Exploring Research Methodologies: Positivism and Interpretivism
Before a researcher can initiate a research project, they face the confusion and the range of theoretical perspectives, methodologies, methods, and the philosophical basis that encompasses them all. This seemingly meticulous structure for the research process is in fact aimed toward providing the researcher with a ‘scaffolding’, or a direction which they can go on to develop themselves to coincide with their particular research purposes. (Crotty, 1998)
Once a researcher has developed a research question they are seeking to answer, they must consider what methodologies and methods they will employ in the research; what theoretical perspective lies behind the methodology; and what epistemology informs this theoretical perspective. (Crotty, 1998)
Before continuing it is important to explain these key terms:
Epistemology is ‘the branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge, which seeks to inform us how we can know the world.’ (Jary and Jary: Dictionary of Sociology, 1991) In the context of social research, epistemology is the form of proof one requires to justify a claim to knowledge about the social world. This will have a salient impact on the kind of data one can collect in order to validate their arguments concerning the social world (methodology), as well as the methods one considers in collecting valid data (methods). A researcher’s choice of methods will be conditioned by theoretical perspectives, the way one sees the social world. (Livesey)
Researchers of social science use a wide variety of research methods to gain and enhance knowledge and theory. The different types of research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, are associated with the epistemological and theoretical perspectives the researcher wishes to adopt. This choice the researcher makes determines the way in which research should be conducted.
This paper will discuss, critically analyse and compare the epistemological and theoretical perspectives of two research methodologies used for social research: positivism and interpretivism. The various research methods used within the frameworks of each of these will then be discussed.
Positivism
There are two main types of epistemologies: positivist and anti-positivist. “Positivist research is an approach which combines a deductive approach w...
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Did you ever think about how much time is spent on computers and the internet? It is estimated that the average adult will spend over five hours per day online or with digital media according to Emarketer.com. This is a significant amount; taking into consideration the internet has not always been this easily accessible. The world that we live in is slowly or quickly however you look at it: becoming technology based and it is shifting the way we live. With each day more and more people use social media, shop online, run businesses, take online classes, play games, the list is endless. The internet serves billions of people daily and it doesn’t stop there. Without technology and the internet, there would be no electronic health record. Therefore, is it important for hospitals and other institutions to adopt the electronic health record (EHR) system? Whichever happens, there are many debates about EHR’s and their purpose, and this paper is going to explain both the benefits and disadvantages of the EHR. Global users of the internet can then decide whether the EHR is beneficial or detrimental to our ever changing healthcare system and technology based living.
Research philosophies is a framework by which the research problem should be fundamentally approached, there are four major research philosophies positivism, interpretivism/constructivism, realism and pragmatism (Davies, 2007). Positivism is a philosophical trend in the methodology of science, defining the only source of true, actual knowledge of empirical research and denies cognitive value of philosophical inquiry. According to the positivist philosophy, methodology is not related to the essence of knowledge about the real world, but rather has to do with the operations by which knowledge is constructed. The essential reasoning behind positivism is that, all truthful learning depends on the positive data assembled from noticeable experience, and that any thought past this domain of self evident actuality is powerful. Just explanatory proclamations are permitted to be known as valid, through reason alone (Davies 2007).
The type of research conducted often depends on the epistemology of the researcher. Epistemology is considered the justification of knowledge; it is about the relationship between the researcher, knowledge, and how knowledge is created (Carter...
Taking Two Of The Theoretical Approaches To Social Research Discussed In The Module, Demonstrate The Connections Between Their Ontological, Epistemological And Methodological Assumptions. Which Method Or Methods Would Proponents Of Each Theory Favour As A Result Of Their Assumptions.
There are two types of research that can be conducted in research studies, these are qualitative and quantitative (Newman, 2011). Qualitative research is a process that uses detailed oriented methodology that tries to achieve a profound knowledge or understanding of specific incident and circumstance, wh...
