the argument that the paradigm wars—which began with the rise of interpretivism in the 1980s with the incompatibility thesis, followed by a ceasefire in the 1990s with the complementary strengths thesis—are unfortunately still being waged today as the educational research community’s hard fought gains toward pluralism are now being tested by those outside the profession. Finally, I argue that while instances of methodological pluralism are relatively rare among American music education researchers, the field of American music education research as a whole has become more methodologically pluralistic since the 1970s and contend that our new charge is not be to become more methodologically plural as a profession, but to convince those outside the profession that methodological pluralism is a good thing.
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Notes
- 1.
It should be noted that methodological pluralism within music education research was embraced much earlier in Europe than in the U.S.
- 2.
The term paradigm wars is often attributed to eminent Stanford Education Professor, Nathaniel Gage, who in 1989 envisioned three possible scenarios of how conflicts between positivists and interpretivists throughout the 1970s and 1980s might end. Gage’s predictions are explored later in the essay.
- 3.
When revisiting history, it may be impossible to avoid omitting the myriad of alternative and parallel histories and perspectives. Such is the case in this essay. Readers are reminded that the histories presented in this essay are primarily American and are interpreted, organized, and presented through the author’s unavoidably subjective and limited perspective.
- 4.
With their second edition in 2000 and third edition in 2005, the authors identify seven and eight moments respectively.
- 5.
along with the US Journal of Research in Music Education and the British Psychology of Music
- 6.
While it is an unfair question (Gage was using a rhetorical technique to make a point, not trying to predict the future), locating the present within his predictions can be helpful in illuminating where we have come since 1989.
- 7.
The few instances in the JRME where an author has published both types of research in two or more separate studies have usually involved co-authorship in one of the publications. For instance, Schleuter and Schleuter (1985) co-authored a quantitative study and Schleuter (1991) later published a single-author qualitative study. As well, Humphreys and Stauffer (2000) co-authored a quantitative study and Stauffer (2002) later published a single-author qualitative study. Similarly, Strand (2006) published a single author quantitative study and Brenner and Strand (2013) later published a co-authored qualitative study.
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West, C. (2018). A Path Toward Methodological Pluralism: Revisiting the Paradigm Conflicts of the 1980s through Today. In: Dansereau, D., Dorfman, J. (eds) Pluralism in American Music Education Research. Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, vol 23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90161-9_2
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