Understanding Paradigms and Social Science Theories- Their Roles and Applications in Social Work

Understanding Paradigms and Social Science Theories- Their Roles and Applications in Social Work

The different terminologies of paradigms and social science theories are often used as synonyms in works of literature, despite their different meanings. In this essence, there are differences between the application of the terms paradigms and theories on social sciences, and each connotation has specific applicability (Hughes, 2020). It is easy to confuse such terms as a large field, as it is often a mistake with other various words and ideologies. These two are interdependent in evaluation and analysis, but a paradigm must be begotten first before a theory is derived.

Another difference is found in the secondary application, where a paradigm is used as an initial reference point or simply a blueprint in a larger framework. In this case, it indicates the perspectives of reality, whereas theory is a verifiable hypothesis, and thus the term ascertains its presence with scientific methods and data. A paradigm encompasses many theories, and, as a reference point, it only indicates and does not underly the existential possibility of a testable reality (Mauldin, 2020). As a general approach, a paradigm is a generic explanation in the discipline of social science and its crowd. A scientifically proven theory opens up new knowledge that helps denote and explain a phenomenon and, thus, the prediction and forecasting of a phenomenon.

Unlike a theory in social sciences, a paradigm is experimental, while a theory can be proven with results that can be logically explained and help understand human interactions. In this essence, the paradigm is philosophical and underlies a thought process rather than an actuality, thus denoting general assumptions. In the other case, a theory in social sciences represents an ideological element that has passed the thought process and is termed a proven reality and adopts specificity in this approach (Collins & Stockton, 2018). Two paradigms can be correlated, but in the case of a theory, there is absolute truth, and these concepts thus are separated based on results and evidence achieved through science. Therefore, both theories and paradigms in social sciences are used in different approaches, but all help improve general understanding.

References

Collins, C. S., & Stockton, C. M. (2018). The central role of theory in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 1609406918797475.

Hughes, P. (2020). Paradigms, methods and knowledge. In Doing Early Childhood Research (pp. 31-55). Routledge.

Mauldin, R. L. (2020). Foundations of social work research. Mavs Open Press. file:///C:/Users/Hp/Downloads/Foundations-of-Social-Work-Research-1612823254._

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What are the differences between paradigms and social science theories?

Understanding Paradigms and Social Science Theories- Their Roles and Applications in Social Work

How are both of these used in social work?