"De nobis ipsis silemus?": Epistemology of Biographical- Narrative Research in Education

Authors

  • Antonio Bolivar Botía Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación Universidad de Granada

Keywords:

Biographical-narrative research, epistemology, qualitative research.

Abstract

The article analyzes how biographical-narrative research has currently become a perspective or specific approach in educational research, rather than just another qualitative methodology to be added to the rest. This type of research changes the usual concepts of what is considered knowledge in social science, and what is important to know. However, since modern times there has been a methodological deficiency in the justification of this type of research (validity, generalization and reliability). This study pulls together and describes the main lines of support for autobiographical accounts, critically analyzing the theoretical and epistemological disputes that have arisen in the last few years (positivism vs. hermeneutics, paradigmatic method vs. narration of data analysis). The paper also deals with the limitations and epistemological problems that arise from the defense of a strictly narrative data focus, and how this can be compatible with the paradigmatic ways of knowing.

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Published

2002-05-01