Pre-understanding : An interpretation-enhancer and horizon-expander in research

Summary, in English

Pre-understanding – our presuppositions of reality – underlies all research. Many researchers probably also draw productively on their pre-understanding in their studies. However, very few rationales and methodological resources exist for how researchers can enrich their research by mobilizing their pre-understanding more actively and systematically. We elaborate and propose a framework for how researchers more actively, systematically and visibly can bring forward their pre-understanding and use it as a positive input in research, alongside formal data and theory. In particular, we show how researchers, in dialogue with data and theory, can mobilize their pre-understanding as an interpretation-enhancer and horizon-expander throughout the research process, including stimulating imagination and idea generation, broadening the empirical base, and evaluating what empirical material and theoretical ideas are interesting and relevant to pursue.

• Author: Mats Alvesson; Jörgen Sandberg
• Department/s: Organizational Studies
• Publishing year: 2022
• Language: English
• Pages: 395-412
• Publication/Series: Organization Studies
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 3
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0170840621994507
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Topic: Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
• Keywords: hermeneutics; interesting studies; knowledge production; pre-understanding; research methods; theory development
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0170-8406