North American gerontology has largely been shaped by the theories and methods of bio-medical researchers and social scientists. Among other things, this has meant that “qualitative” approaches in research on aging have been of secondary importance. Scholars do not always mean the same thing by the term. This essay cannot resolve all of the paradigmatic issues that separate “hard” and “soft” science, but it does propose that researchers take a more self-critical, even autobiographical, orientation to making sense of their own aging careers.

This paper argues that qualitative methods are especially appropriate for studying older families because they are better suited than survey data for conceptualizing interdependence. It further argues that the current availability of data from large-scale surveys has led family researchers down the wrong path if the interdependence of family members is to be recognized and explored in research. The absence of clearcut rules for conducting and presenting the products of qualitative research is suggested as a virtue rather than the drawback it is often presumed to be.

Elder abuse has mainly been studied in the family setting. This research looks at elder abuse in public nursing homes in Quebec. It studies the meaning that middle-management practitioners give to their work. This article shows how the method used to collect the information is directly chosen in regard to epistemological and paradigmatic concerns as well as in accordance with the questions addressed in the research. It exposes specific thoughts regarding this study done by semi-structured in-depth interviews. It presents results gathered by this method. It concludes with a reflexion on qualitative methods as ways of gaining knowledge on the human aging process.

Gerontologists have regarded retirement as a negative event and seldom have investigated the successful retiree or older worker. This study provided descriptive data about both of these groups by triangulating quantitative and qualitative methods. Twenty-one retired and 30 employed professionals over the age of 60 were assessed for general levels of well-being and life satisfaction. They were then interviewed about the meaning and significance of their careers, and the strategies used to cope with job-related problems. Results showed both groups to be involved in meaningful social relationships, and well-adjusted and satisfied with their current lives. Differences between the groups emerged from the interviews: Employed professionals valued the prestige and challenge of a career; retirees mentioned supportive interpersonal relationships and the need to complete a job. Workers also mentioned delegating authority and establishing networks as valuable coping strategies. Some disciplinary differences were also noted within each group. These results underscore the usefulness of blending qualitative and quantitative data in research on work and retirement.

This paper reports on an assessment of participant observation used for evaluation in a structured and gerontolgoical field context. Participant observation was used to evaluate whether a search conference was a viable means for older persons to identify community needs and create an ongoing community organization to address them. I attended planning meetings, the conference and a follow-up meeting. Observations were recorded in field notes and analysed to identify the decision-making processes. These older persons successfully engaged in a health promotion process whereby they exercised decisive direction in identifying and addressing health and social needs of importance to them. These results attest to the flexibility and applicability of participant observation in structured field settings with older persons who were circumstantially difficult to survey by other means. Participant observation is an effective method of collecting data on the process of how groups of older persons respond to a defined task through several observation points in time.

Qualitative knowledge on ethnicity and aging remains sparse and needs to be expanded. Qualitative research suggests a promising route to better understanding of different ethnic groups as well as of intra-ethnic group diversity. However, such research is not problem-free. This paper presents three interview scenarios, discusses a number of problems noted in the existing literature as well as some problems the author has encountered in the course of research and raises important issues relating to conducting interviews with ethnic seniors for qualitative studies.

In the past, the focus of the literature concerning the comparison between quantitative and qualitative research has been on the relative warrants of the methodology of each approach. The aim of this essay is to reformulate this argument in terms of paradigmatic perspectives. In this respect, descriptions of the realist paradigm which determines quantitative methods and the constructivist paradigm which determines qualitative methods are laid out. It is shown that these paradigms are essentially incommensurate and direct comparisons are counter-productive. It is, in addition, suggested that the choice of one paradigm over the other is more a distinction between the relative values of research exactitude and research sufficiency and, as such, a question of believability.

Scientists produce much quantitative research hoping to improve people's decisions by changing their minds, that is by influencing their beliefs about what is true or false. However, research indicates that it is more important to change their hearts, that is to influence their values about what is important or trivial. Qualitative research changes hearts more effectively than does quantitative research because qualitative research tends to attract and to inspire larger audiences and because it can more easily communicate practical examples. Some possible uses of qualitative research for policy decisions in gerontology are discussed.

This book examines many aspects of “caring” from a feminist perspective. The authors analyse caring, and the roles that women play within this sphere, in relation to certain socio-economic dimensions particular to women in Canadian society which comprise the cornerstone of the current methodology developed. The eight authors, in turn, each cast original light on the principal theme and the variety of subjects covered makes this publication a pivotal work in the thought and study of women and the taking of responsibility for dependent adults in the family. By questioning the foundations upon which the caring practices of Canadian society rest, the authors lay the groundwork for a critical knowledge which will contribute, in the end, to a greater measure of equality between the sexes. This high quality work is also easily accessible and will interest people who study, teach and work in fields related to the sphere of caregiving.

Based on 138 interviews with elderly persons living at home, aged 60 to 80, the book presents a sociological analysis of the ageing process. These persons talk about sources of joy or stress and anxiety for them. They describe their everyday life made up of constant negotiation and invention of their material and psychological living conditions. Day after day they invent, organise and reorganise these conditions especially when periods of dependancy happen. The book also includes an analysis of the adversity of representations, according to social classes, as regards retirement, former professional activities, management of everyday space and time conditions, decline, illness and death.

Conceived as an anthropology handbook on aging, this work is the result of a collaboration of some 30 authors. It assembles articles, half of which have been previously released (Santerre, Arcand, Guemple, Biesele & Howell. Evans-Pritchard, Guillemard, Bergman, Fadel-Girgis, Kumagai, Forest & Streit, Corin et al.), the other half being original texts. Among the latter, the contribution by seven master's level students in anthropology of an illustration of aspects of aging in the Quebc context should be highlighted. Finally, a bibliography of more than 400 titles completes this reference work.