Introdungcing English language part 48: 'In this exciting new textbook, Louise Mullany and Peter Stockwell have provided a fresh and imaginative set of alternatives for teaching and learning a huge amount about the English language. The book allows tor creative and lateral approaches to developing an understanding of important linguistic concepts and, together with the thought-provoking activities, and accessible readings, guarantees there is something to stimulate every learner. | D12 268 EXTENSION LINGUISTIC READINGS Zoltán Dornyei Thus adopting the meaning in numbers approach has not only offered quantitative researchers a way out of the individual respondent variation dilemma mentioned above but it has also provided an elaborate set of statistical analytical tools to use to add systematicity to the data analysis phase rather than having to rely on the researcher s subjective interpretations. Thus quantitative research could eliminate individual variability both at the data collection and the data analysis stages. For many scholars the major attraction of quan is this systematic individual-proof nature governed by precise rules and regulations thus approximating the regularity of the natural sciences. In contrast the meaning in the particular approach of qualitative research has not offered any bonus gifts for the analysis phase of qualitative research. Consequently although qualitative research also applies various data analytical procedures to make the investigations more rigorous and systematic at the heart of any qualitative analysis is still the researcher s subjective sensitivity training and experience. Thus while no one would deny that by using qualitative methods we can uncover subtle meanings that are inevitably lost in quantitative research qual is linked to two basic sources of variation associated with the individual respondents and the individual researcher. For many scholars the major attraction of qual is exactly this sensitivity to the individual but we can perhaps start sensing at this point where some of the strong emotions characterizing the qual-quan debate originate it is all too easy to present the above contrast as the antagonistic fight between callous versus sensitive or systematic versus fuzzy and ultimately between objective versus subjective . . Three positions regarding the qual-quan difference purist situationalist and pragmatist . T aking theorizing to the level of abstraction of different worldviews .
