understanding of research paradigms

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Research Paradigms

Research Paradigms Activity

Shenbagavalli Lakshmanan

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

Understanding Research Paradigms

Research article: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing IT Change Management in Public Sectors

This research articles aims to evaluate a conceptual framework for implementing IT change management in Public Sectors in South African Public Sectors. The article begins by describing the reasons and drivers for change management and the determinants of the success and failure of IT change management. It then describes the structure of the South African Public sectors. The conceptual model that was proposed for implementing IT change management was based on the following factors – People, Process, Leadership, Organizational Culture and Technology factors. The paper proposes to identify the relationship between the above elements and their influence on change management.

The research is based on the positivism paradigm – in that a quantifiable relationship exists between the element of the conceptual framework and they have a definitive impact on the process. Their method involved quantitative research, employing a survey of IT staff in public sectors involved in change management, from five national departments of public sectors. The participants completed an online survey and questionnaires, the survey designed with the intent of analyzing the inclinations of the group towards IT change management. Out of the 110 questionnaires, 66 valid responses were obtained (after filtering for discrepancies from the answered questionnaires).

For the ‘people’ factor, the study analyzed the age group of the demographic, the gender ratio, their educational background and their department of employment to better understand their impact on change management. For ‘organizational factor’, organizational culture was supported to impact the success of IT change management. The quantitative method is appropriate here, since they set out to determine ‘the conceptual framework’ for IT change management in Public sectors, affirming their assumption of positivist paradigm.

Research article: An emerging methodology for studying mathematics concept and instructional design

The goals of this research are – 1. To develop an understanding of conceptual learning and create instructional design with focus on conceptual learning and 2. To develop HLT (Hypothetical learning trajectories) for specific mathematical concepts. To understand and analyse learning is to understand and analyse underlying cognitive development in students. This paper is firmly grounded in the constructivist paradigm as evidenced by its qualitative data collection and the way it analyses learning as an individualist experience (varying for each learner). The paper addresses the difficulties in the research, which are – the challenges in measuring learning, the individuality of the nature of learning and applying learning through activity for mathematical concepts.

The methodology used is the teaching experiment, with alternating cycles of instructional intervention and analysis of learner’s ability. The teaching experiment was modified to include Computer applications based LTA because it is easier to follow the students’ action path based on the choice of their action buttons, the test model is available for easy introspection and change based on learner feedback and it is easier to assess learner progress using application results. This particular research focused on learner ability to understand and construct fractions using the given application.

The result was analysed in iterations, deriving analysis on the results of the previous iteration that would not have been possible with the original data alone. This allows for a cognitive trace to be mapped. This also solidifies the choice of constructivism as a paradigm for this research – 1. The researchers built observation/ knowledge on top of the observations from earlier analysis (constructing the knowledge throughout the experiment), 2. It is not objective, with the focus being on the data (positivism), where the data is capable of standing on its own in different situations, but this is specifically tailored for the students in the research programs (where the researcher talks about unanticipated activity from the student or the researcher, that called for a spontaneous instructional intervention). I personally find this the best approach for a learning-centered research, since working with only the original results of a survey will be insufficient in tracking the complex progress of cognitive learning.

Research article: The competences of Educative mentor: Fostering change in early childhood education

The purpose of this study is to find the critical competences of educative mentor, fostering change in early childhood education. The research methodology is a survey of pre-school teacher mentors, with a description of 8 mentor competencies. 3 characteristics of each mentor competency was mentioned in the survey and the participants were asked to mark them as not important, important and very important. The participants sample was 459 early education and pre-school teacher mentors, who have worked with constant reform and fostering change in young students.

The research is focused on quantitative data and the research sets out to find the core competencies required in teachers fostering change in early pre-schoolers, which I find is a very positivist take on the topic. However the subject is more appropriate for a constructivist approach, since the competencies are subjective to the environment, determined by various factors such as economy, student ability, teacher availability and technical competence. It is impossible to reduce this to an analysis of survey by teaching mentors, for to truly understand the critical competency, it is required to understand the student and parent perspective too, in addition to the perspective of the mentor.

References

Mogogole, K.E. & Jokonya, O. (2018). A Conceptual Framework for Implementing IT Change Management in Public Sectors. Retrieved from https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/280203/1-s2.0-S1877050918X00155

Monkeviciene, O. & Autukeviciene, B. (2015). The Competencies of educative Mentor, Fostering Change in the Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/277811/1-s2.0-S1877042815X0036X

Simon, M.A. (2018). An Emerging Methodology for Studying Mathematics Concept Learning and Instructional Design. Retrieved from https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/272078