Research Philosophy/

Paradigm/
Assumption/
Basic Belief

1
Overview
Research Philosophy
Research Ontology
Research Epistemology
Research Methodology
Research Axiology
Quantitative versus Qualitative Research

Philosophy and Approaches

2
Research Philosophy
The progress of scientific practice
based on peoples philosophies and
assumptions about the world and the
nature of knowledge

Paradigms offer a framework

comprising an accepted set of theories,
methods, and ways of defining data

3
Research Philosophy
In natural science it is defined as the set of
practices that define a scientific discipline
during a particular period of time.
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

4
Research Philosophy
PositionOntological
Assumptions
What is the form and nature of reality?

If you assume there is a real world, then:

What is there that can be known about the

reality?
How things really are?
How things really work?

5
Research Philosophy
PositionEpistemological
Assumptions
What is valid knowledge?
What is the nature of the relationship between

the knower or would-be knower?

What can be known?

If we assume there is a real reality, then:

The position of the knower must be objective or

detach from the reality in order to discover

how things really are? and how things really
work?

6
Research Philosophy Position
Epistemological Assumptions

The branch of
philosophy concerned
with the theory of
knowledge, which
seeks to inform us how
we can know the world

7
Research Philosophy Position
Epistemological Assumptions
What distinguishes true knowledge from
false knowledge

True- and false-colour images of Uranus.

8
Research Philosophy
PositionAxiological
Assumptions
What is the role of values that underpin :
What is the valid knowledge?
What is the nature of the relationship between the
knower or would-be knower?
What can be known?
If we assume there is a real reality, then:
The position of the knower must be

value/moral/aesthetic free from the reality in

order to discover how things really are? and
how things really work?

9
Research Philosophy
Position Methodological
Assumptions
How can the would-be-knower go about finding out
whatever he or she believes can be known?
If we assume there is a real reality, then:
He or she will employ objective methods that

mandates him or her to control possible confounding

factors via using selective observation or experiment
The methodological question cannot be reduced to a
question of methods; methods must be fitted to
predetermined methodology

10
Theories of knowledge
development
Early theories
absolute permanent
Later theories
Relativity
Situation dependence
Continuous development

4/27/17 11
Research philosophy
development

Positivist

Interpretivist

4/27/17 12
Research Philosophy and
Approaches
Positivist
Quantitative

Interpretivist

Qualitative

4/27/17 13
4/27/17 14
 Comparing Research Philosophy
and Assumptions
Positivism Interpretivism
Reality is objective and Reality is subjective
Ontology: what is the singular, apart from the and multiple as seen
nature of reality? researcher by the participants
Epistemology:
Researcher is independent Researcher interacts
What is valid
from that being researched with that being researched
knowledge?
Axiology:
Value free and un-biased Value-laden and biased
Role of values
Cross-sectional studies Action Research
Experimental studies Case Studies
RESEARCH
Longitudinal studies Ethnography
STRATEGY
Surveys Grounded Theory
Etc... Hermeneutics, etc...
4/27/17 15
Features of research
approaches
Positivist paradigm
Tends to produce quantitative data
Uses large samples
Concerned with hypothesis testing
Data is highly specific and precise
The location is artificial
Reliability is high
Validity is low
Generalises from sample to
population
Interpretive paradigm
Tends to produce qualitative data
Uses small samples
Concerned with generating theories
Data is rich and subjective
The location is natural
Reliability is low
Validity is high
Generalises from one setting to
another
4/27/17 16
Positivist Philosophy
Positivism is a philosophy states that the
only authentic knowledge is scientific
knowledge, and that such knowledge can
only come from positive affirmation of
theories through strict scientific method.

4/27/17 17
The Positivistic approach
Defineyourresearchtopic
Literaturereview
Defineyourresearchquestion(s)
i.e.hypothesis

Deductive Designdatacollection
Pilotstudy
Designdataanalysis

Collectdata

Analysedata

Interpretresults

Reportyourfindings

4/27/17 18
AdaptedfromMaylorandBlackmon(2005)
Positivist Approach
Research which combines a deductive
approach with precise measurement of
quantitative data to enable the discovery
and confirmation of causal laws

4/27/17 19
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
Minimising pre-conceptions about how the world
works

What paradigm are we in here?

4/27/17 20
MaylorandBlackmon(2005)
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.

4/27/17 21
Interpretivist Approach
Research which combines an inductive
approach with communication and
observation of qualitative data to discover
the reasons for events.

4/27/17 22
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 conceptual frameworks or
instruments that might influence what is
observed 4/27/17 23
MaylorandBlackmon(2005)
The Interpretivist approach
Defineyourresearchtopic
Literaturereview
Defineyourresearchquestion(s)

Designdatacollection
Inductive

Collectdata

Analysedata Literaturereview

Interpretdata

Researchquestionanswered?

Reportyourfindings

4/27/17 24
AdaptedfromMaylorandBlackmon(2005)
 Deductive - begins
with an abstract idea
and principle and
works toward the
concrete details to test
these ideas.

Inductive - begins with

concrete details and
then works toward
abstract ideas or
general principles or
laws.

4/27/17 25
 Deductive Theory
testing

Inductive Theory
building

4/27/17 26
Comparing Research
Approaches
Characteristic Positivism Phenomenology
What? Why?
Questions that can be answered How much? How?

Direct observation,
Survey, Interviews,
Associated methods Experiment Participant observation

Data type Predominantly numbers Predominantly words

Finding Measure Meaning

4/27/17 27
AdaptedfromMaylorandBlackmon(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
4/27/17 28
MaylorandBlackmon(2005)
Qualitative and Quantitative
Research produce different products

quantitative numbers

qualitative words, sounds

or pictures

4/27/17 29
Qualitative and Quantitative
Research use different techniques

quantitative Impersonal
Measurement
Questionnaires
(closed)
qualitative Questionnaires
(open)
Personal
Interviews
4/27/17 30
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
have different purposes in mind

quantitative how many

qualitative how or why

4/27/17 31
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
use different research processes

quantitative Natural science

model

qualitative social science

model

4/27/17 32
Research Models
natural science model:
representative sampling, formulation
and testing of an hypothesis

social science model: an

ethnographic approach to data
collection, a research question.
Seeks information about reality. Not
testing of reality

4/27/17 33
positivist, anti-positivist,
systematic, or interpretivist,
scientific ethnographic
or naturalistic

researchers using researchers using

a positivist an anti-positivist
epistemology epistemology
generally seek to generally seek to
collect collect
quantitative data qualitative data

4/27/17 34
 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 actors point of theory
view (inductive) (deductive)
Use of theory theory building theory testing
4/27/17 35
Theresearchonion

Source:MarkSaunders,PhilipLewisandAdrianThornhill2006 4/27/17 36
Thanks

4/27/17 37