Philosophical assumptions of quantitative research

Help centerless log insign alitative and quantitative research design and philosophical assumption also the different research methods in research designs9 pagesqualitative and quantitative research design and philosophical assumption also the different research methods in research designsuploaded bybaseer ch  connect to downloadget docxqualitative and quantitative research design and philosophical assumption also the different research methods in research designsdownloadqualitative and quantitative research design and philosophical assumption also the different research methods in research designsuploaded bybaseer chloading previewsorry, preview is currently unavailable. Help new research papers in:physicschemistrybiologyhealth sciencesecologyearth sciencescognitive sciencemathematicscomputer rivacycopyrightacademia ©ch in higher educationoctober 1995, volume 36, issue 5,Pp 535–562 | cite asassumptions underlying quantitative and qualitative research: implications for institutional researchauthorsauthors and affiliationsrussel s.

Assumptions of quantitative research

Hathawayarticlereceived: 23 may ctfor institutional researchers, the choice to use a quantitative or qualitative approach to research is dictated by time, money, resources, and staff. Choices made at this level generally have rigor, but ignore the underlying philosophical assumptions structuring beliefs about methodology, knowledge, and reality.

When choosing a method, institutional researchers also choose what they believe to be knowledge, reality, and the correct method to measure both. The purpose of this paper is to clarify and explore the assumptions underlying quantitative and qualitative research.

The reason for highlighting the assumptions is to increase the general level of understanding and appreciation of epistemological issues in institutional research. Articulation of these assumptions should foster greater awareness of the appropriateness of different kinds of knowledge for different wunable to display preview.

Unpredictability and indeterminism in human behavior: arguments and implications for educational ional researcher 18(3): 17– scholardarder, a. The qualitative research interview: a phenomenological and a hermeneutical mode of l of phenomenological psychology 14(2): 171– scholarlancy, d.

Integrating a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the quality of academic life: political and logistical issues. Closing down the conversation: the end of the quantitative-qualitative debate among educational ional researcher 15(1): 4– scholarsoltis, j.

University of michiganann this article as:Kluwer academic publishers-human sciences ts and alised in to check ted access to the full e local sales tax if ch in higher the whole of about institutional use cookies to improve your experience with our ch in higher educationoctober 1995, volume 36, issue 5,Pp 535–562 | cite asassumptions underlying quantitative and qualitative research: implications for institutional researchauthorsauthors and affiliationsrussel s. University of michiganann this article as:Kluwer academic publishers-human sciences ts and alised in to check ted access to the full e local sales tax if ch in higher the whole of about institutional use cookies to improve your experience with our (2011) suggests that central to the process of social research is an explicit account not just of the data produced but how that is understood and interpreted.

Burrell and morgan (1979) suggest that it is possible to classify philosophical assumptions underpinning different approaches to research into defined categories. First, ontological assumptions relate to whether the phenomenon under investigation is understood as being external to an individual or is a product of their consciousness (burrell and morgan, 1979).

Second, an epistemological assumption is concerned with how the researcher understands the world and communicates that knowledge to others. Third, assumptions about human nature address the relationship between human beings and their environment and address whether human behaviour is a product of the environment or whether the environment is created by human behaviour.

The methodologies that are then developed by researchers are influenced by the different ontologies, epistemologies and models of human nature that occur (burrell and morgan, 1979). In essence, the philosophical assumptions are the modus operandi or paradigms that researchers use to gather, analyse and interpret data within their research.

Walsham (1995) argues that it is important for a researcher to define their philosophical position clearly as a means of reflecting on the basis, conduct and reporting of their work. He further suggests that there is a need to adopt multiple perspectives but to reflect periodically on their philosophical position when writing up their work.

Alvesson and skoldberg (2000) suggest that researchers are required to operate on a least two levels paying attention to both the research material and how it is being interpreted by the researcher. This research project, the researcher has adopted a critical realism paradigm within which to interpret and analyse the data.

Consequently, there is an acknowledgement that all observations (or measurement) are fallible and our ability to know meaning with certainty is critically questioned:Because all measurement is fallible, the critical realist emphasises the importance of multiple measures and observations, each of which may possess different types of error, and the need to use triangulation [triangulation is the means of using different sources of information to validate findings]  across these multiple errorful sources to try to get the better bead on what’s happing  in research methods (2013). Further, through the researcher’s knowledge of the services and close working relationships with the staff group, the application of retroduction has been important to establish the basic conditions for the existence of the phenomenon studied (danemark, 1997).

By adopting a quantitative approach emphasis is placed on the collection of data that can be measured. A mixed method of quantitative and qualitative analysis has been used as an approach to gather the data for this research project thereby providing the basis for a thematic analysis (bryman and burgess, 2002).

The quantitative analysis provides context for the subsequent interviews and the resulting rich data is then useful for understanding the operational challenges faced by formal evaluation consisted of two integral components: (i) the scrutiny of the quantitative data gathered, and; (ii) nine interviews with social care organisers (scos).