Critical realism in research

The critical realist research paradigm, what's it all about? This introductory video guides you through the three realms of empirical, actual, and real, and gives you an overview of critical realist ontology and epistemology.

Critical realism can seem very abstract, conceptual, and difficult to understand, but essentially what it boils down to is a belief that the things we can't see impact upon the things we can see.

The underlying power structures and inequalities inherent within society impact on what actually happens and how we experience it.

Critical realist research pays attention to the individual experience but situates that within the broader social, political, and economic context. It's kind of like a halfway point between a wholly micro approach, which focuses solely upon the individual, and a wholly macro approach, which focuses on social structures and systems.

Let me know your questions in the comments; together we will demystify social science research paradigms!

Chapters
0:00 - 1:33 Introduction and overview
1:34 - 3:07 Paradigms
3:08 - 4:36 Ontology and epistemology
4:37 - 6:00 Critical realism - key points
6:01 - 8:09 Critical realist example - understanding poverty
8:10 - 9:15 Critical realist ontology and epistemology
9:16 - 11:38 Critical realist research study example Galazka & O'Mahoney (2021)
11:39 - 12:19 Recap

// Other helpful videos in this series and beyond //
Part 1 - What are paradigms?    • Paradigms of research for graduate Ph...  
Part 2 - Positivism    • What is positivism in sociology? Soci...  
Part 3 - Interpretivism    • What is interpretivism? A simple expl...  
Ontology and epistemology explained    • Ontology and epistemology explained, ...  
Reflective and reflexive, what's the difference?    • What's the difference between reflect...  

// Example article from the video //
Galazka, A., & O’Mahoney, J. (2023). The Socio-Materiality of Dirty Work: A Critical Realist Perspective. Work, Employment and Society, 37(2), 432-448. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017021101...

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