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Are the words paradigm, ontology, epistemology and methodology synonyms?
Nope, they aren't.
A/An __________ is a set of beliefs about the world around us.
paradigm
Which are two common paradigms?
Positivism and naturalism
What's another name for positivism?
Objectivism
What's another name for naturalism?
Interpretivism
What type of research is usually carried out when researchers follow a positivist paradigm?
Quantitative
What type of research is usually carried out when researchers follow a naturalist paradigm?
Qualitative
What's the purpose of the positivist paradigm in research?
To objectively discover truth.
What's the purpose of the naturalist paradigm in research?
To understand the truth from multiple perspectives.
Is there a superior paradigm to research? Why?
Nope. The paradigm we choose depends on our purposes for researching a given phenomenon.
When referring to the ontological perspective behind a research study, we mainly focus on two philosophies:
realism and relativism
This ontological perspective states that truth is objective and measurable.
Realism
This ontological perspective states that truths are subjective, socially constructed, and open to interpretations.
Relativism
A branch of philosophy that studies how knowledge is constructed:
epistemology
__________ examines the link between the researcher and its subject of inquiry.
Epistemology
Which are two common epistemological trends?
Etic and emic perspectives
