HLTB15H3 Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Document Summary
Chapter 5 the philosophical framework of measurement. Scientific method is systematic- should be based on an agreed set o rules and processes which are rigorously adhered to, and against which the research can be evaluated. Validity: extent to which the instruments measure what the purport to measure. Deduction: starting with a general idea and developing a theory and testable hypotheses from it, to be tested by data. Induction: starting by collecting data and building up observations for testing from them. Positivism is the dominant philosophy underlying quantitative scientific methods. It assumes that phenomena are measurable using the deductive principles of the scientific method. Also assumes that, like matter, human behaviour is a reaction to external stimuli and that it is possible to observe and measure it using the principles of the natural and physical sciences. Each branch of scientific enquiry is based on a set of theoretical perspectives, or paradigms.