RSE4801
ASSIGNMENT 3 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 7 AUGUST 2025
, RSE4801 Assignment 3 2025
Comparing Research Paradigms in Education: Ontology, Epistemology, and Their
Impact
Introduction
When we talk about research in education, we’re really asking: What is real? and How
do we know what we know? These are big questions, and the answers depend on what
we believe about the world (ontology) and how we think knowledge is created
(epistemology). These beliefs guide research paradigms—frameworks that shape how
we design studies, ask questions, collect data, and interpret findings.
This essay critically compares six major research paradigms—Positivism,
Interpretivism, Critical Theory, Postmodernism, Critical Realism, and
Decoloniality—by looking at their ontological and epistemological foundations. Then, it
explains how each one shapes educational research and argues which paradigm
contributes most to improving education.
1. Positivism
Ontological Assumptions
Positivism believes that reality is objective and exists independently of human
perception. In other words, facts are out there in the world waiting to be discovered.
Reality does not change based on people’s experiences or opinions (Cohen, Manion, &
Morrison, 2018).
Epistemological Assumptions
ASSIGNMENT 3 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 7 AUGUST 2025
, RSE4801 Assignment 3 2025
Comparing Research Paradigms in Education: Ontology, Epistemology, and Their
Impact
Introduction
When we talk about research in education, we’re really asking: What is real? and How
do we know what we know? These are big questions, and the answers depend on what
we believe about the world (ontology) and how we think knowledge is created
(epistemology). These beliefs guide research paradigms—frameworks that shape how
we design studies, ask questions, collect data, and interpret findings.
This essay critically compares six major research paradigms—Positivism,
Interpretivism, Critical Theory, Postmodernism, Critical Realism, and
Decoloniality—by looking at their ontological and epistemological foundations. Then, it
explains how each one shapes educational research and argues which paradigm
contributes most to improving education.
1. Positivism
Ontological Assumptions
Positivism believes that reality is objective and exists independently of human
perception. In other words, facts are out there in the world waiting to be discovered.
Reality does not change based on people’s experiences or opinions (Cohen, Manion, &
Morrison, 2018).
Epistemological Assumptions
