QUALITATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE
QUALITATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE
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DOI：
10.1177/0081175014532763
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发表时间：
2014-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Szatrowski, Alisa
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lucas, Samuel R.;Szatrowski, Alisa
定性比较分析（QCA）似乎提供了一个系统的手段，以案例为导向的分析。该方法不仅为定性研究提供了一个标准化的程序，而且对某些人来说，也是确定性方法的实例。然而，其他人则因为QCA的确定性血统而对其提出质疑。围绕QCA的多个其他问题，如其对测量误差的反应及其确定不对称因果关系的能力，也是感兴趣的问题。现有的研究已经证明了QCA在真实的数据上的应用，但是这样的数据不允许建立该方法的有效性，因为真实的社会现象的真正原因总是不稳定的。作为回应，作者分析了几个模拟数据集，其中真正的因果过程是已知的。他们发现，QCA在70种不同的解决方案中只找到了3次正确的因果故事，即使是这些罕见的成功，经过仔细检查，实际上也揭示了该方法的其他基本问题。进一步的认识论分析的结果发现关键问题与QCA的规定认识论，结果表明，QCA失败，即使其规定的认识论索赔是本体论准确的。因此，作者的结论是，分析师应该拒绝QCA和它的认识论的理由，有利于现有的有效方法和认识论的定性研究。
Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) appears to offer a systematic means for case-oriented analysis. The method not only offers to provide a standardized procedure for qualitative research but also serves, to some, as an instantiation of deterministic methods. Others, however, contest QCA because of its deterministic lineage. Multiple other issues surrounding QCA, such as its response to measurement error and its ability to ascertain asymmetric causality, are also matters of interest. Existing research has demonstrated the use of QCA on real data, but such data do not allow one to establish the method's efficacy, because the true causes of real social phenomena are always contestable. In response, the authors analyze several simulated data sets for which true causal processes are known. They find that QCA finds the correct causal story only 3 times across 70 different solutions, and even these rare successes, on closer examination, actually reveal additional fundamental problems with the method. Further epistemological analyses of the results find key problems with QCA's stated epistemology, and results indicate that QCA fails even when its stated epistemological claims are ontologically accurate. Thus, the authors conclude that analysts should reject both QCA and its epistemological justifications in favor of existing effective methods and epistemologies for qualitative research.