1. Research Methodology in Linguistics
Dr Habibullah Pathan, M. Ed. ELT (UK)., PhD (UK)
Director,

2. Why Should You Study
Research?
 Career
 Requirement
 Compulsion
 Peer Pressure
 Understanding of research process
 To understand implication of research
on policy decision

3. Search for Knowledge
(1) Human Beings are unique product who
think. They have nervous system that has
enabled them to develop sounds and
symbols to communication, question,
observe and express (Best, 2012).
(2) In past people believed in supernatural
powers (rain, wind, etc. )
(3) Gradually, things are changing! People find
orderliness in the universe and some cause
and effect

4. Under certain conditions, events could be
predicted with reasonable accuracy.
These explanations were rejected and
people were punished by established
institutions for questioning!!
A systematic ear of logic began.

5. Deductive Approach (Approach to
reasoning)
Major Premise (Self Evident Assumption, Dogmatic
Minor Premise (Particular case related to major
premise)
Conclusion (Given the logical relationship of these
premises, the conclusion is inescapable)
1.All men are mortal 2. Socrates is a man
3.Socrates is mortal

6.  It helped in modern problem solving
because this method moved from
general assumption to the specific
application. But it was not fruitful in
arriving at new truth.
 Inductive Method (Direct observation of
phenomenon arriving at conclusion or
generalization through evidence of
many individuals ( Specific to General)

7. Research Paradigms
Positivist
Interpretive
Critical

8. Positivism
 From Ancient Greek
 19th
Century French philosopher Comte
 Observation and reason as means of
understanding behaviour (scientific
description)
 All the genuine knowledge is based on
sense of experience and can be
advanced only by sense of observation
and experiment (Cohen, )

9. Tough Minded Orientation to
facts and natural phenomenon
 Abandoning speculative and
metaphysical attempts (Reason Alone)
 Positivism implies particular stance
concerning the social scientist as an
observer of social reality.
 End product of investigation by social
scientist can be formulated in terms of
parallel to those of natural sciences
 Analyses can be explained in laws

10.  Generalizations of the same kind that
have been established in relation to
natural phenomenon.
 Positivism claims that science provides
us with the clearest possible ideal
knowledge (Cohen, 2007).

11. Some Assumptions
 Determinism (Events have causes and
casual relationship can be discovered
and understood) Firm belief in
prediction and control (Link in natural
phenomenon)
 Empricism (empricial means verifiable
by observation and direct experience.
Data yields proof to strong confirmation
in terms of hypothesis

12. Empiricism
 Five steps in process of empirical
science
 Experience, Classification
(systematization of data which is
ununderstandable), quantification,
discovery of relationship and
approximation to the truth.

13.  Generality (Final Assumption)
 (This played important role in inductive
and deductive methods of reasoning)
 There was the problematic relationship
between the concrete particular and
abstract general (rational and empirical
theory of knowledge )

14. Natural Science and Human
 Is it easier to apply generalization to
inanimate object than human?
 What do you think can be positives and
negatives of positivist approach?