This paper aims to explore the philosophical theoretical foundations of two basic research paradigms, namely positivism and interpretivism. In the discussion process, literature in the relevant fields including academic papers and books is reviewed and used as support for the analysis. Firstly, the paper explores the differences between the…

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) appears to match the tenets of post-qualitative inquiry. However, post-qualitative inquiry is credited with being averse to method and to adopt post-modernist stances that are not consistent with CHAT's structured reading of social reality. Notwithstanding this, it is possible to propose an interpretation…

Ethnography offers a holistic approach to qualitative researchers in educational contexts and appeals to scholars who wish seek to reveal rich narratives through their immersion in specific domains. This review paper examines the mobilization of the ethnographic research approach reported in studies from two distinctive learning contexts: an…

This article provides a framework for understanding social and cultural inequalities in education in the context of cultural processes and epistemic injustice. Insight into the cultural processes and the concept of epistemic injustice direct us to the conceptualization of agency of the actors within the educational domain and the institutionalized…

In this paper, I have argued that Flower and Hayes' (1981) Cognitive Process Theory of Writing might be enriched by the insights that derive from Simon's (1969) understanding of artifice as an element of the environment and from Todd and Gigerenzer's (2007) construct of ecological rationality. I have used Simon's parable of the ant to explain the…

In this study, the relationships between university students and their perceptions of gender roles and epistemological beliefs were investigated. Gender roles are a phenomenon that are determined by culture, and begin to emerge at an early age, which may include some stereotypical behaviors along with a number of attitudes, duties and obligations…

Critical thinking is of very high importance in our information age. Knowledge of logical fallacies and their detection in discourses is one of the significant end results of it. Islamic and Western critical thinking have many common shared characteristics, yet there are some essential differences between them. These differences are because of the…

This paper tackles the issue of teacher researchers by offering a model for the design of teacher-led inquiries that meets both the theoretical and the practical requirements of scientific research in educational settings. Part 1 focuses on teachers' reluctance to undertake academic research during the course of their working year. Two practical…

In a general sense, psychology is a science that studies human and animal behaviours, and the reasons of these behaviours. The symbolic foundation date of psychology is 1879. In this year, Wilheml Wundt (1832-1920) established a psychology laboratory in Leipzig. Psychology is accepted to have started as a science with the establishment of this…

This study was undertaken to investigate the relation between pre-service EFL teachers' epistemological beliefs and their approaches to teaching. The participants are 105 pre-service EFL teachers, selected based on a random sampling method. To measure pre-service EFL teachers' epistemological beliefs, The Epistemological Beliefs Survey, developed…

Modernism, as a philosophy that is accepted to have started in the 17th century, has influenced various areas such as economy, politics, technology, literature and specifically education in line with the industrial revolution and enlightenment age. It is generally accepted that modernism has kept its overall effect on the mentioned areas until the…

Research suggests that writing the dissertation is one of the major barriers to doctoral students completing their degrees (Di Pierro, 2007). Much of the research on dissertation writing focuses on teaching the technical aspects of dissertation writing and fails to address the underlying issues that give rise to students' struggles with…

Students accepting evolution are likely to rely on science as cognitive authority (i.e. science textbooks and science teachers). In contrast, those not accepting are likely to rely on religion as cognitive authority (i.e. religious texts and religious leaders). A thematic analysis based on existing quantitative and qualitative studies has been…

Educational research should aim at improving educational practice by analysing the world of Education to understand it and make it better. It should be a critical, reflective and professionally oriented activity. Educational research should have three objectives: to explore issues and find answers to questions (for academics), to share policy…

This study explores the epistemological basis for qualitative educational research studies. Within this context, 20 qualitative studies on education were analysed and three dimensions were sorted out: (1) the purpose or aim of the study, (2) the rationale for the study, and (3) the occurrence of epistemological aspects (theory, paradigm,…