Mullen P D, Reynolds R
Health Educ Monogr. 1978 Fall;6(3):280-94. doi: 10.1177/109019817800600302.
This paper offers a critique of present research methods used in the literature drawn upon by health education practitioners, students, and teachers. Weaknesses of deductive methods and of theory which is highly general are noted in terms of their implications for the advancement of health education theory and practice, and in terms of their consistency with traditional principles of practice. The grounded theory method--an inductive approach usually used with participant observation and interview data--is described, and the major arguments for its value are presented. In particular, the empirical generation of middle-range theory can provide a strong link between more general theory and situations faced by practitioners, and definitions of problems are not prematurely closed to reinterpretation from other perspectives. Several recommendations are given for changing the research orientation of health education.
本文对健康教育从业者、学生和教师所引用文献中目前使用的研究方法进行了批判。从演绎法和高度概括性理论对健康教育理论与实践发展的影响，以及它们与传统实践原则的一致性方面，指出了其弱点。描述了扎根理论方法——一种通常用于参与观察和访谈数据的归纳法，并阐述了其价值的主要论据。特别是，中层理论的实证生成可以在更一般的理论与从业者面临的情况之间提供强有力的联系，而且问题的定义不会过早地封闭而无法从其他角度重新解释。针对改变健康教育的研究方向给出了若干建议。
