Assignment 5 2025
Due Date: 3 November 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
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, THE INFLUENCE OF PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS ON RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY: UNDERSTANDING HOW WORLDVIEWS SHAPE
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
1. INTRODUCTION
Every research project begins with the researcher’s view of what reality is, how
knowledge can be known, and what values guide the process. These philosophical
ideas shape every choice that follows, from the questions asked to the methods
used to find answers. In social science and educational research, these assumptions
are not abstract theories but living foundations that influence how researchers
approach human experience and meaning. According to Nzama (2025), a
researcher’s methods are never neutral tools; they are rooted in deeper assumptions
about truth, knowledge, and ethics.
Philosophical assumptions influence the logic of research design and the kinds of
conclusions that can be drawn. A researcher who believes that reality can be
measured objectively will use structured methods such as experiments and surveys,
while one who views reality as socially constructed will prefer interviews, narratives,
and observation (Scotland, 2012). Others who seek to address injustice will choose
participatory and critical approaches that give voice to marginalised groups (Willis,
2007). This essay explores how philosophical worldviews shape methodological
choices. It discusses ontology, epistemology, and axiology as the basis of research
paradigms, and explains how these beliefs lead to quantitative, qualitative, and
mixed-methods approaches that align with specific research aims and contexts.
2. PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF RESEARCH
Every research study is grounded in a set of philosophical assumptions about reality,
knowledge, and values. These assumptions are not always spoken about directly,
but they influence how research questions are framed, which participants are
selected, which methods are chosen, and how findings are interpreted. In essence,
philosophy silently guides the direction of research. Without awareness of these
foundations, research risks becoming blind, inconsistent, or method-driven instead of
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