One of those foundational paradigms, positivism or postpositivism, is actually the dominant framework for doing quantitative research. The other two are interpretivism and critical theory. These three paradigms often do not determine which particular method of qualitative research you use such as observation or asking questions. Instead, they determine how you use the method, why you do the research, and how you interpret your findings
Review the following resources and then respond to the questions below: Article: Positivism and Post-Positivism by William Trochim http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/positvsm.php Chapter 4. History and Foundations of Interpretivist Research http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3876679/Ch4FoundationsInterpretiveResearch.DOC Discussion: Naturwissenschaften (natural sciences) and geisteswissenschaften (human sciences)
Naturwissenschaften: Study of the mathematical order that exists in nature. Geisteswissenschaften: Study of human beings and how they think, interact, or view the world around them. 1. What do you think about the distinction between naturwissenschaften and geisteswissenschaften? Is this a disinction that makes sense? What implications does it have for the relative value of quantitative versus qualitative research in the social sciences and education? Defend your view.
2. Differences between the paradigms can be organized into five major categories: • The nature of reality • The purpose of research • Acceptable methods and data • The meaning and interpretation of data • The relationship between research and practice Indicate which of the three major paradigms [FOUNDATIONAL IS MY POSIITON] is closest to your position and which is the furthest away. Explain your rationale.