The interpretive turn and the new debate in education

Over the last several decades, positivist-behaviorist approaches to social and educational research have been onjhedecline/whereas inta%ivtivist_appj:oaches have been on the rise. As a result of this "interpretive turn, " the old debate betweerLpositivism and inter-pretivism (and central to the quantitative-qualitative debate) has diminished in intensity only to bejeplacedby a new debate within interpretivism. This article characterizes the new debate in terms ofposiavodenustsj^wlwjvould abandon-thexmancipataty^rpj-ect ofmodSfnity'asfafally flawed—uersHsJrjansiojm&tioriists.— whowould~mo3ify this project and endeavor to see it through. Among the conclusions advanced is that the difference between these two general perspectives tend to be overdrawn, particularly when philosophical avowals are measured against the require-ments of practice. Educational Researcher, Vol. 27, No. 8, pp. 13-2