Which of the following represents the ontological orientation of qualitative…

Qualitative research is fundamentally concerned with understanding human experiences, meanings, and social contexts rather than testing pre-existing hypotheses. This aligns with an ontological stance known as constructionism, which posits that reality is socially constructed through human interaction and language. Therefore, Option D (Constructionism) correctly identifies the ontological orientation of qualitative research.\nIn contrast, Positivism (Option B) and Objectivism (Option C) are associated with quantitative research, as they assume a single, objective reality that exists independently of human perception. Deductive reasoning (Option A) refers to a logical approach starting from general theories, which is typical of quantitative studies rather than the inductive nature of qualitative inquiry. Thus, Constructionism best captures the belief that reality is multiple and constructed by participants.