What paradigm provides the basis for qualitative research?

Qualitative research is fundamentally grounded in the constructivism paradigm, which emphasizes the understanding and interpretation of social phenomena through the lens of individual experiences and perspectives. Constructivism posits that knowledge is constructed through social processes and interactions rather than being discovered as an objective truth. This paradigm supports the idea that reality is subjective and shaped by context, culture, and individual perceptions.

In qualitative research, this approach allows researchers to explore complex human behaviors, feelings, and meanings, capturing the richness and depth of lived experiences. Interviewing participants, observing interactions, and collecting narrative data exemplify methods rooted in the constructivist paradigm. This focus aligns well with qualitative research's goal of gaining insights into the human experience rather than merely measuring or quantifying phenomena.

In contrast, other paradigms mentioned, like empirical analytical research and postpositivism, tend to emphasize objectivity, measurement, and statistical analysis, which are more aligned with quantitative research. Naturalistic research does align somewhat with qualitative approaches but is more about the context of the study rather than the underlying philosophical stance on knowledge construction. Thus, constructivism stands out as the foundational paradigm for qualitative research.