EPISTEMOLOGICAL OR PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS?

Should the choice of research method be based on epistemological or practical considerations?

Should the choice of research method be based on epistemological or practical considerations?

Introduction

As suggested by Remenyi et al. (1998), there are several major questions that require significant consideration by researchers such as „How to research?? and „What to research?? But central to the researcher?s answers is their perspective on „Why research?? There are many practical reasons why a researcher has chosen to engage in research and, in many cases, they may have already decided upon their methodology - qualitative (such as case studies or focus groups), quantitative (such as a mail or telephone survey), or a combination of both. Similarly, what to research may have been chosen for various reasons, such as a researcher?s own academic interests. However, as a researcher reviews the philosophical literature, they quickly appreciate that choosing a research methodology, that is, the how of research, involves something much deeper than practicalities - it necessitates a philosophical solution to „Why research?? For example, an extreme post-modernist?s answer would be that „truth? does not exist, hence research is redundant as the meaning of anything is indeterminate.

Developing a philosophical perspective requires that the researcher make several core assumptions concerning two dimensions: the nature of society and the nature of science (Burrell and Morgan, 1979:49). The sociological dimension involves a choice between two views of society: regulatory or radical change. Society?s evolvement is seen as either arising from the status quo or from what can be. In a regulatory view of society, the researcher assumes that society evolves rationally. Society is viewed as unified and cohesive, whereas the sociology of radical change views society as in constant conflict as humans struggle to free themselves from the domination of societal structures (Burrell and Morgan, 1979: 164). These contrasting views are the basis of distinct, and often diametrically opposing, schools of thought - a rational view of society is the basis of modernism whereas a radical change perspective underlies post-modernism. The other dimension, science, involves either a subjective or an objective approach to research, and these two major philosophical approaches are delineated by several core assumptions concerning ontology (reality), epistemology (knowledge), human nature (pre-determined or not), and methodology. Whatever their sociological persuasion, the researcher will find that these assumptions are consequential to each other, that is, their view of ontology effects their epistemological persuasion which, in turn, effects their view of human nature, consequently, choice of methodology logically follows the assumptions the researcher has already made. However, as discussed later, the researcher should be aware that their philosophical assumptions might have a significant impact on “What to research?”

The most comprehensive philosophical framework based on these dimensions has been developed by Burrell and Morgan (1979). However, it is beyond the scope of this paper to present a thorough discussion on the nature of society. Our focus in this work is the nature of science, yet we have briefly discussed the sociological dimension in order ...