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[The Research Paradigms]
Ontology: what kind of being is the human being. Ontology deals with the
question of what is real.
Epistemology: what is the relationship between the inquirer and the known:
"epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of
knowledge and the process by which knowledge is acquired and validated"
(Gall, Borg, & Gall, 1996)
Methodology: how do we know the world, or gain knowledge of it?
When challenging the assumptions underlying positivism, Lincoln and Guba (2000)
also identified two more categories that will distinguish different paradigms, i.e.
beliefs in causality and oxiology. The assumptions of causality asserts the position of
the nature and possibility of causal relationship; oxiology deals with the issues
about value. Specific assumptions about research include the role of value in
research, how to avoid value from influencing research, and how best to use
research products (Baptiste, 2000).
Define how the world works, how knowledge is extracted from this world,
and how one is to think, write, and talk about this knowledge
Define the types of questions to be asked and the methodologies to be used in
answering
Decide what is published and what is not published
Structure the world of the academic worker
Provide its meaning and its significance
Course Module
At the end of the topic the students should be able to:
1. Discuss the conceptual framework of the study; and
2. Discuss the theoretical framework of the study.
As McGaghie et al. (2001) put it: The conceptual framework “sets the stage”
for the presentation of the particular research question that drives the
investigation being reported based on the problem statement. The problem
statement of a thesis presents the context and the issues that caused the
researcher to conduct the study.
The conceptual framework lies within a much broader framework called
theoretical framework. The latter draws support from time-tested theories
that embody the findings of many researchers on why and how a particular
phenomenon occurs.
1. Choose your topic. Decide on what will be your research topic. The
topic should be within your field of specialization.
2. Do a literature review. Review relevant and updated research on the
theme that you decide to work on after scrutiny of the issue at hand.
Preferably use peer-reviewed and well-known scientific journals as
these are reliable sources of information.
[SH – PR2 / Practical Research 2]
3
[The Research Paradigms]
Course Module
transition from simply describing a phenomenon you have observed to
generalizing about various aspects of that phenomenon.
4. Having a theory helps you identify the limits to those generalizations. A
theoretical framework specifies which key variables influence a
phenomenon of interest and highlights the need to examine how those
key variables might differ and under what circumstances.
Glossary
Conceptual Framework – presents specific and well-defined concepts which
are called construct.
Paradigm - is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including
theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitutes
legitimate contributions to a field.
Theoretical Framework – shapes the justification of the research problems in
order to provide the legal basis for defining its parameters.
References
Baraceros, Esther L. (2017), Practical Research 2, Rex Book Store, Inc., First
Edition
Baraceros, Esther L. (2017), Practical Research 1, Rex Book Store, Inc., First
Edition
Sarno, Emerlita G. (2010), Tips and Techniques in Writing Research, Rex
Book Store, Inc.