The Rhetoric of Positivism Versus Interpretivism: A Personal View

Ontology

Positivism: Reality is separate from individual who observes it. Positivistic ontology is considereddualistic in nature.
Interpretivism: reality and individual who observes it cannot be separated.
Author: even if the differences were true, they both strive the same goals.

Epistemology

Positivism: try to build knowledge that existst beyond the human mind.
Interpretivism: recognize that the knowledge they build reflects their particular goals, culture, experience, history etc. knowledge is built through social construction of the world. Research object
Positivism: believe that objects they research have qualities that exist independent of the researcher. Interpretivism: believe that qualities they ascribe to objects they research are socially constucted - >products of their life-worlds.
Author: both positivists and interpretivists understand that the research processess they use, and the objects they research are inextricably related.

Research method

Positivism: tend to use laboratory experiments, field experiments and surveys. They seek large amounts of empirical data that they can analyze statistically to detect underlying regularities. Interpretivism: tend to use case studies, ethnographic studies, phenomenographic studies andethnomethodological studies.

Truth

Positivism: believe that a statement made by a researcher is true when it has a one-to-one mapping to the reality that exists beyond human mind.
Interpretivism: truth whereby researcher’s initial interpretation of some phenomenon conforms to the meaning given to the phenomenon thru the researcher’s lived experience of it. (als de onderzoeker zijn eerste interpretatie van een verschijnsel overeenkomt met de betekenis gegeven aan dit verschijnsel door de onderzoeker zijn werkelijke beleving ervan. Validity
Positivism: strive to collect date that are true measures of reality.
Interpretivism: Are concerned that their claims about knowledge they have acquired via their research are defensible.

Reliability

Positivism: Results are reliable if results can be reproduced.
Interpretivism: Reliable if researchers recognize and address implications of their subjectivity (interpretive awareness)

Real differences between pos. & int.

• choice of research methods

Why does rhetoric exist?

• differences are shallow rather than deep.

Conclusions

Verschillen tussen benaderingen zo erg benadrukken promoot volgens de schrijver vooroordelen over de benaderingen.

• Ookal zijn de verschillen waar, ze hebben volgens de schrijver weinig invloed op de kwaliteit van onderzoeken.
• We moeten de verschillen begrijpen, maar het moet ons niet scheiden.
• Nieuwe retoriek ontwikkelen