Paradigm
A paradigm is a worldview, consisting of beliefs about what reality is, what knowledge is, and how knowledge is built. It shapes all decisions of how one “does” science.
Formal Definitions
- Definition #1 - A worldview. Shared beliefs about what reality is, and what knowledge is, and how I build knowledge. Shapes all of the things and decisions of how one “does” science. - Varpio.
- Definition #2 - A philosophical framework that underlies and affects research activities. What are the assumptions underlying one’s views on reality and knowledge? - Bergman, et al.
- Definition #3 - A paradigm of education refers to a way of thinking about the purpose of education, the meaning of learning, and the roles of teachers and students. Paradigms of education influence education design and practice, how students are taught and assessed, and what is valued and included in curricula. Awareness of paradigmatic details and differences can support aligned teaching and assessment approaches. - Baker, et al.
- Definition #4 - Paradigms are sets of beliefs and practices, shared by communities of researchers, which regulate inquiry within disciplines. The various paradigms are characterised by ontological, epistemological and methodological differences in their approaches to conceptualising and conducting research, and in their contribution towards disciplinary knowledge construction. - Bunniss and Kelly.
- Definition #5 - Paradigms are patterns of beliefs and practices that regulate inquiry within a discipline by providing lenses, frames and processes through which investigation is accomplished…We understand paradigms to be mechanisms to bridge a discipline’s requirements for knowledge and its systems for producing that knowledge. Paradigms are lenses for viewing and interpreting significant substantive issues to the discipline. Issues deemed worthy of pursuit are prioritized; others are suppressed. Paradigms are also frames that hold the vocabulary, theories and principles, as well as the presuppositions and values related to an inquiry. We further define paradigms as sets of philosophical underpinnings from which specific research approaches (e.g. qualitative or quantitative methods) flow. Paradigms are established by communities of scholars with shared beliefs about the nature of reality and knowledge construction. They are human constructions categorized by differences in beliefs and values. As such, paradigms can be neither proved nor disproved…According to Kuhn (1970), all disciplinary research is conducted within paradigms. The approaches to inquiry open to a researcher within a particular paradigm are defined by the paradigm itself. - Weaver and Olson
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- Varpio, L. (2023, April 18). Methods Consult - Paradigms (No 8) [Audio Podcast]. The PAPERs Podcast. Karolinska Institutet. https://paperspodcast.ki.se/2023/04/18/8-methods-consult-paradigms/
- Bergman, E., Feijte, J. de, Frambach, J., Godefrooij, M., Slootweg, I., Stalmeijer, R., & Zwet, J. van der. (2012). A Guide to Research Paradigms Relevant to Medical Education. Academic Medicine.
- Baker, L., Shing, L. K., Wright, S., Mylopoulos, M., Kulasegaram, K., & Ng, S. (2019). Aligning and Applying the Paradigms and Practices of Education. Academic Medicine, 94(7), 1060. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000002693
- Bunniss, S., & Kelly, D. R. (2010). Research paradigms in medical education research. Medical Education, 44(4), 358–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03611.x.
- Weaver, K., & Olson, J. K. (2006). Understanding paradigms used for nursing research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(4), 459–469. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03740.x