Making Sense of ‘Construct’ Terminology in Qualitative Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Terms like constructivism, social constructivism, social constructs and constructionism are frequently used to describe the theoretical frameworks of qualitative work. While they may appear similar in nature, a close examination of the literature indicates that there are some distinct differences. In my own doctoral work, I invested a significant amount of time in the analysis of literature trying to grasp the subtleties between these sometimes confusing terms. Admittedly, I found no neatly packaged answers, nor did I come across a transformational moment whereby the different literature suddenly aligned in a meaningful way. Nevertheless, I believe that what I gathered in the process may be of value to doctoral students currently immersed in their own qualitative analysis.