From Title to Title: The Evolution of Perspective in Naturalistic Inquiry

Abstract

Naturalistic inquirers often begin fieldwork expecting to discover, not verify, the main point of their inquiry. Given their complexity, field settings seldom contain a single point or story. The naturalistic researchers' relatively unfocused beginnings lead to various tentative efforts to identify what strikes them as most promising. As they become immersed increasingly in their data, they must contend with different points that compete for center stage in their deliberations. These points may be encapsulated in titles. This article describes how the succession of titles reveals the evolution of the researcher's perspective in a recently completed study.