Sin Forma

REPÚBLICA BOLIVARIANA DE VENEZUELA
UNIVERSIDAD RÓMULO GALLEGOS
DECANATO DE POSTGRADO
SAN JUAN DE LOS MORROS
AULA MOVIL “AUGUSTO MIJARES”
TOCORÓN ESTADO ARAGUA
MAESTRIA EN EDUCACIÓN
MENCIÓNDESARROLLO COMUNITARIO
INGLES INSTRUMENTAL




The Nature of Inquiry Paradigms


(Exercises guide 4)

Guba and Lincoln argue that inquiry paradigms may be viewed as sets of basicbeliefs about the nature of reality and how it may be known; and that these beliefs are thrown into relief by three fundamental and interrelated questions. There is the ontological question, 'What is theform and nature of reality and, therefore, what is there than can be known about it?'; the epistemological question, 'What is the relationship between the knower or would-be knower and what can beknown'; and the methodological question, 'How can the inquirer... go about finding out whatever he or she believes can be known about?'.

Guba and Lincoln begin by identifying the responsesproponents of the four different paradigms would make to the three questions identified above. We have also added 'Axiology', which is omitted from the Guba and Lincoln account, and which we think is anessential defining characteristic of an inquiry paradigm, along side ontology, epistemology and methodology. The axiological question asks what is intrinsically valuable in human life, in particular whatsort of knowledge, if any, is intrinsically valuable.


We take the view that there is a fourth fundamental question which is also necessary fully to define an inquiry paradigm: theaxiological question about what is intrinsically worthwhile, what it is about the human condition that is valuable as an end in itself. The first three questions - the ontological, the epistemological and themethodological - are all about matters to do with truth. What is really truly there? What is the nature of truthful knowledge of it? By what method can the truth be reached? The fourth and...