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2 The Use of Paradigms and Theories in the PULSE 3 …
2.2.1 Paradigms
Linguists introduced the word ‘paradigm’ to the English language in the late fifteenth
century through the Late Latin form of the Greek word paradeknunai, which means to
‘show side by side’. A paradigm can mean ‘a typical example or pattern of something;
a pattern or model’ (OALD 2013, cited in Meissner 2017). Paradigms have different
meanings, both across, and within, scientific disciplines, yet they all relate to scientific
enquiry.
In this sense, a paradigm is a worldview that underlies the theories and methodologies of scientific subjects. For Guba and Lincoln (1994: 105, cited in Christians
2018), a paradigm is ‘the basic belief system or worldview that guides the investigator, not only in choices of method but in ontologically and epistemologically
fundamental ways’. Sociologists, Burrell and Morgan (1979) treated paradigms as
perspectives that bind the work of theorists, since they are sets of ontological and
epistemological assumptions (Schultz and Hatch 1996).
For Warner et al. (2002: 9) ‘Paradigms are sets of references that frame the way in
which science, management and people understand and act upon the world around
them’. From an art education perspective, Pearse (1983) indicated that a paradigm
is an internally consistent orientation that serves as a platform for constructing a
conceptual and operational approach to functioning in the world.
I follow Sil (2000a), Sil and Katzenstein (2010) and Schultz and Hatch (1996),
who used the word ‘paradigm’ as a research tradition that helps to organise and
guide science, to bind the work of a number of theorists and that sets ontological,
epistemological and methodological assumptions about the practice of science. From
these conceptualisations, we notice that epistemology, methodology and ontology
are central features of paradigms, and that their meta-theoretical assumptions are
central to their utility in the sciences.
2.2.1.1 Scientific Practice
Concerning science as a practice, it is the view of Crewe and Forsyth (2003) that
paradigms assist practitioners to understand their own work and how their efforts
relate to society and the natural environment. This implies that the central characteristics of a paradigm play a relational role between the researchers and their investigations. The epistemology, methodology and ontology of one or more paradigms,
inform scholars and practitioners on how to view, relate to and investigate reality.
That said, paradigms constitute various practices, not only among academia, but
also in the world of work. From a methodology perspective, Guba (1990: 17) argued
that a paradigm is ‘a basic set of beliefs that guides action, whether of the everyday
garden variety or action taken in connection with a disciplined inquiry’. Cloete and
de Coning (2018: 34) advanced a notion that is similar to Guba’s when they argued
that: ‘A paradigm is a collection or pattern of commonly held assumptions, values,
2 The Use of Paradigms and Theories in the PULSE 3 …
2.2.1 Paradigms
Linguists introduced the word ‘paradigm’ to the English language in the late fifteenth
century through the Late Latin form of the Greek word paradeknunai, which means to
‘show side by side’. A paradigm can mean ‘a typical example or pattern of something;
a pattern or model’ (OALD 2013, cited in Meissner 2017). Paradigms have different
meanings, both across, and within, scientific disciplines, yet they all relate to scientific
enquiry.
In this sense, a paradigm is a worldview that underlies the theories and methodologies of scientific subjects. For Guba and Lincoln (1994: 105, cited in Christians
2018), a paradigm is ‘the basic belief system or worldview that guides the investigator, not only in choices of method but in ontologically and epistemologically
fundamental ways’. Sociologists, Burrell and Morgan (1979) treated paradigms as
perspectives that bind the work of theorists, since they are sets of ontological and
epistemological assumptions (Schultz and Hatch 1996).
For Warner et al. (2002: 9) ‘Paradigms are sets of references that frame the way in
which science, management and people understand and act upon the world around
them’. From an art education perspective, Pearse (1983) indicated that a paradigm
is an internally consistent orientation that serves as a platform for constructing a
conceptual and operational approach to functioning in the world.
I follow Sil (2000a), Sil and Katzenstein (2010) and Schultz and Hatch (1996),
who used the word ‘paradigm’ as a research tradition that helps to organise and
guide science, to bind the work of a number of theorists and that sets ontological,
epistemological and methodological assumptions about the practice of science. From
these conceptualisations, we notice that epistemology, methodology and ontology
are central features of paradigms, and that their meta-theoretical assumptions are
central to their utility in the sciences.
2.2.1.1 Scientific Practice
Concerning science as a practice, it is the view of Crewe and Forsyth (2003) that
paradigms assist practitioners to understand their own work and how their efforts
relate to society and the natural environment. This implies that the central characteristics of a paradigm play a relational role between the researchers and their investigations. The epistemology, methodology and ontology of one or more paradigms,
inform scholars and practitioners on how to view, relate to and investigate reality.
That said, paradigms constitute various practices, not only among academia, but
also in the world of work. From a methodology perspective, Guba (1990: 17) argued
that a paradigm is ‘a basic set of beliefs that guides action, whether of the everyday
garden variety or action taken in connection with a disciplined inquiry’. Cloete and
de Coning (2018: 34) advanced a notion that is similar to Guba’s when they argued
that: ‘A paradigm is a collection or pattern of commonly held assumptions, values,