A topic in research methodology
Research in one of the major traditions, or paradigms, of research is often referred to as idiographic. Idiographic research is contrasted with nomothetic research.
“Nomothetic research looks for general patterns and rules that once discovered will be expected to be widely applicable; whereas idiographic research recognises value in exploring the idiosyncrasies of the unique individual case”
Taber, 2013: 45
This distinction was first suggested over a century ago:
"Windelband (1904) introduced his famous polarity in order to distinguish between two kinds of science, not between science and nonscience. The two kinds of science were what he called "sciences of law" (Gesetzeswissenschafren) and "sciences of events" (Ereigniswissenschaften). The former were "nomothetic", the latter "idiographic," but they were both sciences, both explanatory, although in different ways. The historical or idiographic sciences accomplish their explanatory task by demonstrating the interconnectedness of "a series of deeds" or of the life of an individual or a people or by showing "the character and development of a language, a religion, a system of jurisprudence" (Windelband, 1904, p. 11). Idiographic sciences look for a "historically determined pattern" (p. 12). (The term that Windelband used is Gestalt.) Historical explanation deals in part-whole relations, not in logical subsumption under superordinate "laws," historical or otherwise." 115
Danziger, 1995, 115
Sometimes paradigmatic distinctions (e.g., idiographic versus nomothetic research) are presented as competing ways of thinking about research, but different research has different purposes, poses different kinds of questions, and concerns different types of phenomena, so the choice between an idiographic or nomothetic mindset should reflect what fits a particular study.
“In [idiographic research] there is an assumption that people are individuals who vary in so many, and such complex, ways that good research reports detailed case accounts… with enough context to allow the reader to make a judgement of the extent to which findings might apply elsewhere…In the extreme, a study will offer an account of one case (e.g., ‘a learning pathway…’). Other studies offer accounts of a range of contrasting cases to show what similarities and differences may be found across cases.”
Taber, 2013: 81-82
Sources cited:
- Danziger, K. (1995). Neither science nor history. Psychological Enquiry, 6(115-117).
- Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
My introduction to educational research:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
