Topic 1: Research Paradigms

Specific Learning Outcome
By the end of this topic you will understand the differences between the prominent research paradigms.

Introduction
Research paradigms not only provide direction to your research study, but also an over-arching framework to guide the various stages of conducting research.

Guidance
To begin with this topic, scroll through the presentation by Professor Terry Anderson below on Research paradigms: Ontology, epistemologies and methods. Then, download and read 'An introduction to research paradigms' by Rehman and Alharthi (2016). This article briefly outlines three different paradigms along with their respective philosophical underpinnings. The next resource, Philosophy and Paradigm of Scientific Research by Žukauskas, Vveinhardt and Andriukaitienė (2017) explores these paradigms in further detail and discusses additional paradigms. Download this resource and then engage with the content in the remainder of the resources. Once complete, proceed to the learning activities.

Time needed
You'll need approximately 3.1 hours to engage with the content in this topic.

Resources

 * Paradigms: Ontology's, Epistemologies & Methods (Professor Terry Anderson) (External website)
 * An Introduction to Research Paradigms (PDF - 530KB)
 * Philosophy and Paradigm of Scientific Research (PDF - 691KB)
 * Research paradigms (Video – 10m35s) - https://youtu.be/v0T4GSgOiqM
 * Research paradigms in Education
 * Understanding and Applying Research Paradigms in Educational Contexts (PDF - 422KB)

Learning Activities
Activity 3.1.1 : In recognising the differences in research paradigms, think about the paradigm that best suits your problem statement. Once decided, write up the assumptions of the paradigm and its applicability to your research. Kindly complete this crucial activity under the 'My research space' tab.

Once you have completed the learning activity, kindly move onto Topic 2: Research Objectives and Methodologies.