ACROSS FAMILIES/ Philosophy
Post-positivism
Test claims while recognising fallibility
Post-positivism retains a commitment to a reality that research can investigate while recognising that observations and theories are fallible and influenced by assumptions. Knowledge is provisional and open to criticism. It commonly supports hypothesis testing, rival explanations and multiple sources of evidence, without requiring certainty or a claim that researchers are wholly neutral.
WHEN IT FITS
Use when seeking defensible explanations or estimates while acknowledging imperfect measures, unobserved influences and the need to revise theories through criticism and replication.
Strengths
- Fits uncertainty and correction within a scientific account
- Encourages rival explanations and critical assessment of evidence
Limitations
- Can become a vague label unless fallibility changes practice
- Does not by itself resolve disputes about evidence or causal identification
Know the boundary
The term critical realism in some paradigm tables is not identical to the developed Bhaskarian critical realist tradition.
USED ACROSS
Banking & financeBusiness & MBAPsychologyComputer scienceEducation