Research philosophy positivism pdf




















Post positivism research approach for quantitative research Post positivism is fundamentally an abstract theory which are based on the philosophy of knowledge. The implications of post positivism is based on the incompetency to assert, with certainty, that ones' conclusions are true Lewis, Thus, all results are potentially prone to error and can never be proven in any final sense.

In post positivism, reality is real and truth is universal. One cannot directly access it either. Researcher can only perceive pieces of reality. Researcher can approximate reality and truth. The knowledge of researcher is obtained through direct observation and measurement which may be direct or indirect of phenomenon.

Explaining main arguments in favour of this approach Quantitative research is conducted by researcher where he or she has to analyse the numerical, logical and statistical data associated with the research study. Quantitative research is considered to be optimum method for carrying out numerical and statistical research study effectively and efficiently Flick, As compared to qualitative research study, quantitative research study more focuses on factual data and its analysis collected through research instruments like structured questionnaires, observations, surveys, etc.

Quantitative research explores the relationship between variables. For instance, a researcher desires to identify the nexus between income and whether or not families have health insurance.

The methods utilised in quantitative research study are highly structured and consistent during the process of collection of data and most likely using questionnaire with close ended questions. The results will provide numerical data that can be analysed statistically as the researcher looks for a correlation between income and health insurance. Quantitative methodology would best apply to this research problem Silverman, A quantitative approach allows the researcher to examine the relationship between the two variables of income and health insurance.

The problem in the research is investigated by forming hypothesis and data analysed deductively in order to attain definite results and outcomes that supports the hypothesis. Quantitative research study is utilised by the researchers in order to enhance the comprehensive understanding of the subject matter effectively.

Positivism: - Research Philosophy. Binu Joseph. A short summary of this paper. Positivism is a philosophy which strongly constructed based on empiricism. The quintessence of positivism is that science is the only way of finding the truth Research Mehodology, n. Positivism is asserting that the factual knowledge can only be gained through the sense-experience.

The positive paradigm studies are based on the facts and considering the world is objective and external Wilson, Positivism claims that the true knowledge means the authentic knowledge and that such forms of knowledge derived from positive affirmation of theories which framed by strictly scientific methods based on gathering empirical, observable and measurable evidence , related to the specific aim of reasoning The Basics of Philosophy, n.

The doctrine of Positivism was developed by Auguste Comte in the midth century. According to the observation made by Auguste Comte, metaphysics has replaced by scientific methods in the history of thoughts and philosophy of science The Basics of Philosophy, n. The roots of positivism can be traced from the ancient Greek philosophies especially from the works of Protagoras, Sophists, Sextus Empiricus and Later, during the medieval periods the philosophy of positivism had come into the study of French philosopher Pierre Bayle, English philosopher William of Ockham, German philosopher George Christoph Lichtenberg, Irish philosopher George Berkeley and another prominent Philosopher David Hume, they stressed for the need of sense experience in social science.

In the second half of the 19th century, positivism had incepted to question the other prevalent philosophies of constructivism, realism, interpretivism and romanticism. Positivism has closely related to reductionism, naturalism and verification and similar to the views of scientism The Basics of Philosophy, n. As philosophical theory positivism is stating that positive knowledge that based on natural phenomena and their properties relationship.

Hence, the information is generating through sensory experiences. The interpretation is through reason and logic. Positivism upholds that in derived knowledge it is possible to see the valid knowledge certitude or truth.

The positive facts or verified data received from the senses are known as empirical evidence; thus positivism has founded on the empiricism. Positivism is a philosophy which rejects the intuitive knowledge and introspection. The noted argument of positivism is that society is like a physical world which operating according to general laws. The modern sense of the positivist approach was conveyed by the Auguste Comte and argued that the physical world is operating according to the magnitude of other absolute laws.

So does society, and further developed positivism into religious, a religion of humanity. Comtean positivism is also asserting for the unification of sciences Charles Crook, Positivism is analyzing that the knowledge is obtained through direct observation and measurement of a phenomenon.

According to Kuhn Kuhn, Observed that the paradigm is related to working practices, procedures and set of belief that notifies the world-view and that shape the context of modern science. Positivism can mainly be differentiated into four different types such as Logical positivism, Sociological positivism, Legal positivism and Polish positivism The Basics of Philosophy, n. Logical Positivism: In the early 20th century was rise of the more radical and strict doctrine of positivism viz, logical positivism.

Ayer, etc. Sociological Positivism: It developed by Auguste Comte. This positivist approach is emphasizing that social phenomena only be studied with empirical observation. Moreover, it founded upon empirical methods. Legal Positivism: According to the observation made by legal positivism, the contents of the law made of social facts and not on its merits Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, n.

It holds that laws are rules which made by the human beings intentionally or unintentionally and there is no necessary or inherent connection of law with ethics and morality The Basics of Philosophy, n. It stands in contrary to natural laws because it well adheres to laws of justice and morality. Polish Positivism: it emerged in Poland as against romanticism in the mid- 19th century because it failed armed conflicts took place during the era Kinney, n.

Moreover, it was a political movement inspired by the ideology of Auguste Comte, and he advocated, the need of exercise reason before emotions The Basics of Philosophy, n. Later it caused to prompt polish independent movements.

Part of Research Philosophy In research, to obtain congruent data collection the researcher needs to incorporate research philosophy in research methodology. It can be framed based on various patterns of concepts, assumptions and practices. Easterby and Smith Mark Easterby- Smith, described three reasons that researcher is embracing the philosophical analysis in the research, firstly, the researcher plan to conduct overall strategy and in overall areas, secondly, while analyzing research methods it does not lead to indulge in unnecessary works, finally, the actual capability of the researcher is decided by the methods of research.

Positivism is one of the schools of thoughts of research philosophy in associated with other philosophies of interpretivism and realism Mark Saunders, Believe of positivism is that through an objective viewpoint reality can be observed. In scientific research, positivists believe that society is made up of social constructivism of facts exit independently of individual living in society.

As a methodology positivism is applying the similar procedure and methods where it applied in natural science. This may generate reasons for the discovery of human behavior, prediction of future trends. The research is focusing on generalization and abstraction. The positivist exemplified the possibility of obtaining hard and secured objective knowledge.

Hypothesis and stated theories are remaining as a governing thoughts of positivism. The description and explanations are the main concentrated areas. The cornerstone of the positive research philosophy is science and positivist studies are observing science in a way of science is deterministic, science is mechanistic, science using methods and science deals with empiricism Research Mehodology, n. Positive researchers creating a distance from the participants of research, the reason behind it that, they should be emotionally neutral and have to make a strong distinction between reasons and feeling Edirisinha, Further, they continue to maintain the distinction between personal experience and science and fact and value judgement.

Such methods are adopted by researchers to maintain steadily rational and logical approaches to research. The central areas positivist are that the mathematical and statistical techniques and which specifically attached to structured research techniques to reveal distinct and particular reality David Carson, In research function, the aim of positive researcher is that to generalize as time and context free Edirisinha, Positivist researcher believes that, it is possible to explain human actions on the basis certain real causes that transient precedes their behavior and the subject of the research is independent and also do not come under any influence by each other Ozanne, Hence, in the positive research the space for human interest is much narrow.

In positive studies the researcher is much limited to the objective way of data collection and interpretation. The findings of the research normally be observable and quantifiable and the quantifiable observations lead to the statistical analysis.

In positive research the observer is an independent agent. The interests of humans are irrelevant. The progress of the research is processing through the hypothesis and deductions and the concepts need to be operationalized in such a way the measurement is occurring.



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