Qualitative Research From Grounded Theory to Build a Scientific Framework on the Researcher’s Epistemic Competence

Angel Deroncele-Acosta*, Ramiro Gross-Tur, Omar Bellido-Valdiviezo, Rosendo López-Mustelier

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Epistemic Competence of the Researcher is a critical success factor for ethical, rigorous, and creative research performance, but it requires a deep epistemological and methodological mastery, however, the current scientific literature has not yet achieved a conceptual arrangement, that allows researchers and educators to have a comprehensive theoretical framework for a holistic understanding of this competence. The objective of this study was to build a comprehensive theory on the epistemic competence of the researcher. A qualitative approach was used, deploying an open interview and the grounded theory method. Ten experts in social science didactics from 7 Latin American universities and 3 Spanish universities participated. The interviews were processed manually and with the support of ATLAS.TI software, finding 23 emerging categories that were contrasted with the results of a term co-occurrence network of 6081 studies imported from Scopus. From the cross-check of empirical and theoretical results, the following concepts were selected to coincide. Finally, the theoretical framework established was made up of the following concepts: 1.- knowledge building and conceptual change, 2.- epistemological beliefs, 3.- concept mapping and knowledge creation, 4.- conceptual understanding, 5.- conceptual framework, 6.- concept formation, 7.- epistemic beliefs, 8.- science education (learning science and science teaching) 9.- cognitive complexity, 10.- personal epistemology, 11.- virtue epistemology, 12.- formal logic, 13.- epistemic cognition, 14.- nature of science, 15.- epistemic emotions. A proposal for teaching and learning science from this epistemic perspective is established. Future studies should continue to explore the concepts and categories that this work leaves open.

Original languageEnglish
JournalThe International Journal of Qualitative Methods
Volume23
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2024

Keywords

  • concept formation
  • conceptual change
  • conceptual framework
  • conceptual understanding
  • epistemic competence
  • epistemic emotions
  • grounded theory
  • knowledge building
  • personal epistemology
  • qualitative research
  • science education
  • virtue epistemology

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