Issue Positivism Postpositivism Critical Theory Constructivism Participatory

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Issue Positivism Postpositivism Critical Theory Constructivism Participatory Issue Positivism Postpositivism Critical Theory Constructivism Participatory Ontology: dealing Naive realism - Critical realism - Historical realism - Relativism - local Participative reality - with the nature of "real" reality but "real" reality but only virtual reality shaped and specific co- subjective-objective being apprehendible imperfectly and by social, political, constructed realities reality, co-created by probabilistically cultural, economic, mind and given REALIST: Reality apprehensible ethnic, and gender RELATIVIST: There cosmos exists independent of values; crystallized exists multiple, observer's over time socially constructed perceptions and realities ungoverned operates according by natural laws -- to immutable natural causal or otherwise. laws that often take cause/effect form. TRUTH is defined as consensus TRUTH is defined as construction of the that set of combined quantity statements that and quality of info accurately describe that provided the reality. most powerful understanding that leads to action. Epistemology: Dualist/objectivist Modified Transactional/ Transactional/ Critical subjectivity dealing with the (Knowledge is a dualist/objectivist; subjectivist subjectivist; co- in participatory nature of knowledge, phenomenon that critical (Knowledge is created findings transaction with its presuppositions, exists external to the tradition/community; created by inquiry cosmos; extended foundations, extent observer; the findings probably through a dynamic epistemology of and validity observer maintains a true interaction with the experiential, distance and studies environment; propositional, and the phenomenon knowing and being practical knowing; (sometimes referred are the same thing); co-created findings to as empiricism)); value-mediated findings true findings Methodology Experimental/ Modified Dialogic/ dialectical Hermeneutical/ Political participation manipulative; experimental/ dialectical in collaborative verification of manipulative; critical action inquiry; hypotheses; chiefly multiplism; HERMENEUTIC primacy of the quantitative methods falsification of (interpretation): practical; use of hypotheses; may seeks a dialectic (a language grounded INTERVENTIONIST include qualitative dialogue among in shared seeks to control methods differing views) that experiential context variables and creates an ongoing neutralize contexts. process of The goal is to explain iteration/analysis/ how something critique/reiteration/r "really works" in eanalysis, etc. that order to predict and leads to a joint control. construction of a case. The goal is understanding. Nature of Verified hypotheses Nonfalsified Structural/ historical Individual and Extended Knowledge established as facts hypotheses that are insights collective epistemology: or laws probable facts or reconstructions primacy of practical laws sometimes knowing; critical coalescing around subjectivity; living consensus knowledge VARIATIONS: Action Research: solution to a local problem at a local site. Policy Studies: formulation, implementation & effectiveness Knowledge Accretion - "building Accretion - "building Historical More informed and In communities of accumu-lation blocks" adding to blocks" adding to revisionism; sophisticated inquiry embedded in "edifice of "edifice of generalizations by reconstructions; communities of knowledge"; knowledge"; similarity vicarious experience practice generalizations and generalizations and cause-effect linkages cause-effect linkages Goodness or quality Conventional Conventional Historical Trustworthiness and Congruence of criteria benchmarks of benchmarks of situatedness; erosion authenticity including experiential, "rigor": internal and "rigor": internal and of ignorance and catalyst for action presentational, external validity, external validity, misapprehension; propositional, and reliability, and reliability, and action stimulus practical knowing; objectivity objectivity leads to action to transform the world in the service of human flourishing Values Excluded - influence Excluded - influence Included - formative denied denied Ethics Extrinsic - tilt toward Extrinsic - tilt toward Intrinsic - moral tilt Intrinsic - process tilt Intrinsic - process tilt deception deception toward revelation toward revelation toward revelation Inquirer Posture "Disinterested "Disinterested "Transformative "Passionate Primary voice scientist" as informer scientist" as informer intellectual" as participant" as manifest through of decision makers, of decision makers, advocate and activist facilitator of aware self-reflective policy makers, and policy makers, and multivoice action; secondary change agents change agents reconstruction voices in illuminating theory, narrative, movement, song, dance, and other presentational forms Training Technical and Technical; Resocialization; Resocialization; Co-researchers are initiated into the inquiry process by quantitative; quantitative and qualitative and qualitative and facilitator/researcher and learn through active engagement substantive theories qualitative; quantitative; history; quantitative; history; in the process; facilitator/researcher requires emotional substantive theories values of altruism, values of altruism, competence, democratic personality and skills empowerment and empowerment and liberation liberation QUANTITATIVE METHODOLOGY QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY Influenced by psychological research Influenced by anthropological research tradition traditions Emphasis is on designing experiments, doing Focuses on a particular event, group of research with groups of students, and people, process, institution, or concept in a testing hypotheses using measurement and case study design statistics. Rich contextual descriptions Numerical reporting Qualitative analysis Quantitative analysis Emphasizes understanding Emphasizes explaining Modified from Egon G. Guba and Yvonna S. Lincoln, “Paradigmatic Controversies, Contradictions, and Emerging Confluences” In Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln, Eds., The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research 3rd ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005): 195-6; and Dr. Karen Keifer-Boyd, Penn State Univesity, “The Heart of Research”: http://sva74.sva.psu.edu/%7ecyberfem/aed502_f02/basics/intro.html .
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