Research Paradigms

Research paradigms are a framework about you think about the world as a researcher / team

Paradigms are models and frameworks for observations that shape what we see and how we understand it. Paradigms are a set of conventions used to alter the way we perceive different situations through different lenses

Ontology – Refers to what we think reality looks like and asks what is the nature of reality – What can we know? Positivism or Objectivism -­ The researcher is totally removed from the observations – it is value free and uninfluenced by the researcher

Interpretivism or Constructivism – Relies on the researcher to interpret

Epistemology – What is the relationships between the inquirer and the known? It asks what is counted as evidence – How do we know what we know?

Science Method “deductive” – Theory is tested after we setup a situation and set objectives testing why it something is happening

Interpretation “inductive” – Observations creates theory – key objective is to generate theory

Methodology – Refers to how we gain knowledge about the world?

Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Exercise Draft an example of a research project for both a positivist and interpretivist

Positivist -­‐ The theory they are testing -­‐ Different types of birds migrate according to the season to different areas -­‐ The event you would observe

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-­‐ The method you would use

-­‐ An observational counting method -­‐ An estimated finding

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Interpretivist -­‐ The issue you are interested in

-­‐ Does learning to play music as a child influence their grade point average -­‐ The context you would observe

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-­‐ Collect baseline data before they began learning music and compare to after -­‐ The method you would use -­‐ Observation and qualitative evidence from grades

An estimate on a theory you may use to generate them -­‐ The structures obtained through learning music contribute to children earning a higher GPA

Socially – If you have similar networks and influences then you have a narrower scope of opinion, but if you have diversity (culture, age, etc…) you immediately have a broader spectrum.

Reflexivity

Step 1 – a process of conscious reflection o the part of the researcher to make explicit

In this paradigm the research is considered subjective

Subjective – “social background, assumptions, positioning, and behaviour impact the research process

So you need to reflect on your own values, self-­‐identity and ideologies

This can affect each step of the process! Selection of questions, who is your study population, how you analyze your data and interpret results.

Step 2 – Acknowledgement of how your presence as a research can affect the extraction of data from a study population

Ethics – Stop and think about what you are bringing to the research (your own personal biases and opinions) and how you will influence the research.

Exercise – On our research project with our group

Identify: We are discussing green consumerism

4 Values – Green Works products never clean as well as the ones with chemicals, so you end up spending more and using more. (More packaging and product may even cause more environmental damage in the long-­‐term)

Health is very important to me, therefore I really care about how the chemicals founds in certain products can be much more harmful than green products.

Self-­‐identity and ideologies

How might this influence the way you conduct research?

What opinions do you have and why?

Knowing as an Interpretivist

In the interpretivist paradigm it is important to be aware of two types of knowing 1) “Outsiders perspective” – Understanding the study population through the researchers frameworks 2) “Insiders perspective” – Understanding the study population through the study populations words and context The difference is the words, context, and concepts

The language they are using may be completely different than the language you are use to. You can usually understand it based on how they are explaining it.

{Translate how you are going to analyze your data on an Either-­‐or-­‐Perspective}

Research Questions

Serves as a benchmark for the rest of the steps

You must identify your research paradigm at the outset in order to set your research questions

A research question states the purpose of the research in the form of a question

The research question is the benchmark for every step that follows in the research process 1. Guide the literature search 2. Limit the scope of the project 3. Guide decisions to data collection 4. Frame data analysis

A good research question is (does it meet these criteria) -­‐ Clear and specific -­‐ Feasible (resources, time, affordability) -­‐ Seeks to address a gap in knowledge -­‐ Relevant and can make a contribution

Thinking about what we wrote about in our team contract last week. Record answers for different questions to capture our thinking around these topics.

1. Review last weeks statements -­‐ Have you learned / read / watched anything related to your statements in the last week.

We have narrowed our research question down to be more specific to clothing apparel retail in Canadian and American markets.

Updated Research Question:

In Canadian and American markets, what specific business factors contribute to the success of social enterprises in the clothing retail market vs. for-­‐profit businesses, given their commitment to environmental or social causes?

2) Identify your research paradigm Explain why this fits well with your question

Our research paradigm is going tobe primarily focused on interpretive data, but will also use posititivists approaches to the quantitative data that will support the underlying claims of which business factors allow social enterprises to compete successfully.