Transcript of What is a Research Paradigm? | Proofed

you're here because you're planning a research project but first you need a research paradigm i'm here to define research paradigm highlight why it's so important to establish one and offer up some examples i'm jack from proofed the three things we will look at in this video are what is a research paradigm why are research paradigms so important and lastly some common examples firstly what is a research paradigm a research paradigm is essentially a philosophical framework that your research is based on let's break it down so we can try to make it even more clear a research paradigm consists of ontology epistemology and research methodology what are each of those components though ontology focuses on the question what is reality in the context of your research this is about understanding is there a definite reality to your topic an example of an ontological question is does god exist there simply can only be two answers yes god exists or no god does not exist epistemology is the study of knowledge it focuses more on the question how is it possible to know reality an example of an epistemological question would be how is it possible to know whether god exists research methodology focuses on the how how do we discover the reality or answer these questions research methodology should outline how you conduct your research and demonstrate that the findings are valid together the ontology and epistemology form research philosophy and a research philosophy combined with research methodology create our research paradigm now let's look at why are research paradigms important because they form the philosophical basis for a research project once a research philosophy has been determined you can then select the appropriate methodology you're going to use perhaps most importantly a knowledge of the philosophical foundation of your research will increase its quality and improve your performance in any analysis that you may have to undergo lastly let's look at some common examples of research paradigms hopefully this will make it crystal clear what a research paradigm is and how it fits into your research first off positivism positivists believe there is a singular reality which can be measured and understood typically positivists propose a hypothesis that can either be proved or disproved using statistical data analysis positivists tend to use quantitative research methods secondly constructivism constructivists believe that there is no single reality or truth instead preferring to believe there are multiple realities for this reason constructivists prefer to use qualitative methods in their research such as interviews or case studies hoping to provide different perspectives on a particular issue lastly pragmatism pragmatists believe that reality is continually interpreted and negotiated against an ever-changing backdrop of unpredictable situations because of this the philosophy a pragmatist applies in research tends to be based on the research question itself pragmatists often combine the principles of positivism and constructivism in the same research project they believe above all else that the optimum research methods are those that most successfully answer the research question hopefully now you have a clearer understanding of what a research paradigm is why it's so important to have one in your research project and also some common examples of research paradigms that you can look to when developing your own if there's anything you're still unsure about after this video check all of the resources that i've linked in the description and as always feel free to ask any questions in the comments we post these videos every week focusing on different fundamentals of writing communication and content creation helping you to unlock your best work your writing [Music] you