1.5.1 Research paradigm Table 2: Research paradigm of the researcher developed by Laubscher (2011:15)
Ontology
Epistemology
Research object
Meta-theoretical assumptions
Research method
Theory of truth
Statement = truth→ objective reality establishing a direct relationship between the research statements and reality
Validity
Certainty: The data truly measures reality A direct relationship exists between measurements + phenomena
Reliability
Replicability Research results can be reproduced by the researcher or other researchers to achieve a consistent result
~
Interpretivism
Alternative terms: Qualitative, soft, non-traditional, holistic, descriptive, phenomenological, anthropological, naturalistic, illuminative, among others Integrated experience Person (researcher) and reality are inseparable (life-world) Subjectivity Knowledge of the world is intentionally constituted through a person's lived experience Incorporated The research object is interpreted in the light of the meaning structure of the person's (researcher's) lived experience Content analysis through interpretation Preferred research methods include case studies, ethnographic studies, phenomenographic studies, ethnomethodological studies, among others Initial interpretation = truth → confirms a meaning (from researcher's experience) Truth as intentional fulfilment: interpretations of research object match lived experience of the subject The knowledge (claim) is defensible Evaluation criteria include credibility, transferability, dependability, and ability to confirm Interpretive awareness Researchers recognise and address the implications of their subjectivity
Normative position of the researcher
Strongly agree
Disagree
Alternative terms: Quantitative, scientific, experimental, difficult, reductionist, prescriptive, psychometric, among others Detached experience Person (researcher) and reality are separate Objectivity Objective reality exists beyond the human mind Separate The research object has inherent qualities that exist independently of the researcher Content analysis through statistics Preferred research methods include laboratory experiments, field experiments, surveys, among others
Pre-disposition of the researcher on a continuum scale
Neutral
+
Strongly agree Agree
Researcher's paradigm Positivism
7
There is a definite relation between the researcher and the research process Research is objective information and is fact-based according to data collection and analyses Research object has inherent value, and the researcher will gain knowledge about this topic Most of the research is a desk study, the rest of this study are based on experiments and prototypes
Previous experience in design disciplines has a meaningful impact on the outcomes and procedures followed throughout this study. Validation of the relationship is based on the data collected and analysed as well as simulations created Study can be repeated by someone else, and the result is comparable. Recommendations are different
