Qualitative Research in Japanese Family Sociology::What has the Recent Revival of Qualitative Research Brought to Family Sociology in Japan?

概要

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This paper attempts to review qualitative research conducted in Japanese family sociology over the past two decades and considers its current status and issues. The results of qualitative research published in the Japanese Journal of Family Sociology (1989-2010) are examined from the viewpoint of the number of articles, the data and its collection methods, methodologies, and subject matters. The number of articles saw a relatively increase after 2000. In addition, there are several studies focusing on personal experiences and using people's "talk" as data collected through interviews; however, there are few arguments about methodologies and theoretical assumptions. Based on this overview, the validity of methods and the generalizability of findings are discussed as issues closely concerning qualitative research. It could be said that validity and generalizabillity are secured by clearly demonstrating the relevance of procedures in the research process and by clarifying theoretical assumptions. At the same time, it clarifies the significance of the findings in family sociology. This paper suggests that we should consider the relationships between qualitative and quantitative research in terms of the generalizability of findings.