Appendix 2: Common Theoretical Perspectives Used in Education Research
| Perspective | Key Scholars / Dates | Core Ideas | Application in Education Research |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positivist / Post-Positivist | Comte (1853); Popper (1959); Phillips & Burbules (2000) | Reality exists independently of human perception; knowledge is discovered through objective observation and empirical testing. | Used in quantitative research emphasizing measurement, hypothesis testing, validity, and generalizability. |
| Interpretivist / Constructivist | Weber (1947); Lincoln & Guba (1985); Schwandt (1994) | Reality is socially constructed; understanding arises from participants’ perspectives and experiences. | Used in qualitative research exploring meaning, context, and lived experience through interviews, observations, and case studies. |
| Critical Theory | Horkheimer (1937); Freire (1970); Giroux (1983) | Challenges power structures and seeks social transformation by exposing inequities related to class, race, gender, and other factors. | Used to analyze systemic oppression and advocate for emancipatory educational practices and policies. |
| Feminist Theory | de Beauvoir (1949); hooks (1984); Butler (1990) | Examines how gender and power shape knowledge, institutions, and experiences. | Applied to study gender equity in classrooms, leadership, curriculum, and research practices. |
| Postmodern / Poststructuralist | Foucault (1972); Derrida (1978); Lyotard (1984) | Rejects universal truths and emphasizes language, discourse, and power in shaping reality. | Used to deconstruct dominant narratives and analyze how knowledge and identity are constructed in educational contexts. |
| Pragmatism | Dewey (1938); Mead (1934); James (1907) | Knowledge is judged by its practical consequences; truth is what works in a given context. | Informs mixed-methods designs focused on solving real-world educational problems through multiple forms of evidence. |
| Phenomenology | Husserl (1931); van Manen (1990); Moustakas (1994) | Seeks to understand lived experience and the essence of phenomena as perceived by individuals. | Used in qualitative studies exploring consciousness, meaning, and experience (e.g., teachers’ or students’ perspectives). |
| Critical Race Theory (CRT)* | Delgado & Stefancic (2001); Ladson-Billings (1998) | Examines how race and racism intersect with social institutions, policies, and practices. | Used to investigate inequity and promote social justice in educational systems and policies. |
| Postcolonial Theory | Said (1978); Spivak (1988); Bhabha (1994) | Analyzes the legacy of colonialism and how knowledge production privileges Western perspectives. | Applied to global education, multicultural studies, and decolonizing curriculum and pedagogy. |
| Ecological / Systems Perspective | Bronfenbrenner (1979); Senge (1990) | Individuals develop within interconnected systems (micro to macro levels). | Used to study how school, family, and community contexts interact to influence learning and development. |
*Critical Race Theory (CRT) is both a theoretical framework and a theoretical perspective rooted in the broader tradition of critical theory. Developed by scholars such as Delgado, Stefancic, and Ladson-Billings, CRT examines how race and racism are deeply embedded within social structures, laws, and educational systems.
