Investigating the philosophical foundations of the paradigms of explaining, understanding, and critique, and analyzing the role of each in educational research

پژوهش نامه مبانی تعلیم و تربیت

Article 4, Volume 1, Issue 1, September 2011   

Document Type: پژوهشی

DOI: 10.22067/fe.v1i1.8812

Author

saeid zarghami^*

Abstract

The present study aims at investigating the philosophical foundations of three research paradigms as explaining, understanding and critique and analyzing the role of each in the educational research. The research method is comparative analysis. In the paradigm of explaining, by accepting the independent existence of universe from the human being, social universe as following natural universe and also the separation of reality and value, truth is evaluated in relation to reality. Therefore, the aim of educational research is the causal explaining and prediction of future behavior based on the present behaviors. In the paradigm of understanding, by accepting the basic differences between the social and natural sciences, the emphasis turns to the twofold importance of interpretation: in the process of educational research, defining the human behaviors is done by a researcher who is the interpreter and the definer. With an emphasis on the role of understanding in any research, this paradigm is criticized. Also the human beings look for changing the universe for obtaining more freedom and justice and the approach to this aim is critique. Finally, the continuum approach is selected as an alternative for paradigm approach, and is discussed that any educational research includes explaining, understanding and critique.
Key words: philosophical foundations, explaining, understanding, critique, educational research.