Geoff

I share your exasperation.

To my way of thinking, 'methodology' is the study of various 'methods' that achieve a particular objective.

A 'technique' is a way of implementing a particular method to achieve that objective.

To illustrate what I mean, let us suppose our objective is to find a grave.

Methodology shows us various methods can be used for achieving the objective of finding a grave - for example, geophysics (with its sub-methods), scraping the surface to reveal the cut of the grave, trenching, etc..

Let us further suppose that we have chosen the method of scraping the surface. Then we must choose from the techniques available for scraping surfaces - mechanical excavator with a toothless bucket, spade, and trowel.

As you suggest, the words tend to be used in an interchangeable manner. I suspect that 'working out a methodology' sounds more imposing than 'working out a method'.

Richard Wright


On 20/01/2011 08:24, geoff carver wrote:

> I've just been going through a whole pile of stuff from various sources,
> some of which refer to "method" or "methodology" and elsewhere of
> "technique." Some of this refers to fieldwork and some to fieldwork coupled
> with a wider interpretive framework. Now: when would people speak of
> technique and when of method or methodology, or are they interchangeable?
> Single Context Planning Method and trowelling technique, or would the study
> of everything from the way we shovel and push wheel barrows to doing
> documentation and taking photos be methodology? When would people use one or
> the other?
>