Research Philosophy

Research Philosophy: Traditions / Paradigms & Philosophic Assumptions Three Core Traditions • Positivism – includes the logical positivists and postpositivists – Historical roots in the physical sciences (e.g., physics, astronomy) • Social Constructivist / Interpretivist – Historical roots in the interpretive social sciences (e.g., anthropology, sociology) • Critical / Transformative Theorists – Historical roots in feminist research; research on prejudice and race discrimination, civil rights These are sometimes also referred to as “schools” of research (e.g., the interpretivist “school”) Philosophic Assumptions The assumptions underlying each tradition vary, but each deal with the way that researcher’s think about or view the world within a particular tradition. - Ontology – is that branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality, and forms the basis of metaphysics Epistemology – is that branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge, and knowing and beliefs (i.e., how we come to know the world, or how we come to hold beliefs) Axiology – is that branch of philosophy that explores the role of values; the study of values or quality is also closely related to ethics and aesthetics Methodology – deals with the methods used in scientific inquiry, which have often been categorized broadly into quantitative or qualitative approaches (and more recently, mixed-methods approaches) - Role of Research Traditions & Philosophic Assumptions • Research traditions tell us about the philosophical assumptions researchers have about the world, the nature of knowledge and knowing, the role of values, and how to go about studying phenomena. • Every research tradition makes four key assumptions: Ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological assumptions. • The research tradition one selects is often based on one’s assumptions of the world. It will shape the nature of the problems perceived, the questions that are posed, and decisions made throughout the entire research process. • The most adept researchers and scholar-practitioners have a working knowledge of multiple research traditions and methodological approaches—and are not limited by their original preference / bias for one tradition--and thus are able to select an approach rooted in a tradition that best fits the nature of the problem / situation they encounter, and the goal of the study or inquiry. Interpretive (Social Constructivism) • Ontological assumptions (Nature of reality) Multiple realities; socially constructed by individuals • Epistemological assumptions (Knowledge) Gained through understanding the meaning of the process/experience. • Axiological Assumptions (Role of values) Researcher’s subjective values, intuition, and biases are important • Methodological Assumptions (Research strategies) Qualitative, phenomenology, ethnography,case study, grounded theory Critical Theory / Transformative (Post-Modernism, Advocacy Research, Feminist Research) • Ontological assumptions (Nature of reality) Multiple realities based on socioeconomic, political, and cultural basis • Epistemological assumptions (Knowledge) Generated through ideological critiques of power, privilege, and oppression • Axiological Assumptions (Role of values) Researchers need to acknowledge their values and biases • Methodological Assumptions (Research strategies) Both quantitative and qualitative methods Traditions & Paradigms • Some author’s use different terms when discussing the historical roots of scientific inquiry, such as “paradigms” (Gephart, 1999) • Paradigms—the lens through which one views the world—are similar to Peter Senge’s “mental models” or Jean Piaget’s “schema,” and serve to help organize information that we take in about the world around us • There are other philosophic traditions / paradigms that have influenced research in the social and behavioral sciences, including pragmatism, critical realism, and critical post-modernism References: Gephart, R. (1999, summer). Paradigms and research methods. Research Methods Forum, 4. Retrieved April 16, 2003, from http://www.aom.pace.edu/rmd/1999_RMD_Forum_Paradigms_and_Research_Methods.htm Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of organizational learning. New York: Doubleday. Wadsworth, B. J. (2003). Piaget’s theory of cognitive and affective development (5th ed.). New York: Longman. Research Traditions Orientations to Research Post-positivist Research (Quantitative) Ontology (nature of reality) Fixed, stable, observable, measurable Epistemology (knowledge) Gained through scientific and experimental research. Knowledge is objective and quantifiable Gained through understanding the meaning of the process/experience. Interpretive Research (Qualitative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, grounded theory) Critical Research (Critical theory, feminist theory) Multiple realities that are socially constructed by individuals. Multiple realities that are based on socioeconomic, political, and cultural basis. Knowledge is generated through ideological critiques of power, privilege, and oppression. Carr, W., & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming critical: Education , knowledge, and action research. London: Falmer Press Research Traditions Orientations to Research Positivist Research (Quantitative) Axiological (Role of values) Emphasis is on the objective researcher, value free Researcher’s subjective values, intuition, and biases are important Methodological (Research strategies) Descriptive (correlational), causal comparative, and experimental research Qualitative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, grounded theory Interpretive Research (Qualitative, phenomenology, ethnography, case study, grounded theory) Critical Research (Critical theory, feminist theory, advocacy research) Researchers need to acknowledge their values and biases Both quantitative and qualitative methods Role of the Researcher Personality Characteristics and Skills – Tolerance for ambiguity – Sensitivity-being highly intuitive – Flexible and responsive – Reflexive – Good communicator – Technically curious and multi-competent – Intellectually informed – Writes well Recommended Resources Cooper, D. R, & Schindler, P. S. (2003) Business research methods (8th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (2nd Ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Gall, M. D., Borg, W. R., & Gall, J. P. (2002) Educational research: An introduction (7th ed). New York:Allyn and Bacon. Morgan, D. L. (2007). Paradigms lost and pragmatism regained: Methodological implications of combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1, 48-76. Neuman, W. L. (2003). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Robson, C. (2002). Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell.