Категории: Все - positivism - knowledge

по Belen Dominguez 3 лет назад

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Epistemological Foundations of Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is grounded in several epistemological foundations, each contributing uniquely to the understanding and application of scientific inquiry. Positivism asserts that true knowledge is derived from sensory experience and interpreted through reason and logic, focusing on natural phenomena and their properties.

Epistemological Foundations of Quantitative Research

Quantitative Approach

Disadvantages

A large population must be studied to obtain accurate results
It doesn´t study things in a natural setting
The context of the study or experiment is ignored
The approval or disapproval of a hypothesis may be affected by the subjectivity of the researcher who already intends to approve or disapprove that hypothesis
Measures variables in a particular context at a given time without measuring those characteristics that could be consistent and contribute a lot to the research as well
Leave out meaningful data
It does not describe how reality is shaped or how people interpret their behaviors
It does not give sufficient explanations about the reasons for the effect of certain variables or aspects on the study group within a detailed context
They need careful planning
Quantitative investigations are difficult, expensive and time consuming to perform
Some aspects of the social phenomenon cannot be analyzed because society is constantly changing

Advantages

It is objective and appropriate for hypothesis testing, and the results are valid, reliable, and generalizable to a broader population
Answer fundamental questions for data analysis such as who, how much, what, where, when, how many and how
Eliminate bias
The results achieved are statistical and verifiable
There are no own interpretations or preconceptions of the results
Extensive range of data analysis
Allows a broader collection of data obtained from larger sample groups, which may be a limitation in other situations
Quick data collection
Saves not only time, but also lessens wasting resources
The data are obtained from a representative group of a population
Collect reliable and accurate data
Because data is collected, analyzed and presented in numbers, the results are reliable
It focuses on hypothesis testing based on a well-defined plan and clear objectives that can be repeated at any other time and place with the same results
Helps research to optimize the time and effort invested in analyzing and describing the results obtained
Information can be more accurately verified, confirmed and verified
It allows observing, counting and analyzing the required information using statistical techniques

Quantitative Research in Education Learning Activity 2 Ana Belén Domínguez Gortaire

Epistemological Foundations of Quantitative Research

Epistemologies underlying theory and practice

Postmodernism
Generalizations should be made sensibly
Research involves different ways of appreciating reality
Reality cannot be conceived by everyone the same
They say that since reality is contextualized within a particular community and culture, it changes because culture is changing
Science is not universal, nor is it the paradigm of all true knowledge
Criticalism
Its origins are in sociology and literary criticism
It includes the deep appreciation of society and culture, relating knowledge of the social sciences and the humanities to make known and challenge the structures of power
Its aim is to change existing and limiting social conditions, and not just predict or explain reality
Confront foundations and predictable quantitative or qualitative knowledge methodologies, which make claims of scientific objectivity
Interpretivism
It is vital to see the differences that characterize people
It is used to group different approaches, to reveal different characteristics of the subject of study
Uses social constructs such as language, consciousness, shared meanings, and instruments
Interpret study components and incorporate human interest into a study
Post - Positivism
Everything that is observed is assumed through a prior understanding of other theories and concepts
All observation is fallible or imperfect, and because of that, there is inaccuracy. All theory is reviewable
There is a reality independent of our thinking about which science can study
Subjectivism
There is no external or objective truth
Our own mental activity is the only unquestionable fact of our experience
Positivism
Valid knowledge, certainty or truth is found only in this knowledge a posteriori
Information derived from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, constitutes the exclusive source of all true knowledge
Knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relationships

Characteristics

Any phenomenon that occurs in the world has its cause and consequence
Its view is objective, realistic, or positivistic because it is based on research conducted without the subjective influence of researchers
Quantitative research focuses on invariant and numerical data and meticulous, convergent reasoning to find an optimal solution to a clearly defined problem

Different types of epistemologies

Pragmatism
The meaning and truth of any idea is a function of its practical results
Relates quantitative and qualitative methods based on what needs to be discovered
Experiential Realism
"Science, according to this vision, is an activity that is based on this subject / object scheme" (Mulaik, 1995)
Observation implies a more active than passive interaction through our bodies with the world
It is not possible to observe the world only objectively, due to the fact that one's own perception influences in some way what is being observed
Post-positivism
Research can never be safe and that researchers should approximate that reality to the best of their ability
Human knowledge is not based on rock-solid, indisputable foundations, but rather on human guesswork

Concept of Epistemology

Epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge or of the way how we come to know