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What is the purpose of research? With use of examples outline the key distinctions between positivism and phenomenology as theories of knowledge.
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Question One What is the purpose of research? With use of examples outline the key distinctions between positivism and phenomenology as theories of knowledge. The purpose of research is simple according to Francis Dane (1990: 212) in that it is a means by which we seek to acquire knowledge and understanding by answering questions about the world. 'Knowledge' is a very important concept which is closely related to the concept of 'epistemology'; defined as the study or theory of the origin, nature and limits of knowledge (May, 2001). The theory of Positivism is an epistemological position that concerns the application of the methods of the natural sciences to the study of social reality and beyond (Bryman, 2004). Smith (1998) states that 'Positivist approaches to the social sciences . . . assume things can be studied as hard facts and the relationship between these facts can be established as scientific laws....
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