UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Education – Department of Educational Foundations
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RSE4801: Research in Education
Assignment 3 | Learning Unit 3: Research Paradigms | 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RSE4801
Module Code:
Research in Education
Module Name:
Research Paradigms: Survey, Action, Dis-
Essay Topic:
course and Quasi-Experimental Research
Assignment 3
Assignment Number:
Friday, 17 July 2026
Open Date:
Friday, 14 August 2026
Due Date:
100
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Research in Education, UNISA 2026
,UNISA | RSE4801 Research in Education – Assignment 3
Question 1: Survey Research on Learner Perceptions of School Discipline
Any inquiry into how learners experience discipline at school begins not with a questionnaire but with
a philosophical position on what discipline is, how it can be known, and how it may legitimately be
measured. That position is the research paradigm, and it shapes every decision made below, from
the wording of the problem statement to the choice of a Likert scale over an open interview.
1.1 The Research Paradigm and its Four Pillars
A research paradigm is the set of basic beliefs a researcher holds about the nature of reality and
knowledge, beliefs that guide the choice of research problem, design, methods and interpretation.
Kuhn (1962, cited in Wahyuni 2012) first used the term to describe a shared worldview within a scien-
tific community, while Lincoln and Guba (1985, cited in Rahi 2017) define a paradigm as comprising
four interrelated elements: epistemology, ontology, methodology and axiology<cite index="2-1">. In
education specifically, the term describes a researcher’s worldview: the perspective, thinking or set of
shared beliefs that shapes how research data is interpreted</cite>.
In the survey study proposed here, at least five specific aspects of the research are governed by the
chosen paradigm:
1. The research question and problem formulation – whether learner perceptions of discipline
are treated as measurable, generalisable attitudes or as subjectively constructed meanings.
2. The research design and instrument – a paradigm that assumes measurable reality favours a
structured, closed instrument such as a Likert scale.
3. The sampling strategy – whether the aim is statistical representativeness (probability sampling)
or information-rich cases (purposive sampling).
4. The role of the researcher – distant and neutral scorer of responses, or co-constructor of mean-
ing with participants.
5. The criteria for judging the quality of the findings – reliability and validity versus credibility and
trustworthiness.
Every paradigm rests on four pillars, and a researcher who cannot account for these four is unable to
defend the coherence of a study.
Ontology is the study of the nature of reality, asking whether reality is single, fixed and external to
the observer, or whether it is multiple and constructed through the perceptions of those experienc-
ing it<cite index="8-1">. A survey researcher who assumes learner discipline perceptions can be
Page 2 of 24
, UNISA | RSE4801 Research in Education – Assignment 3
captured on a numeric scale is adopting a realist ontology.
Epistemology concerns what counts as valid, acceptable knowledge and the relationship between
the researcher and the object of study<cite index="10-1">. It asks whether knowledge is discovered
through detached, objective measurement or generated through interaction between researcher and
participant.
Methodology is the overall strategy or logic connecting a paradigm’s ontological and epistemological
assumptions to the concrete methods used to generate and analyse data<cite index="10-1">. It is not
itself a set of techniques but the reasoning that justifies choosing one technique over another.
Axiology concerns the role of the researcher’s values in the research process, including questions of
ethics, objectivity and whose interests the research serves<cite index="7-1">. A researcher working
axiologically as a neutral outsider will bracket personal opinions about school discipline; one working
from a value-laden axiology will treat their own experience as data.
Table 1: Positivist and Interpretivist Paradigms Compared
Pillar Positivist Paradigm Interpretivist Paradigm
Ontology Single, objective reality exists inde- Multiple, socially constructed re-
pendently of the observer and can alities exist; reality is understood
be measured. through lived meaning.
Epistemology Knowledge is discovered through Knowledge is co-created through
detached observation; researcher interaction between researcher and
and participant are independent. participant.
Methodology Deductive, quantitative, hypothesis- Inductive, qualitative, exploratory;
testing; large samples, statistical small purposive samples, thematic
analysis. analysis.
Axiology Value-free; the researcher’s values Value-laden; the researcher’s values
are bracketed to preserve objectiv- and position are acknowledged as
ity. part of the inquiry.
Typical methods Structured questionnaires, experi- Interviews, focus groups, observa-
ments, standardised tests. tion, document analysis.
Goal Explanation, prediction, generalisa- Understanding, meaning, context-
tion. specific insight.
