View/Open - ARAN - National University of Ireland, Galway

76
Chapter 3 Research Framework
experiments. It may be argued that this approach makes participants the objects of
another’s inquiry rather than subjects of their own (Gaventa and Cornwall, 2008).
3.2.2 Post-Positivism
Post-positivism was developed as a result of concerns about the positivists’ rigid
ontology. Post-positivism challenges the notion of absolute truth of knowledge
(Phillips and Burbules, 2000). Ontologically, the post-positivist paradigm believes
that reality can never be completely known. The epistemology of post-positivism is
objective and knowledge is sought through replication (Weaver and Olson, 2006).
The goal of post-positivist research is also control and prediction, and theory is
established deductively.
In contrast to positivism, post-positivist research focuses on falsifying hypotheses
(Lincoln and Guba, 1985). Campbell and Russo (1999) stated that post-positivism,
unlike positivism, recognises that discretionary judgement is unavoidable in science,
that proving causality with certainty in explaining social phenomena is problematic,
and that knowledge is relative rather than absolute. Denzin and Lincoln (1994) stated
that post-positivist research attempts to respond in a limited way to the criticisms of
positivist research. Patton (2002) described the post-positive approach as that which
uses empirical evidence to distinguish between more and less plausible claims, to
test and choose between rival hypotheses. Methodologically, post-positivists do not
place as much emphasis as positivists on early design of strategies and methods but
rather allow the research to shape its own journey (Denzin and Lincoln, 1994).
Similar to positivism, post-positivism also uses controlled research methods, precise
instrumentation and empirical testing (Guba and Lincoln, 1994). Methods include
multiple observations in order to observe the world numerically (Creswell, 2003).
Weaver and Olson (2006) stated that post-positivist research is appropriate for
nursing research that seeks to systematically gather and analyse data from
representative samples. Pearson (1990) argued that post-positive research neglects
the “whole” person by studying the parts, while in contrast Schumaker and Gortner
(1992) argued that post-positive research in fact attempts to address holism.