Desktop Review on the Current Debates Relating to Paradigmatic Issues in Education Field and the Three Methodological Approaches

The general purpose of this paper was to conduct a qualitative desktop review on the existing debates on paradigmatic foundations relating to education field of study and showed how these debates are shaped by salient theoretical perspectives. This review offers an overview of four prominent research paradigms used to guide research: positivists or post positivists, constructivists or interpretivists, the critical or transformative view and the pragmatic paradigm. Each paradigms explained within a framework of its ontological, epistemological and axiological assumptions. Furthermore, these paradigms in turn shape the methodology to be used in a research projects. It means that choosing a paradigm for research implies that the research will be nested in a particular epistemology, ontology, and axiology and that these elements will guide researchers towards a particular methodology: qualitative, quantitative and mixed. Therefore, the choice of a paradigm implies a near certainty about particular methodologies that flow from that paradigm. This relationship is significant because the methodological implications of paradigm choice permeate the research question/s, participants’ selection, data collection instruments and procedures, and data analysis. In conclusion, the choice of the proper methodologies needs to be informed by a good understanding of the different aspects of research paradigms in line with what can work best for us in a given context. So, this paper can helps those boarding on post graduate research journey to gather an awareness about the four major research paradigms and help them to choose a relevant methodologies based on their aim of research, or situational margins.