TAILIEUCHUNG - Embarking on research in the social sciences: Understanding the foundational concepts
This paper problematises some of the foundational concepts any beginning researcher will come across when conducting research for the first time. Understanding the oft-confused, abstract, yet important notions of ontology, epistemology and paradigms can be a daunting obstacle in the experience of a new researcher, yet there are nearly no ways of sidelining these if we were to meaningfully plan, construct and execute our research. | EMBARKING ON RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: UNDERSTANDING THE FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS Raqib Chowdhury* Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia Received 11 February 2019; Accepted 15 February 2019 Abstract: Written primarily for new or early-career researchers and postgraduate students, this paper problematises some of the foundational concepts any beginning researcher will come across when conducting research for the first time. Understanding the oft-confused, abstract, yet important notions of ontology, epistemology and paradigms can be a daunting obstacle in the experience of a new researcher, yet there are nearly no ways of sidelining these if we were to meaningfully plan, construct and execute our research. Through familiar examples, this article engages in discussing the research approach and design and how these are grounded in the ways a researcher thinks about and understands the world - in other words, how their ontological and epistemological positions determine the methodological choices they make. As well as problematising these concepts, the article also compares the qualitative and quantitative approaches, and critically considers how, in some ways, qualitative studies can yield richer results in the social science disciplines, including in Education.** Keywords: research, education research, ontology, epistemology, axiology, paradigm, objectivism, positivism, constructivism, interpretivism, methodology, method 1. Introduction: Situating research 1 This paper is written for beginning or early-career researchers and postgraduate students to clarify - as simply as possible the fundamental terms that are essential to conducting research. Needless to say, there are entire books written on this topic - see, for example, Boden, Kenway and Epstein’s (2005) lucidly written Getting Started on Research. While brief and occasionally simplistic, the * Email: This paper is primarily based on a seminar .
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