Research Paradigm Bingo
POSITIVIST
K. Clark/Keefe 2004
INTERPRETIVIST
CRITICAL THEORIST
Education or schooling is considered
Education is a process and schooling
Education is considered to be a
to be the object or delivery system to
is a lived experience.
social institution designed for social
be studied
& cultural reproduction and
transformation.
Knowledge is objective and
Knowledge is constructed through
Knowledge is generated from an
quantifiable. It is gained through
understanding the meaning of the
ideological critique of power,
experimental research.
process or experience. It is gained
privilege, and oppression in
from an inductive, theory-generating
educational practice. It is gained
mode of inquiry (rather than through a through primarily inductive modes
deductive, hypothesis-testing mode).
of inquiry.
Research Paradigm Bingo
K. Clark/Keefe 2004
Reality in this perspective is stable,
Individuals socially construct multiple Reality in this perspective is socially
observable, and measurable.
realities.
constructed and is largely influenced
and regulated by cultural and
societal values and norms.
Research purposes include
Research purposes include
Emancipation of or reform for
generalizing findings, providing
contextualizing peoples’ experiences,
research participants is a goal.
causal explanations, and predicting
understanding meaning, and
behavior.
interpreting social behavior.
The researchers role is one of
The researchers role is one of
The researchers role is one where
detachment in order to provide an
personal involvement in an effort to
every effort is made to “level the
objective portrayal.
develop an empathic understanding.
playing field” between researcher and
researched with the aim of
empowering those involved.
Research Paradigm Bingo
K. Clark/Keefe 2004
Research design characteristics are
Research design characteristics are
Research design characteristics are
predetermined and structured.
flexible, evolving, and emergent.
flexible, emergent, and oriented
toward change or “righting” a wrong.
Research Paradigm Bingo
K. Clark/Keefe 2004
Investigators from this perspective
Investigators from this perspective
Investigators from this perspective
conducting research on the topic of
conducting research on the topic of
conducting research on the topic of dropping
dropping out of high school might
dropping out of high school might be
out of high school might be interested in how
begin by hypothesizing that students
interested in understanding the
the social institution of school is structured
drop out because of low self-esteem.
experience of dropping out from the
such that the interests of some members of
They could then design an
perspective of “noncompleters”
society are preserved and perpetuated at the
intervention program to raise the self- themselves. They would need to
expense of others. They would investigate
esteem of students at risk. They
conduct in-depth interviews with
the way in which schools are structured, the
would set up an experiment
students, perhaps observe them in
mechanisms (i.e., attendance, tests, grade
controlling for as many variables as
out-of-school activities, and review
levels) that reproduce certain patterns of
possible, and then measure the
documents such as counselors’
response, and so on. Analysis of the
results.
reports or personal journals.
underlying socioeconomic, political and
cultural causes of the problem is designed to
result in collective action to address it.