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

+ 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

+ 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

+ Tenets of Positivism 1. Realist, foundationalist epistemology 2. The world exists independently of our knowledge of it 3. There are patterns, regularities, cause & effect in social world just as there are in the natural world 4. Causal statements can be researched and made 5. Scientific method can be used to analyze the social world 6. The scientific method is neutral along with the researchers. 7. Emphasis is on explanation in social research so that predictions can be made 8. Observation and verification are key to the positivist paradigm 9. They seek objectivity in research

+ Tenets of Positivism (continued) 10. Theories are used to generate hypotheses, which can be tested by direct observation. 11. There is no dichotomy between how things really are and what we see (they are the same) 12. The world is real and not mediated by our senses nor socially constructed 13. Positivism rejects question of values and words such as trust, honesty

+ Tenets of Interpretivism 1. This paradigm is based on an anti-foundationalist epistemology 2. The world does not exist independently of our knowledge of it 3. The world is socially constructed through the interaction of individuals, so the separation of facts & value is not clear cut 4. The emphasis is on understanding 5. They do not rely on mere observation for understanding social phenomena 6. Social and natural sciences are distinct from one another and should have different methodologies

+ Interpretivism (continued) 7. Social phenomena do not exist independently of our interpretation of them, and these interpretations affect outcomes 8. Researchers are part of the social reality being researched; cannot be detached from the subject they are studying 9. Objective, value-free analysis is impossible because knowledge is coming from a researcher with his/her personal opinions, attitudes, values 10. This paradigm is about interpretation of meaning

+ Post-Positivist Paradigm (also called Critical Realism) 1. This paradigm shares a foundationalist epistemology with positivism and interpretist view of research 2. Social sciences can use the same methods as natural science in order to explain, but it must provide an interpretive understanding 3. Post-positivists seek to explain and understand the social world 4. Social change and conflict in society are not always apparent or observable 5. 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.

+ 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

+ 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