La estadística y los diferentes paradigmas de investigación educativa

Abstract

In this work the author associates the word paradigm to the scientific perspective which prevails in a determinate field and upholds the denomination “Rationalist and Naturalist paradigms” and avoids setting out the problem in terms of “quantitative and qualitative”. He analizes the differences between both paradigms and associates the dichotomy between quantitative and qualitative methods to the thought that one unique and unequivocal vinculation exists between method and paradigm does not exist. The method is defined as the combination of procedures to follow for every activity which pretends to be scientific whose mission is to bring empiric factual evidence although, once the fact has been observed, the researcher can look at the problem from a Hypothetic-Deductive angle or an Analitic-Inductive point of view. The characteristics of the quantitative methods and qualitative methods are brought in and are associated to some methodologies, designs and techniques of certain data analysis. The main differences between both are analysed bringing in solutions to answer and experimental schemes. Statistics is established as the main instrument of specific pedagogical study and is defined as the science which wile analising real data enables contact with the formal systems' structures. The author makes clear that is not proper to reduce the demands of statical analysis to make it compatible with qualitative strategies and points out the possibility and necessity of methodological convergence in educational research. One emphatic affirmation: the most important research will be that while helping to improve practice, offers hypotesis whoseapplication can be proved by the educational action itself when developing the curriculum. This research can be no other than that which achieves the suitable synthesis between methodological strategies.