1.2 School Discipline in Context
School discipline in South Africa has been a persistently contested terrain since the constitutional
prohibition of corporal punishment under the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996. Educators re-
port that the withdrawal of corporal punishment left many without an equally forceful alternative, and
studies describe rising learner indiscipline alongside teachers who feel disempowered to maintain
order<cite index="50-1">. At the same time, evidence shows that corporal punishment itself was
Page 3 of 24
College of Education – Department of Educational Foundations
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RSE4801: Research in Education
Assignment 3 | Learning Unit 3: Research Paradigms | 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
RSE4801
Module Code:
Research in Education
Module Name:
Research Paradigms: Survey, Action, Dis-
Essay Topic:
course and Quasi-Experimental Research
Assignment 3
Assignment Number:
Friday, 17 July 2026
Open Date:
Friday, 14 August 2026
Due Date:
100
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Research in Education, UNISA 2026
,UNISA | RSE4801 Research in Education – Assignment 3
Question 1: Survey Research on Learner Perceptions of School Discipline
Any inquiry into how learners experience discipline at school begins not with a questionnaire but with
a philosophical position on what discipline is, how it can be known, and how it may legitimately be
measured. That position is the research paradigm, and it shapes every decision made below, from
the wording of the problem statement to the choice of a Likert scale over an open interview.
1.1 The Research Paradigm and its Four Pillars
A research paradigm is the set of basic beliefs a researcher holds about the nature of reality and
knowledge, beliefs that guide the choice of research problem, design, methods and interpretation.
Kuhn (1962, cited in Wahyuni 2012) first used the term to describe a shared worldview within a scien-
tific community, while Lincoln and Guba (1985, cited in Rahi 2017) define a paradigm as comprising
four interrelated elements: epistemology, ontology, methodology and axiology<cite index="2-1">. In
education specifically, the term describes a researcher’s worldview: the perspective, thinking or set of
shared beliefs that shapes how research data is interpreted</cite>.
In the survey study proposed here, at least five specific aspects of the research are governed by the
chosen paradigm:
1. The research question and problem formulation – whether learner perceptions of discipline
are treated as measurable, generalisable attitudes or as subjectively constructed meanings.
2. The research design and instrument – a paradigm that assumes measurable reality favours a
structured, closed instrument such as a Likert scale.
3. The sampling strategy – whether the aim is statistical representativeness (probability sampling)
or information-rich cases (purposive sampling).
4. The role of the researcher – distant and neutral scorer of responses, or co-constructor of mean-
ing with participants.
5. The criteria for judging the quality of the findings – reliability and validity versus credibility and
trustworthiness.
Every paradigm rests on four pillars, and a researcher who cannot account for these four is unable to
defend the coherence of a study.
Ontology is the study of the nature of reality, asking whether reality is single, fixed and external to
the observer, or whether it is multiple and constructed through the perceptions of those experienc-
ing it<cite index="8-1">. A survey researcher who assumes learner discipline perceptions can be
Page 2 of 24
, UNISA | RSE4801 Research in Education – Assignment 3
captured on a numeric scale is adopting a realist ontology.
Epistemology concerns what counts as valid, acceptable knowledge and the relationship between
the researcher and the object of study<cite index="10-1">. It asks whether knowledge is discovered
through detached, objective measurement or generated through interaction between researcher and
participant.
Methodology is the overall strategy or logic connecting a paradigm’s ontological and epistemological
assumptions to the concrete methods used to generate and analyse data<cite index="10-1">. It is not
itself a set of techniques but the reasoning that justifies choosing one technique over another.
Axiology concerns the role of the researcher’s values in the research process, including questions of
ethics, objectivity and whose interests the research serves<cite index="7-1">. A researcher working
axiologically as a neutral outsider will bracket personal opinions about school discipline; one working
from a value-laden axiology will treat their own experience as data.
Table 1: Positivist and Interpretivist Paradigms Compared
Pillar Positivist Paradigm Interpretivist Paradigm
Ontology Single, objective reality exists inde- Multiple, socially constructed re-
pendently of the observer and can alities exist; reality is understood
be measured. through lived meaning.
Epistemology Knowledge is discovered through Knowledge is co-created through
detached observation; researcher interaction between researcher and
and participant are independent. participant.
Methodology Deductive, quantitative, hypothesis- Inductive, qualitative, exploratory;
testing; large samples, statistical small purposive samples, thematic
analysis. analysis.
Axiology Value-free; the researcher’s values Value-laden; the researcher’s values
are bracketed to preserve objectiv- and position are acknowledged as
ity. part of the inquiry.
Typical methods Structured questionnaires, experi- Interviews, focus groups, observa-
ments, standardised tests. tion, document analysis.
Goal Explanation, prediction, generalisa- Understanding, meaning, context-
tion. specific insight.
1.2 School Discipline in Context
School discipline in South Africa has been a persistently contested terrain since the constitutional
prohibition of corporal punishment under the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996. Educators re-
port that the withdrawal of corporal punishment left many without an equally forceful alternative, and
studies describe rising learner indiscipline alongside teachers who feel disempowered to maintain
order<cite index="50-1">. At the same time, evidence shows that corporal punishment itself was
Page 3 of 24
