Positivist and constructivist paradigms in research

Constructivism & Positivism

Defense of Constructivism as Research Paradigm

For educators, the type of research paradigm used for practitioner research is nearly as important of a decision as the research question that one decides to investigate. Two popular types of research design are the positivist and constructivist types. Traditionally, science was dominated by the positivist paradigm, in which scientists believed the purpose of research was to simply document what was observable (Positivism & Post Positivism). The goal of positivism is to try to discover the truths of the world so that it can be "prdict[ed] and control[ed]" (Positivism & Post Positivism). Many, on the other hand, believe research has progressed beyond the realm of positivism, or conventional, research. These believe that other methods, such as constructivism, are more conducive to research in the 21st century. Constructivist researchers believe that people develop knowledge based on their own social experiences and biases, and that no prescribed brand of truth is sure (Clark). In reality, no brand of research is superior to another, each is simply a different way of looking at the research process, and is applicable to different researchers in different situations (Clark, Jacobson). Thus, it is up to the practitioner performing practitioner research in order to choose the paradigm that he or she finds relevant.

As a practitioner planning to conduct research regarding a connection between educational technology and the socioeconomic backgrounds of students, constructivist research is the best design to use. Because I will be conducting this research using my own students as subjects in order to better my practice, I will not be necessarily be attempting to replicate these results to a general population. Thus, conventional research, with its purpose to attempt and control, does not fit my research goal. Instead, my goal is to determine how the use of technology in the classroom advances or hinders students. Primarily, I want to determine whether my use of technology in the classroom is inadvertiantly favoring certain students over others. Thus, my goal is more in line with the goal of constructivist research, which aims to understand results in the term of the society, and understands that the results can be interpreted in many ways.

Furthermore, constructivism best fits the way that I view the world. As an educator, I have come to understand that social biases and beliefs deeply influence how others see the world. In addition, I have come across many who believe truth is absolutely the opposite of my understanding of truth. Thus, I am aware of the fact that many interpretations of results and truth can exist. In addition, I believe it is of the utmost importance to understand and acknowledge social bias and construction in the educational world, as the social rules have often resulted in many being denied access to education.