What are Strengths and Weaknesses of Positivist Paradigm in research?

On what
grounds will you support or reject this Paradigm.

Paras Baloch
MS/39/2K14
Subject: Research Methodology
Submitted to: Dr Habib Pathan
Date: 15-09-2014

Background of Positivist Paradigm in Educational Research

paradigms are patterns of beliefs and practices that regulate inquiry within a discipline
by providing lenses, frames and processes through which investigation is accomplished.
Weaver and Olsons (2006, p.460)
The word positivism is taken from French word positivisme, which gives philosophical sense of
something imposed on mind by experience. If we trace back to the history of positivism we will
come to know that it has come to educational research from natural science. Natural science
deals with the study of the physical things, like, whatever is observable or provable has
existence. This approach leads to empiricism which declares that the knowledge comes only
through sensory experiences. Hence, Positivist approach in research is based upon such
assumption of empiricist philosophy which state that the knowledge which is obtained by our
senses can be said to be true. (Atkinson et al., 1996)
Positivism argues that research should act as an organised method surrounding
precise empirical observations of individual behaviour in order to discover and confirm a set of
probabilistic causal laws that can be used to predict general patterns of human activity(Neuman,
1997: 63)
Hughes (2001a) explains that the positivist paradigm sees the world as being based on
unchanging, universal laws and the view that everything that occurs around us can be explained
by knowledge of these universal laws. In order to understand universal laws we will have to
examine and record each and everything, so that we may detect actual cause of research problem.
As reality considered unchanging, static and constant by positivists they further state that it can
be explained, observed or described by objective view point.
2

The positivist approach is often called as the natural science model of social science research.

Features of Positivist Paradigm

"Positivism has a long and rich historical tradition. It is so embedded in our society that
knowledge claims not grounded in positivist thought are simply dismissed as ascientific and
therefore invalid"(Hirschheim, 1985, p.33)
As mentioned above that the positivist research is based upon scientific inquiry so it uses the
tools of natural science inquiry. Lets look at the main concerns of positivist paradigm in
research.

Positivist Paradigm puts emphasis on the idea that the techniques or methodologies used by
natural sciences are suitable to the social sciences.

Positivists recommend that scientific knowledge can be achieved through verified facts.

The aim of positivist research is to explain and predict.

The Positivist researcher tries to explain general laws applicable to all.

The positivist researcher explains relationships between variable.

Two important approaches of positivist research are an exploratory approach and a

confirmatory approach. Johnson and Christensen (2008).

The primary job of a positivist researcher is to measure, quantify or find the extent of
research problem.

This approach is based upon deductive method.

Strengths of Positivist Paradigm

1. Positivist research is called structured because the researcher decides all features of
research before data collection. Kumar (2005). While in interpretive research no such
patterns are decided before data collection.
2. The exploratory approach of positivist research is highly productive part of positivist
research. It enables the researcher to find out a pattern and if a pattern is found, then the
actual job of researcher starts. The researcher then presents a theory or idea about the
cause that why that pattern occurs. Johnson and Christensen (2008) .
3. The positivist researcher observes relationship between small number of variables and
study them thoroughly so that he may make general notions relevant to real life.
4. The researcher neither affects nor is affected by the subject of his research.
5. Researcher keeps his biases away from his participants in the study.
6. Positivist researchers main focus is the observable phenomena. As Remenyi states,
Working with an observable social realitythe end product can be law-like
generalizations similar to those produced by the physical and natural scientist(Remenyi
et al., 1998)
7. The positivist researcher discovers laws of cause and effect.
8. Those discovered laws explain what makes a specific sort of change in a set of variables.
9. The work of researcher is like a catalyst, which speeds up the process but never takes part
in it. So its purely unbiased research.
10. Empirical observation of a positivist researcher serves to clarify social facts.

Weaknesses of Positivist Paradigm

1. It shows single reality.
2. Measurement of objective facts cannot provide us exact information of social reality.
3. It fails to identify the role of the researcher in creating the phenomena portrayed in data
and findings, and the role of narrative and rhetoric in research reports.
4. It is completely objective. Educational research is a social phenomenon so it should not
be objective.
5. Statistical analysis of issues gives us half information or shows one angle of social
reality.
6. The atomistic approach of positivist research may mislead because the whole may not be
equal to the sum of the parts the whole may not be equal.

Concluding Points
I cannot support or reject any one paradigm because both are showing reality through different
lenses. So, to me mixed method is an appropriate choice. Positivist and interpretivist both study
the same phenomena but with different questions. One paradigm puts emphasis on measurement
of objective facts, and answers what and how? While the other one, interpretivist, tries to observe
each and everything by direct observation with the help of interviews and participant
observation. So by mixing both methods together we will get better understanding of social
reality.

References
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/30646_mukherji_chp_1.pdf9/12/2014
http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=2&article=1030&context=theses&
type=additional9/12/2014
Hek G, Judd M and Moule P (2002) Making sense of research: an introduction for health and
social care practitioners (2nd edition)
Lee, Aleen S.(Nov 1991). Integrating Positivist and Interpretivist Approaches to Organizational
Research, vol.2,page 342-365Institute of Operations Research and the management sciences
Filstead, William J.(.) Qualitative Methods: A Needed Perspective in Evaluation Research