The Paradigm Wars: Is MMR Really a Solution?

Authors

  • Ryan Thomas Williams Teesside University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18034/ajtp.v7i3.507

Keywords:

MMR, Paradigm wars, Educational research

Abstract

Educational research has several competing views of the social sciences, and these are often referred to as paradigms. Hammersley (2013, p. 13) portrays paradigms as ‘not simply methodologies; they are ways of looking at the world, different assumptions about what the world is like and how we can understand or know about it’.  The paradigm wars’ boils down to a simple conflict between academics and scholars of qualitative and quantitative research which concerns the relative merits of the different perspectives. In the 1980s, the objectivity-seeking quantitative researcher diminished, whilst, post positivists, interpretivists, and critical theorists flourished throughout this same period. Mixed methods research (MMR) combines elements of both qualitative and quantitative approaches and has often been branded as a ‘transformative paradigm’. The importance of MMR means that the author can combine knowledge sets and move away from one’s allegiance to a particular research perspective. This review of literature will examine the paradigms that are commonly associated with education research. There is an active debate in the research community on the paradigms wars, and this will also be examined in relation to MMR.

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Author Biography

Ryan Thomas Williams, Teesside University

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, TS1 3BX, United Kingdom

 

Ryan Williams is studying a Ph.D. in Education, investigating how social media platforms can be used as a classroom resource. He was awarded a First Class Honours in Applied Sports Science from Teesside University in 2014. Ryan has worked on numerous education marketing campaigns, served as an education consultant, and now works as head of projects for an education software company.

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Published

2020-12-31

How to Cite

Williams, R. T. (2020). The Paradigm Wars: Is MMR Really a Solution?. American Journal of Trade and Policy, 7(3), 79–84. https://doi.org/10.18034/ajtp.v7i3.507

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Section

Policy and Practice Reviews