What is epistemology in research

Again, this choice was made on the basis of our audience, to demonstrate that different types of relationship can exist between subject and object. Selected excerpts below. Gabriele Bammer: Thanks Adam for raising the alarm. Non-philosophers are hungry for a version of epistemology, ontology etc that they can understand and use and this blog post and the paper it is based on address this need. I appreciate that time is an issue for everyone — anything you can do will be appreciated.

Machiel Keestra: Although I agree that the blog post should perhaps not so much be taken to offer a current representation of the main positions in philosophy of science or about the interconnections between epistemological and ontological positions, I think it does a nice job in offering a conversation piece: what are relevant positions and options that people might -implicitly— take and how are they different from other positions.

Given the modest ambitions of the authors, I think that is a fair result. Lovely work! Thank you. I think I might use this paper as a discussion paper in our department as I think it is crucial for interdisciplinarians to understand these issues. Kia ora Katie and Debbie, great post! Your table is a really useful aid to this — I immediately sent it to all my colleagues!

It also makes it clearer to me how I can use the concept of triangulation that Bruce alluded to in his reply. So thank you for explaining so concisely.

Thanks, Melissa. Thank you for that discussion. In my own research practice, I am not committed to any one particular philosophical theory or perspective. Hence the attraction, for me, of the application of a multiplicity of methods, approaches and philosophical perspectives — as and when they seem able to give ontological or epistemological insight — with triangulation between the results of the disparate approaches as the temporary arbiter of an evolving meaning and truth.

This might be considered a pragmatic, perhaps even an opportunistic, approach to conducting science. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Deborah Blackman biography Understanding philosophy is important because social science research can only be meaningfully interpreted when there is clarity about the decisions that were taken that affect the research outcomes.

Social science research guide consisting of ontology, epistemology, and philosophical perspectives. When read from left to right, elements take on a more multidimensional nature eg. We know something is true if it is in accordance with measurable reality. But just five hundred years ago, this seemingly self-evident premise was not common thinking. Instead, for much of recorded history, truth was rooted in scholasticism.

If something is true, it is based on facts rather than being invented or imagined, and is accurate and reliable. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Dissertation What is ontology and epistemology in research? Ben Davis April 30, What is ontology and epistemology in research? What is epistemology and ontology with examples? Is Interpretivism an ontology or epistemology? What is epistemology in qualitative research?

What are the 3 models of epistemology? What is an example of epistemology? What is epistemology in simple words? What questions does epistemology ask? What is meant by epistemology? How do you use epistemology in a sentence? What is another word for epistemology?

Human feelings plays greater role in intuitive knowledge compared to reliance on facts. Authoritarian knowledge relies on information that has been obtained from books, research papers, experts, supreme powers etc. Logical knowledge is a creation of new knowledge through the application of logical reasoning. Empirical knowledge relies on objective facts that have been established and can be demonstrated. Research process may integrate all of these sources of knowledge within a single study.

For example, intuitive knowledge can be used in order to select a specific problem to be explored within a selected research area , whereas authoritative knowledge is gained during the process of literature review. Moreover, logical knowledge is generated as a result of analysing primary data findings, and conclusions of the research can be perceived as empirical knowledge.

Epistemology has many branches that include essentialism, historical perspective, perennialsm, progressivism, empiricism, idealism, rationalism, constructivism etc. Empiricism and rationalism can be specified as the two major constructing debates within the field of epistemological study that relates to business studies. Empiricism accepts personal experiences associated with observation, feelings and senses as a valid source of knowledge, whereas rationalism relies on empirical findings gained through valid and reliable measures as a source of knowledge.

Once you accept a specific epistemology, you need to employ associated research methods. The underlying principle for positivism is a scientific outlook on knowledge and the world. Data collection is undertaken on the basis of statistics and large numbers of participants. Using a positivist approach would mean that your research moves on through a hypothesis and deductions and you attempt to look at the data objectively.

Positivist research therefore is quantitative and looks at high levels of generalisability. This branch of epistemology is in a way an answer to the objective world of positivism that researchers felt wanting.

The underlying idea of the interpretivist approach is that the researcher is part of the research, interprets data and as such can never be fully objective and removed from the research. Interpretivists are interested in specific, contextualised environments and acknowledge that reality and knowledge are not objective but influenced by people within that environment. This philosophical outlook is more subjective and subject to biases, thus cannot be generalised in the way that positivist research can be.