The crucial question that divides the two dominant paradigms is whether the methodology
of the physical sciences can be applied to the study of social phenomena. The paradigm
that is rooted in the physical sciences is called the quantitative, systematic, scientific or positivist approach to social enquiry. The opposite paradigm has come to be known as the
qualitative, ethnographic, ecological or naturalistic approach. The advocates of the two
opposing sides have developed their own values, terminology, methods and techniques to
understand social phenomena. However, since the mid-1960s there has been a growing
recognition that both paradigms have their place, and this has led to the mixed methods
approach to social enquiry. The author feels very strongly that it is the purpose for which
a research activity is undertaken that should determine the mode of enquiry, hence the
paradigm. To indiscriminately apply one approach to all research problems can be misleading
and inappropriate. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods is a very powerful
methodology and should be used where warranted with full realisation that it entails
diverse and/or additional knowledge about different approaches to research.
A positivist paradigm lends itself to both quantitative and qualitative data. The author
makes a distinction between qualitative data, on the one hand, and qualitative research, on
the other, as the former is confined to the measurement of variables, mostly on nominal and
ordinary measurement scales, and the latter to the use of a qualitative research methodology.
The author believes that no matter what paradigm the researcher works within, s/he
should adhere to certain values regarding the control of bias and the maintenance of
objectivity in terms of both the research process itself and the conclusions drawn. It is
the application of these values to the process of information gathering, analysis and
interpretation that enables it to be called a research process.