3 paradigms of knowing - wordpress.com 03, 2015 · three paradigms of knowing com400 fall 2015. dr....

Three Paradigms of Knowing

COM400

Fall 2015

Dr. Raz

Paradigms

• A paradigm is a “worldview” or a set of assumptions about how things work.

• “Different perspectives or ways of knowing” (p. 24)• Quantitative and qualitative research methods involve

very different assumptions about how research should be conducted and the role of the researcher.

Differences between

qualitative and

quantitative research

• Involves unstructured interviews, observation, and content analysis.

• Subjective• Inductive• Little structure• Little manipulation of

subjects• Takes a great deal of

time to conduct• Little social distance

between researcher and subject

• Involves experiments, surveys, testing, and structured content analysis, interviews, and observation.

• Objective• Deductive• High degree of structure• Some manipulation of

subjects• May take little time to

conduct• Much social distance

between researcher and subject

Lets talk about some of the assumptions or values that are part of qualitative or quantitative:

For example, do you think:

That the “truth” can be determined in every situation?

Can everyone agree on the truth?

What evidence do you need to determine what is the truth?

How is knowledge or truth generated?

• Are things true if they are printed in books or the newspaper?

• Who determines the truth?

• Can different people hold different perceptions about what is the “truth”?

• Is an individual’s perception of the truth determined by his or her experiences and interactions with other people?

Positivism•What is positivism?•Which research method is associated with positivism?

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Quantitative research is associated with positivism (p. 25) Positivism is based on the belief of an objective reality Studies variables and seeks to explain causal relationships between variables. Based on quantitative data

Why is there a dichotomy between quantitative and qualitative research?

3 Methodological Paradigms

1.Knowing by Interpretation

2.Knowing by Criticism

3.Knowing by Discovery*Reference: Table 2.2 on page 28

Class Activity

• Your group will be assigned one paradigm: discovery, interpretive, or critical

• With your group, write a brief summary of this paradigm.

• Find two examples from the mass media that you can use to explain that paradigm.

• Present your summary and 2 examples to the class (This should be no more than 10 minutes).

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Knowing by Interpretation: “Instead of treating knowledge as the pursuit of a single objective truth, your role as a researcher acknowledges how interpretation works in the process of research. Your subjective perspective is embraced wholeheartedly, and you might even be expected to become an active participant in the research context” (p. 26) Knowing by Criticism: “By contrast, critical theorists explore multiple realities that are culturally and historically situated. Knowing by criticism, then, means that everything that we know is shaped by our values embedded within so much of what we are, such as our language, social practices, politics, economics, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and individual abilities” (p. 29). Knowing by Discovery: “Knowledge obtained by discovery is starkly distinctive from the first two paradigms and is characterized by several fundamental assumptions found in Table 2.2. One assumption is centered in objectivity, the belief that things or objects exist in reality separate from our perceptions and interpretations of them. The world consists of physical objects and observable social interactions. Secondly, it is assumed that this reality is discoverable, that it is knowable through observation. A third assumption is that knowledge is testable through logical and empirical methods” (p. 31).

•What is a generalization?•What is the process of discrimination in research?

Presenter

Presentation Notes

p. 32

In the beginning of class, you were given a scenario and asked to write down your decision making process. Which epistemological paradigm presented in this chapter best describes the way you came to your ideas?Some people may argue that research that comes from a paradigm other than their own is not good research. What are some of the points you can make to counter this argument?(p. 33)

3 paradigms of knowing - wordpress.com 03, 2015 · three paradigms of knowing com400 fall 2015. dr....

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