Ramiz Amin

Assignment # 1
Advanced Research Methods

The Three Paradigms
A scientific paradigm, in the most basic sense of the word, is a framework containing all of the
commonly accepted views about a subject, a structure of what direction research should take
and how it should be performed.
Thomas Kuhn suggested that a paradigm defines the practices that define a scientific discipline
at certain point in time. He also postulated that paradigms are discrete and culturally based.
For example, a Chinese medical researcher, with a profound knowledge of eastern medicine,
will inhabit a different paradigm than a purely western researcher.
The philosopher, Thomas Kuhn was the first to use the term for science, suggesting
that scientific research does not progress towards truths, but is subject to dogma and clinging
to old theories. The word, like many scientific terms, comes from Greek, and means example.
He came up with four basic ways in which a paradigm indirectly influences the scientific
process. A paradigm dictates:
What is studied and researched.
The type of questions that are asked.
The exact structure and nature of the questions.
How the results of any research are interpreted.
Kuhn believed that science had periods of patiently gathering data, in a paradigm, and then
revolution occurred as the paradigm matured.

There are three research paradigms in educational research: normative, interpretive, and
critical theory. Each of those paradigms has advantages and limitation. The normative paradigm
is one paradigm, which tends to control the research condition such as human behaviors
through scientific methods (Douglas,1973). Because it is controlled, normative paradigm tends
to generalize the findings with one truth. The advantage is easy to be objective in normative
research because it is very structured and clear. The weakness is not all phenomena in
education can be investigated as well as nature phenomena such behavior, motivation, values,
etc. Related to positivism and post positivism paradigms, normative related to positivism
paradigm because it concern to find the truth with controlled condition, observable in scientific
way. Even though it is very difficult to find the one truth in social context such as education,
for example students achievement cannot be influenced by one factor. It is difficult to isolate
people and control the result exactly as well as nature phenomena
As a doctrine, positivism believes the basis for knowledge and thought should depend on the
scientific method. It was introduced by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher who coined the
term positivism. The positivist does not derive conclusions from a subjective approach and
does not let feelings and emotions cloud his judgment because these things are in the persons
consciousness. The consciousness, Comte inferred, cannot be objectively observed. While the
other three are known as Interpretivism and critical theory paradigms.

Strengths of Positivism
Positivism relies on quantitative data that positivists believe is more reliable than qualitative
research. Quantitative research is more scientific in its methods than qualitative research and
thus more trustworthy. In research, quantitative data provides objective information that
researchers can use to make scientific assumptions.

Positivism follows a well-defined structure during studies and discussions. Positivists believe
that since there are set laws and rules followed, there will be minimum room for error. This
structure also gives little room for variance and drastic variable changes, thus making the study
more accurate when it comes to experiments and applications as it tries to follow specific rules
using objective mathematical and scientific tools.
Weaknesses of Positivism
Positivism believes that objective inferences and conclusions can be reached as long as the
person doing the observation is objective and disregards her emotions. However, human
behavior naturally comes with emotional responses. Although positivism encourages
researchers to disregard human emotion and behavior, there is no guarantee that this will
occur at all times during studies.

Some scholars believe that since positivists believe everything can be measured and calculated,
they tend to be inflexible. Positivists see things as they are and tend to disregard unexplained
phenomena. If a theory that says A only occurs when B and C combine, then B can never be A.
This belief can eliminate lateral thinking, which is the process of finding answers by creatively
and indirectly finding out ways to solve a problem.
Strengths and weaknesses of Interpritivism

Interpretivist views have different origins in different disciplines. Schultz, Cicourel and
Garfinkel (phenomenology/sociology), the "Chicago School of Sociology" (sociology), and Boas
and Malinowski (anthropology) are often connected with the origin the interpretivist
paradigm. The interpretivist paradigm developed as a critique of positivism in the social
sciences. In general, interpretivists share the following beliefs about the nature of knowing and
reality.
Interpretative is one paradigm, which studies an individual with their characteristics, human,
has different behaviors, opinions, and attitudes. The advantage is finding meaningful
observation of objects. The meaningful will be more valuable than one generalization.
However, the weakness is the results can be more complex to analysis and interpret those
objectively. In addition, it is more subjective to interpret the phenomena. However, it is more
difficult to be objective in human research than science setting. Therefore, for post positivism
paradigms, it tends to be subjective. In addition, data analysis have to use the logical reasoning
(a thinking process) and explain those with generalization. In educational research,
generalization is also difficult because of the complexity of educational phenomena. Related to
positivism and post positivism paradigms, interpretive is part of post positivism paradigms,
because it uses many perspectives to study the phenomena. Its very natural research, it can
observe the situation with different view to solve the problems. Therefore, it results many
solutions and interpretations.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Critical Theory
Finally, critical theory is explicitly prescriptive and normative, entailing a view of what behavior
in a social democracy should entail. It considers the power of social politics and ideology,
which influence the educational research. The advantage is the improvement that it done. In
critical theory, finding the issues is important and more subjective. Because the main objective
is to improve the practical field, change the situation with the action such as action research.
The action can be change every day to improve the quality, change and solve the problems.
Therefore, the solutions are constructed by the reality. The weakness is its also difficult to
conclude many interpretations. It also needs great skills to aware about the changes which use
as next actions. Related to positivism and post positivism paradigms, critical theory can use
both positivism and post positivism paradigms, because it uses positivism to control the
environment to observe the change and post positivism to interpreter their object.