Choosing the paradigms driving the research is a crucial and difficult question. Patton (2002)
describes the research paradigm as a way of making sense of the complexity of the real world. It
is considered as being deeply embedded in the researcher or practitioner's social models. Its
strength is also its principal weakness; the very reason for action is hidden in the unquestioned
assumptions of the paradigm.
Positivism or technical rationality is claimed to be the research paradigm in the design sciences
(Schon, 1995). However, an interpretivist perspective was adopted as it is better suited to
investigate this complex social phenomenon. Interpretivists see the social world, in contrast to
the physical world, as socially constructed. They are more interested in understanding specific
cases within a particular context than hypothesizing about generalizations and causes (Patton,
2002). Triangulation of theories, methods, and sources were used to capture and analyze data
from multiple perspectives.
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