Realism
Duration: 2 min
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The video presents a lecture on research paradigms, explaining that different perspectives lead to different approaches in research. The instructor introduces two primary paradigms: Realism and Constructivism. Realism is defined as a focus on obtaining information from the external world, with an example of a climate change study using temperature data from weather stations. Constructivism is described as emphasizing the uniqueness of individual experiences and subjective reality, illustrated by a study on cancer survivors using in-depth qualitative interviews. The on-screen text clearly labels these two paradigms and provides their definitions and examples, establishing a foundational understanding of how a researcher's philosophical stance shapes their methodology.
Chapters
0:00 – 1:54 00:00-01:54
The video begins with an introduction to research paradigms, stating that different perspectives represent different ways researchers perceive and investigate their subject matter. The on-screen text explicitly lists two categories: 1. Realism and 2. Constructivism. The instructor defines Realism as focusing on obtaining information from the external world, citing a study on climate change where researchers collect temperature data from weather stations to understand objective reality. The text then defines Constructivism as emphasizing the uniqueness of individual experiences and subjective reality, with an example of a research study exploring the lived experiences of cancer survivors through in-depth qualitative interviews. The visual content clearly presents these two paradigms as distinct categories, each with its own approach and methodology, setting the stage for understanding the philosophical underpinnings of research.
The lecture establishes a clear dichotomy between Realism and Constructivism as two fundamental research paradigms. It demonstrates that a researcher's choice of paradigm is not arbitrary but dictates the entire research process, from the type of data collected (objective measurements vs. subjective experiences) to the methods used (quantitative vs. qualitative). This foundational concept is crucial for students to understand how philosophical assumptions shape scientific inquiry.