ABSTRACT
Ever since positivists applied physical science methods to social science research there has been a struggle to address those aspects of the human condition that need not just counting but understanding. Social scientists produce data but what is not generally understood is that this information demands interpretation – its meaning is not self-evident. Taking a lesson from hermeneutics, critical teacher researchers understand that the meaning of data is inseparable from human inscription and socio-cultural context. Qualitative research is dedicated to the study of this process of human meaning making. As long as educational researchers base their inquiries on concepts with such diverse meanings as, say, intelligence, qualitative judgment will (or at least should) remain a central concern of educational research (Holland and Mansell, 1983; Howe, 1985; Denzin and Lincoln, 2000).
