Alternate Research Paradigms

Abstract

This article reviews the major paradigms that are different from the positivistic research tradition of reductive experimentation and presents an approach to teaching these paradigms in graduate counseling psychology programs. Arguments and issues related to broadening reductive-positivist conceptions of research are first summarized. Three alternate paradigms, (a) the naturalistic-ethnographic, (b) the phenomenological, and (c) the cybernetic, as well as other high-context approaches are described. Each paradigm is presented in terms of its conceptual base, methodological characteristics, applications, types of research questions it can address, and its strengths and limitations. A curriculum for teaching these alternate paradigms as an extension of standard research courses is proposed. The teaching philosophy, teaching-learning mechanisms, instructional resources, and observations from past experiences of implementation are given. It is argued that such teaching would promote students 'epistemic development and more informed method choices, as well as facilitate the integration of theory, research, and practice.