A point of view or a school of thought or a “philosophical schools of thought” is a belief/doctrine/philosophy that is accepted authoritatively by a group. Although it is similar, It is not Mintzberg’s 10 schools of thought. You can learn about Henry Mintzberg’s 10 Schools of Strategic Thought here, but it may not be relevant to your dissertation. So What is a school of thought?
The major schools of thoughts.
To understand what a school of thought is, lets start with an example of schools of thought.
Example: The Association of Project Management (APM) is a group that believes that “an efficient project management approach in construction will reduce the time and cost of a building project.” This is a school of thought of APM. However, other groups, such as Lean Thinkers may have a different view, such as “an effective Lean implementation approach in construction will reduce time and cost of a building project”. The third group, Building Information Modelling (BIM) supports a different view that “adopting BIM in construction will reduce time and cost of a building project”. In this example, the main purpose is to “reduce the time and cost of a building project”. However, based on different backgrounds, beliefs and knowledge, these groups have chosen different approaches to solve the issue of time and cost of a building project.
Different types of schools of thought exist, such as Positivist, Constructivist, and critical rationalist, based on their belief and philosophy.
Positivist School of Thought
The Positivist school of thought expresses that observing objective reality drives knowledge. The argument is that knowledge is gained from the Observation of reality, thus distinguishing between an observing subject and an observed object . A major aspect of positivism is the division between object and subject. According to, positivism considers that knowledge exists independently in an individual, “the knower” who uses it, learns it and transfers it. Positivists believe that social research is about discovering the patterns and regularities in the social world.
For example, you installed a new software called ‘Mendeley’ for referencing and citation. Since you installed ‘Mendeley’, you found that the other software ‘MS Word’ takes long to open.
So here your theory could be, “Mendeley interrupts functionality of MS Word” As a Positivist, you may think that others would have faced this problem. That means this issue has a pattern, and you seek a solution while finding information from the people who have faced this issue.
Constructivist School of Thought
Constructivism claims that the construction of knowledge is within the mind and is thus not objective. Constructivism challenges the notion of objective reality. A person develops new insights when exposed to new knowledge. Constructivism implies theory, experiments and collaborative task-based learning and teaching. For example, while reading this document- new information about Research Methods is exposed to your mind. Observing and absorbing this new knowledge, you will construct/develop new knowledge within your mind.
Empirical School of Thought
Empiricism claims that knowledge can be created mainly from experiences. That means Experiment and Observation create new knowledge rather than theory. Therefore, a researcher should test all hypotheses/theories by Experiment or Observation.
For example, your hypothesis “Mendeley (application) interrupts the functionality of MS Word” should be tested by Experiment and Observation.
To test the hypothesis, you can Experiment and observe the solution in many ways, such as,
- restart computer
- uninstall Mendeley and check if the issue resolved
- reinstall Mendeley and check if the issue resolved
- repair Mendeley installation and check if the issue resolved
The other way is to search for the people who faced the same problem and ask questions or observe the online forums where others have shared the solution. However, there can be many solutions suggested by others. You may need to Experiment one by one until you find the most relevant solution to solve your problem.
Social Constructivist School of Thought
Social constructivism means that knowledge is constructed in public or Social-settings. One or more members of a group construct a common reality or knowledge. Social Constructivist views tend to form a challenge for the “Positivist” school of thought.
Pragmatist School of Thought
Pragmatism is concerned with the local reality of experience. It develops a view that an analysis of lived experience represents or mirrors reality. Experience, Observation and Involvement, rather than description or theory, are the tools for prediction, action and problem-solving. That means if a researcher has a research proposition, that proposition can best be demonstrated and tested in practical applications and the experience of users.
Learn more
-
What is the Cosmic Algorithm?
Understanding the Cosmic Algorithm: A Path to Unprecedented Business Growth In the ever-evolving world of business, achieving rapid and sustainable growth requires a blend of modern management techniques, innovative approaches, and scientific principles. Enter the Cosmic Algorithm, a revolutionary concept developed by Dr. Mandeep C Saini. This groundbreaking technique seamlessly integrates modern business education withWhat…
-
How Humans Beat AI? Industry 5.0
How Humans Beat AI? Embracing the Human Touch in Industry 5.0 As we venture deeper into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by the fusion of AI, robotics, and other digital technologies, a new narrative is emerging: Industry 5.0. This evolution isn’t about replacing humans with technology; it’s about augmenting human capabilities, emphasizing the value ofHow…
-
Applying AI in Everyday Life
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword or a futuristic concept; it has seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, revolutionizing the way we live, work, and interact. From simplifying tasks to providing personalized experiences, AI’s impact is profound and far-reaching. In this blog post, we’ll explore how AI is applied in everyday life,Applying…
Google
2 Comments
[…] Learn more about “What is Different Point-of-Views or Schools of Thought in a Research?“ […]
[…] requires searching for knowledge to establish facts and reach new conclusions. However, there are different school of thoughts such as Positivist, Constructivist, Social Constructivist, Empiricist and Pragmatist, in the […]
Comments are closed.