Paper based health record was considered as gold standard during the early period because it was the main source of patient’s health information, was easy to use and it requires just minimal skill. The patient health records were kept by their providers attached to the bed for the easy access of the documents for patient care. The paper records can be lost during storage affecting patient care, duplication of tests making it more expensive care, doubtful as any person can make an entry without signing the paper and most often it is hard to read. So with the growth of advancement in medicine and technology, paper based health record cannot handle which led to the implementation of electronic health record (EHR), which is in digital format, accessible at any time, convenient, accurate and complete information, reliable, improves productivity as well as reduce health care cost of the patient. It also provides better clinical decision making thus providing better outcomes in patient health, which is the goal of the
“There are two concepts in electronic patient records that are used interchangeably but are different-the electronic medical record (EMR/EHR) and the electronic health record. The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) defines the EHR as the electronic record of health-related information on an individual that is accumulated from one health system and is utilized by the health organization that is providing patient care while the EMR accumulates more patient medical information from many health organizations that have been involved in the patient care. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has been urging the healthcare industry to adopt the electronic patient record but initially
“Aladdin” demonstrates how social class and power can affect the lives of different individuals. The 1992 film is an Arabian-style folktale, based in the time period of high poverty. Aladin is more than just a kids story, it has more meaning to it. It is a story that represents the struggle for lower classes in Islamic and worldwide society. In this story Aladdin struggled with poverty, he was a master thief who had a dream to make higher class. He was given his opportunity to take on his dream when he came across a genie who could grant his wish, which allowed him to become prince and marry the princess, but he was not satisfied with his success. In fact throughout the story of “Aladdin”, social class had made a huge impact on each individual character in the story,
Our clinical knowledge is expanding. The researcher has first proposed the concept of electronic health record (EHR) to gather and analyze every clinical outcome. By late 1990s computer-based patient record (CPR) replaced with the term EHR (Wager et al., 2009). The process of implementing EHR occurs over a number of years. An electronic record of health-related information on individual conforms interoperability standards can create, manage and consult with the authorized health professionals (Wager et al., 2009). This information technology system electronically gather and store patient data, and supply that information as needed to the healthcare professionals, as well as a caregiver can also access, edit or input new information; this system function as a decision support tools to the health professionals. Every healthcare organization is increasingly aware of the importance of adopting EHR to improve the patient satisfaction, safety, and lowering the medical costs.
Research methods knowledge base, deduction and induction the web centre for social research methods. Retrieved from: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php
Good versus evil is an eternal struggle, conflict, war, or a unification. Good exists while evil does as well, this is because without evil, there can be no such thing as good, and without good, there can also be no evil. The question exists that if there is an all-good & powerful God who is omniscient; omnipotent; omni-benevolent; then how can evil exist within such absolute terms?
Perri 6 & Christine B., 2012. Principles of Methodology: Research Design in Social Science. London: Sage.
Research philosophy, refers to the development of knowledge adopted by the researchers in their research (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). In other words, it is the theory that used to direct the researcher for conducting the procedure of research design, research strategy, questionnaire design and sampling (Malhotra, 2009). It is very important to have a clear understanding of the research philosophy so that we could examine the assumptions about the way we view the world, which are contained in the research philosophy we choose, knowing that whether they are appropriate or not (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009), three major ways of thinking about research philosophy are examined: ontology, epistemology and axiology. Each of them carries significant differences which will have an impact on the way we consider the research procedures. Ontology, “is concerned with nature of reality”, while epistemology “concerns what constitutes acceptable knowledge in a field of study and axiology “studies judgements about value” (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009, p110, p112, p116). This study is intent on creating some “facts” from objective evaluations which are made by the subjects. Therefore, epistemology will be chosen for this study as the way of thinking about the research philosophy.
By choosing the research methodology, the researchers can formulate the path to be used in conducting the study and reporting the findings. The methodology helps in the search of literature, development of research questions and the creation of the most suitable study design. It also assists in the interpretation of the results and the publication of the findings in journals. References. Jha, N. (2008). Research methodology . Chandigarh: Abhishek Publications. Barton, A., Basham, M., Foy, C., Buckingham, K., & Somerville, M.