Which qualitative research method focuses on making meaningful connections between prior and new knowledge?

The chosen answer, which is constructivism, is appropriate because this qualitative research method emphasizes the understanding that knowledge is constructed through social and experiential processes. In constructivist approaches, researchers acknowledge that individuals interpret their experiences and build new understandings based on their previous knowledge. This method is particularly focused on the subjective nature of human experience and how personal contexts influence the interpretation of new information.

In qualitative research, constructivism allows for deep exploration of how people connect new information to what they already know, fostering an understanding that is rooted in the social and cultural contexts of the participants. This method encourages researchers to engage with participants to co-construct meaning, which highlights the relationships and interactions that shape understanding and knowledge.

Other methods have different focuses; for example, positivism is aligned with a more objective view of knowledge and relies on scientific methods that often seek to eliminate subjective experiences. Pragmatism centers on the practical implications of research questions and aims to produce informative outcomes rather than understanding personal meaning. Interpretivism, while also focused on understanding the context of individual experiences, does not specifically emphasize the connection between existing and new knowledge in the way constructivism does.