Epistemological Approach In Research

The epistemological stance is the most important part of directing the research as well as a researcher in the whole process. What does the concept “epistemology” stand for?

According to Wikipedia, epistemology is a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and is also referred to as "theory of knowledge". It questions what knowledge is and how it can be acquired (Wikipedia). In other words, how do we know what we know?

Another definition is that: “Epistemology is the study of knowledge and justified belief. As the study of knowledge, epistemology is concerned with the following questions: What are the necessary and sufficient conditions of knowledge? What are its sources? What is its structure, and what are its

In other words, research in development arenas combines between positivists view and constructivist view, which reflected in the use of quantitative and measurable data as well as non-quantitative data. This means that a research in development arenas has a wide range of epistemological perspectives to choose from in both the natural and the social sciences. “At one end of the spectrum lies positivism and at the other end lies constructivism” Sumner and Tribe (2004:3). As a result, using both approaches, regardless of the difficulties that will arise, using them together is the best choice to reach the most acceptable results. Results that we can build upon to achieve real development in developing

Are they conceptual or physical boundaries or both?. Research, like anything else, once becomes channeled in one direction or more, it can be difficult to make adjustments on that direction without using sufficient tools and, more important, concepts to provide assistance. Placing boundaries might be a hard process, in some cases it might be difficult to place boundaries for our topic, especially if it related to broad and separated subjects. e.g. when trying to search for the causes of poverty in some ruler marginalized areas. Setting boundaries for both the geographical areas as well as the conceptual limits will face many difficulties. It is crucial to think of boundaries and limits of the research; providing that this thinking process will help in planning and conducting research as well as perfectionalize the implementation of its activities. It is not just about the implementation, but also about the control, setting boundaries is part of the research planning, and without proper planning there will be no control i.e. (No plan, no control)

A question arises here about the responsibility of setting research’s boundaries. Indeed, It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify his/her research boundaries and to what extent they may vary. The researcher is responsible also for:

- setting the research topic and questions (scope),

- Identifying the respondents, and how to reach them,

- Identifying the area