2. Two traditional research paradigms
Positivism is a paradigm that relies on measurement and reason, that knowledge is revealed from a neutral and measurable (quantifiable) observation of activity, action or reaction. Positivism states that if something is not measurable in this way it cannot be known for certain. Scientific knowledge is derived from the accumulation of data obtained theory-free and value-free from observation. This suggests that anything that cannot be observed and thus in some way measured (that is quantified), is of little or no importance. Positivism is closely associated with quantitative methods of data collection.
Interpretivism is based on the assumption that reality is subjective, multiple and socially constructed. That is to say we can only understand someone’s reality through their experience of that reality, which may be different from another person’s shaped by the individuals’ historical or social perspective. Interpretive approaches rely on questioning and observation in order to discover or generate a rich and deep understanding of the phenomenon being investigated. This is closely associated with qualitative methods of data collection.
