Research

Philosophy:
The Four Paradigms

By
Dr Ahmad Zamri Mansor
Fakulti Pendidikan
UKM, Bangi
azamri@ukm.edu.my

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Research Philosophy

“The progress of scientific practice based on

people’s philosophies and assumptions about the
world and the nature of knowledge”
What is philosophy? In social science the term is
used to describe the set of experiences, beliefs
and values that affect the way an individual
perceives reality and responds to that perception

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Research Philosophy
To examine research philosophy, we look from
the ontological, epistemological and
methodological perspectives.
But what are they? (Refer next slides)

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Philosophical Terms and Meanings

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Research Paradigms
● Positivism
● Interpretivism (also known as
constructivism)
● Pragmatism
● Critical Theories

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Research Paradigms
Positivism Interpretivism Pragmatism Critical
Theories
What is Single, Multiple, The best Determined
reality? objective socially desired by history,
constructed outcome outside force

Method Quantitative Qualitative Action research, Participatory

Mixed Methods, research,
ology Design and Historical
Development analysis
Research (DDR)

Data Quantitative Qualitative Both quantitative Mainly

and qualitative qualitative

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Research Paradigms
Positivism Interpretivism Pragmatism Critical
Theories
Ontolo There is an World and Reality is the Reality exists
objective reality, knowledge practical and has been
gy we can u/stand created by social effects of created by
it through the and contextual ideas directed social
laws by which it understanding. bias
is governed

Episte Employs a How do we Any way of Understand

scientific come to thinking/doing oppressed
mology discourse understand a that leads to view and work
derived from the unique pragmatic to help change
epistemologies person’s solutions is social
of positivism worldview useful conditions

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Research Paradigms

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Positivism VS Interpretivism

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Positivist VS Interpretivist Fisherman

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Positivism VS Interpretivism

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Positivism VS Interpretivism

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The Positivistic approach
Define your research topic
Literature review
Define your research question(s)
i.e. hypothesis

Deductive Design data collection

Pilot study
Design data analysis

Collect data

Analyse data

Interpret results

Report your findings

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9/9/2015 5
Adapted from Maylor and Blackmon (2005)
Positivist Approach

Research which combines a deductive approach with

precise measurement of quantitative data to enable
the discovery and confirmation of causal laws

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9/9/2015 6
The ‘scientific’ method

A generally accepted set of procedures for developing and

testing theories

An idealised model to arrive at “the truth” through:

◦ Objective observation
◦ Measurement
◦ Careful and accurate analysis of data

What paradigm are we in here?

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Maylor and Blackmon (2005) 9/9/2015 7
Interpretivist Philosophy

Interpretivism, is a way to gain insights through

discovering meanings by improving our comprehension
of the whole. Qualitative research explores the
richness, depth, and complexity of phenomena.

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Interpretivist Approach

Research which combines an inductive approach with

communication and observation of qualitative data to
discover the reasons for events.

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The Interpretivist approach

A generally accepted set of procedures for collecting

information about the world

An idealised model to arrive at “the data” through:

◦ Subjective observation
◦ Being led by the data (ie. induction)
◦ Trying to overcome biases about the situation
◦ Avoiding instruments that might influence what is
observed

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Maylor and Blackmon (2005) 9/9/2015 0
The Interpretivist approach
Define your research topic
Literature review
Define your research question(s)

Design data collection

Inductive

Collect data

Analyse data Literature review

Interpret data

Research question answered?

Report your findings

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9/9/2015 1
Adapted from Maylor and Blackmon (2005)
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Comparing Positivism VS Interpretivism

Characteristic Positivism Interpretivism

Questions that can What? Why?

be answered How much? How?
Associated Survey, Direct observation,
methods Experiment Interviews,
Participant
observation
Data type Predominantly Predominantly
numbers words
Finding Measure Meaning

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Adapted from Maylor and Blackmon (2005)
Why does the approach matter?

Whether you take a scientific (positivist) or

interpretivist approach will influence:

What research questions you ask

What methods you use to collect your data
What type of data you collect
What techniques you use to analyse your data

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Maylor and Blackmon (2005) 9/9/2015 5
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
produce different products

quantitative numbers

qualitative words, sounds

or pictures

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9/9/2015 6
Qualitative and Quantitative Research use
different techniques

quantitative Impersonal
Measurement
Questionnaires
(closed)
qualitative Questionnaires
(open)
Personal
Interviews

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Qualitative and Quantitative Research have
different purposes in mind

quantitative how many

qualitative how or why

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 Qualitative Quantitative
The product textual numerical
The epistemology interpretive (empathy positivist (measuring
and understanding) and collecting facts)

The data ‘subjective’ ‘objective’ and

and ‘soft’ ‘hard’

Aim of research discovery oriented verification

Method non-experimental experimental

Process of inquiry concepts derived concepts pre-defined

from understanding from established
the actor’s point of theory
view (inductive) (deductive)
Use of theory theory building theory testing
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Positivism VS Interpretivism

Thanks

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Pragmatist Paradigm
● “To a pragmatist, the mandate of science is
not to find truth or reality, the existence of
which are perpetually in dispute, but to
facilitate human problem-solving” (Powell,
2001, p.884)
● Developed from frustration of the lack of
impact of educational research in educational
systems .
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Pragmatist Paradigm
● Key features :

○ An intervention

○ Empirical research in a natural context

○ Partnership between researchers and practitioners

○ Development of theory and “design principles”

● Action research, mixed methods and DDR

● DDR (design & development research) focuses on the

design, construction, implementation and adoption of a
learning initiative in an authentic context. 32
Critical Theories Paradigm

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Critical Theories Paradigm

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