Ontology, epistemology and research paradigm

doing a research project can be daunting especially when you have to learn a whole set of new terms in this video I will explain the relationship between research paradigm ontology and epistemology in the simplest terms the following picture describes the relationship between ontology epistemology and research paradigm so what does ontology and epistemology mean well ontology examines the nature of reality while the epistemology examines how you can examine reality ontology is interested in addressing the question what is reality there are several ontology x' that exists for the purposes of this video I will use these three ontologies firstly the belief that there is only one single reality or truth secondly the belief that there are multiple realities thirdly that reality is constantly negotiated debated or interpreted epistemology refers to how an individual understands knowledge how they understand their own thinking process and how they think others know in other words epistemology addresses the question how can I know reality there are several different epistemologies that exist for the purposes of this video I will use these three epistemologies firstly the belief that knowledge can be measured using reliable designs and tools secondly the belief that reality needs to be interpreted to discover the underlying meaning thirdly that knowledge should be examined using whatever tools are best suited to solve the problem when you combine your ontology and epistemology together you are able to get a holistic view of value understand knowledge this is what we mean when we refer to a research paradigm using the three ontology x' and three pista mala jeez I mentioned before I will now show you how these combine to form the three most common research paradigms in social sciences positivism constructivism and pragmatism positive lists have the ontology that there is one single reality or truth and the epistemological stance that knowledge can be measured in contrast constructivists believe that there are multiple realities and the epistemological stance that knowledge needs to be interpreted to discover the underlying meaning finally pragmatists believe that reality is constantly negotiated debated or interpreted and the epistemological stance that knowledge should be examined using whatever tools are best suited to solve the problem once you have determined your research paradigm you are able to establish the approach and methodology that is best suited to examine the knowledge you are interested in this is why it is important to understand your research paradigm it will improve the quality of your research you

Channel: Lynette Pretorius: Academic Language and Literacy

Views: 233,918

Rating: 4.9339323 out of 5

Keywords: Ontology, Epistemology, Paradigm, Research, Doctoral writing

Id: hkcqGU7l_zU

Length: 3min 9sec (189 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 21 2018