چكيده فارسي :
One of the fundamental concerns of researchers is selecting a reliable and appropriate approach for their research. Since focusing just on research methods lacks any critical thinking and reflection, ignoring the underlying philosophical assumptions of any research method affects constructs and hence variables of the research negatively. Thus, it is required that when selecting any research approach, the philosophical assumptions of the approach be taken into consideration. In other words, any typical quantitative or qualitative research method is the descendent of a set of philosophical assumptions that reflect individuals’ worldviews. Therefore, in order for a research project to be comprehensive and reliable, initially the preferred worldviews regarding what reality is, how the knowledge about it is acquired, and how that knowledge is used should be identified. And then, based on these assumptions, constructs should be made and tested. The paper provides a sketch of scientific paradigms, namely positivism, postpositivism, constructivism, critical-ideological, transformativism, and pragmatism and their implications for research. It also points to the underlying ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions of these paradigms.
