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The research process (Philosophical assumptions (Using these two sets of…
- Paradigms of social research
What is a paradigm?
Our design and conduct of research is shaped by our mental models or frames of references that we use to organize our reasoning and observations. These mental models or
frames (belief systems) are called paradigms.
Thomas Kuhn (1962) popularized the word paradigm in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
Our personal paradigms are like “colored glasses” that govern how we view the world and how we structure our thoughts about what we see in the world.
Paradigms are often hard to recognize, because they are implicit, assumed, and taken for granted.
However, given the complex nature of the social phenomenon, it is possible that all of the above paradigms are partially correct, and that a fuller understanding of the problem may require an understanding and application of multiple paradigms.
Positivism
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It holds that science or knowledge creation should be restricted to what can be observed and measured
Positivism led to empiricism or a blind faith in observed data and a rejection of any attempt to extend or reason beyond observable facts.
Post-positivism
Frustrations with the strictly empirical nature of positivist philosophy led to the development of post-positivism (or postmodernism) during the mid-late 20th century.
Post-positivism argues that one can make reasonable inferences about a phenomenon by combining empirical observations with logical reasoning.
- Philosophical assumptions
Burrell and Morgan (1979), in their seminal book Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis, suggested that the way social science researchers view and study social phenomena is shaped by two fundamental sets of philosophical assumptions: ontology and
epistemology.
Ontology: refers to our assumptions about how we see the world, e.g., does the world consist mostly of social order or constant change.
Epistemology: Epistemology refers to our assumptions about the best way to study the world, e.g., should we use an objective or subjective approach to study social reality
Using these two sets of assumptions (ontology and epistomology), we can categorize social science research as belonging to one of four categories (see Figure 3.1).
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1. Functionalism
Functionalists believe that social order or patterns can be understood in terms of their functional components, and therefore attempt to break down a problem into small components and studying one or more components in detail using objectivist techniques such as surveys and experimental research.
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- So, how do our mental paradigms shape social science research?
At its core, all scientific research is an iterative process of observation, rationalization, and validation.
1. Observation: We observe a natural or social phenomenon, event, or behavior that interests us.
2. Rationalization: We try to make sense of or the observed
phenomenon, event, or behavior by logically connecting the different pieces of the puzzle that we observe, which in some cases, may lead to the construction of a theory.
3. Validation: We test our theories using a scientific method through a process of data collection and analysis, and in doing so, possibly modify or extend our initial theory