Module 5

Philosophies behind Research

Desired Learning Outcomes

A.To DEFINE research philosophy

B. To DISTINGUISH ontology and epistemology in research
C. To EXPLAIN the different perspectives taken by positivism and
interpretivism
D. To ANALYZE the relationship between epistemology, theoretical
perspectives, methodology, and research methods
These handouts are for students in this course only.
Please do not upload or disseminate.
Sources:
Babbie, Earl. (2002). The Basics of Social Research. SAGE Publications Ltd. California
Gray, David E. (2004). Doing Research in the Real World. Wadsworth/Thompson Learning. California
Žukauskas, Pranas et. al (2018).Philosophy and Paradigm of Scientific Research. Retrieved from
https://www.intechopen.com/books/management-culture-and-corporate-social-responsibility/philosophy-and-paradigm-of-scientific-research
What is your Philosophy?
What is Research Philosophy?

A research philosophy is a belief about the way in which data about a

phenomenon should be gathered, analyzed and used.

Two major research philosophies have been identified in the Western

tradition of science, namely positivist (sometimes called scientific) and
interpretivist (also known as antipositivist) (Galliers, 1991)
 Major Research Philosophies
Positivism Positivists believe that reality is stable and can be observed
and described from an objective viewpoint (Levin, 1988), i.e. without
interfering with the phenomena being studied. They contend that
phenomena should be isolated and that observations should be repeatable.
 Major Research Philosophies
Interpretivism Interpretivists contend that only through the subjective
interpretation of and intervention in reality can that reality be fully
understood. The study of phenomena in their natural environment is key
to the interpretivist philosophy, together with the acknowledgement that
scientists cannot avoid affecting those phenomena they study.
The Essence of Research Philosophy

Research philosophy deals with the source, nature and

development of knowledge. In simple terms, a research
philosophy is belief about the ways in which data about a
phenomenon should be collected, analyzed and used.

In essence, addressing research philosophy in your

thesis/dissertation involves being aware and formulating your
beliefs and assumptions. (See figure below)
The Choice of Research Philosophy
The choice of a specific research philosophy is impacted by practical
implications.

The choice between positivist and interpretivist research philosophies or

between quantitative and qualitative research methods has traditionally
represented a major point of debate.

Moreover, there are popular data collection methods associated with each
research philosophy (see table below)
WORKSHOP
Students will be given an article entitled
“Philosophy and Paradigm of Scientific Research”
By Pranas Žukauskas, Jolita Vveinhardt and Regina
Andriukaitienė to be examined. After which, students
should be able to come up with the possible research
paradigm and/or methods. (See example below)