Research Paradigms

1. Research Paradigms Research Seminar (1/2 of book complete with this PP)

2. Research Paradigm • Defined as the understanding of what one can know about something & how one can gather knowledge about it • 3 broad paradigms 1. Positivist 2. Post-Positivist 3. Interpretivist

3. Positivism • Dominant research paradigm of the past century • Philosopher proponents include Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, Auguste Comte, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Emile Durkheim • Synonymous with empiricism, objectivism, scientific method, naturalist approach

4. Tenets of Positivism • Realist, foundationalist epistemology • The world exists independently of our knowledge of it • There are patterns, regularities, cause & effect in social world just as there are in the natural world • Causal statements can be researched and made • Scientific method can be used to analyze the social world • The scientific method is neutral along with the researchers. • Emphasis is on explanation in social research so that predictions can be made • Observation and verification are key to the positivist paradigm • They seek objectivity in research

5. Tenets of Positivism (continued) • Theories are used to generate hypotheses, which can be tested by direct observation. • There is no dichotomy between how things really are and what we see (they are the same) • The world is real and not mediated by our senses nor socially constructed • Positivism rejects question of values and words such as trust, honesty

6. Tenets of Interpretivism • This paradigm is based on an anti-foundationalist epistemology • The world does not exist independently of our knowledge of it • The world is socially constructed through the interaction of individuals, so the separation of facts & value is not clear cut • The emphasis is on understanding • They do not rely on mere observation for understanding social phenomena • Social and natural sciences are distinct from one another and should have different methodologies

7. Interpretivism (continued) • Social phenomena do not exist independently of our interpretation of them, and these interpretations affect outcomes • Researchers are part of the social reality being researched; cannot be detached from the subject they are studying • Objective, value-free analysis is impossible because knowledge is coming from a researcher with his/her personal opinions, attitudes, values • This paradigm is about interpretation of meaning

8. Post-Positivist Paradigm (also called Critical Realism) • This paradigm shares a foundationalist epistemology with positivism and interpretist view of research • Social sciences can use the same methods as natural science in order to explain, but it must provide an interpretive understanding • Post-positivists seek to explain and understand the social world • Social change and conflict in society are not always apparent or observable • Causation has nothing to do with the number of times we have observed it happening. It depends on identifying causal mechanisms & how they work and if the cause has been activated.

9. Post-Modernism Influence • Ontological position that view traditional knowledge with skepticism • It’s also called deconstructivism. • It reflects a decline of absolutes • The only truth is that there is no one truth • Relativist position

10. Feminist Influence • Anti-foundationalist ontological position which challenges the male-centered nature of research in general • This approach does not believe in value-free or objective research • Feminists can use a post-modern approach