Philosophical Paradigm Research Articles

Piaget as Metamodernist

The emerging discourse on metamodernism as an answer to the aporia of postmodernism seems to crystalize more and more into coherent and compelling configurations. Different and to some extent divergent conceptions of metamodernism—such as aesthetic sensibility, structure of feeling, cultural phase, political movement, and philosophical paradigm—have been considered by some to be expressions of a common underlying generative structure: that is, a worldview structure or developmental stage of cultural evolution. In this contribution, I will argue that developmentalism is indeed inherent in metamodern thought and that Piaget’s research program of genetic epistemology presents an early exploration of what might be called the metamodern condition. I will outline how the Piagetian project anticipates the principal themes now associated with metamodernism, such as an overcoming of relativism and particularism; a developmental view on ontology, epistemology, and ethics; a reconciliation of facts and values; a normative perspective on knowledge and validity; a relational view on subject/object and subject/subject interaction; a dialectical thinking that synthesizes opposing views; a reconstruction of developmental principles and construction laws; a depth-hermeneutic interpretation of cultural artifacts; an attitude of sincerity and hopefulness; a commitment for a political mission; a spirituality without religion; and, perhaps most significantly, a return of metanarratives.

Effect of Classroom management techniques on students’ performance at higher secondary level

Classroom management techniques play a crucial role in shaping students' performance by creating an organized and supportive learning environment that fosters engagement and minimizes disruptive behaviors. Effective strategies, such as establishing clear expectations and promoting positive interactions, directly enhance students' academic achievement and social development. The design of the study is descriptive in nature. This study was quantitative research. In the realm of quantitative research, positivism serves as the leading philosophical paradigm. Residents of the district of Lahore who were enrolled in public higher secondary schools made up the entire population. The questionnaires were the instrument that was used for the investigation. Experts' comments were used to determine the validity of the questions, and pilot testing was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaires. The use of inferential methods, specifically regression analysis, was made. The results of the research indicate that there was a highly significant effect of classroom management strategies on the academic performance of students who were enrolled in further secondary education.

Employee Training and Delivery of Services at the Postal Corporation of Kenya

Purpose: Service delivery is an essential aspect for an organization to gain competitive advantage, since service delivery deals with how a service or a product is delivered to the client and whether it’s fairly or unfairly done hence determining prosperity or downfall of organization. A sure way of realizing full potential of an organization is use relevant human resource development mechanisms appropriately. Human resource development mechanisms describe an organization’s strategies of investing in activities and programs that are intended to develop competence, skills, and knowledge of employees. The study aimed to examine possible association between employee training efforts and service delivery in Postal Corporation of Kenya in Nairobi. Methods: The study is anchored on SERVIQAL model and it deployed a positive research philosophy paradigm and quantitative research design, targeting a population of 400 respondents comprising 300 employees and 100 clients, 40% sample size is obtained from target population translating to 160 respondents. Results: Key finding of the study was that employee training is a significant determinant of service delivery at Postal Corporation of Kenya. As such, the corporation’s efforts at enhancing the capacity of its employees were established to be significantly linked to the quality of the corporation’s services. Conclusion: The study recommends deliberate planning and enhancement of the employees’ skills and knowledge to ensure continued competitiveness of the corporation.

International migration of human resources in the conditions of geo-economic transformations as the main influence on the components of sustainable development of Ukraine in the context of national security

The article makes an attempt to comprehend state of the art, perspectives and risks within the realm of human resources migration from Ukraine in the context of today geoeconomic and geopolitical processes and the need to ensure the proper level of national security, as well as maintaining the course towards achievement of sustainable development goals. In the process of study, based on method of synthesis and neorealism philosophical paradigm of research, cases were considered, in particular cases of EU and China, which allow systematizing the vision of countries’ performance in today complex global realities and latent backgrounds of migration processes.

Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and Turnover: Re-Examining Learning Achievement in Biology in Public Secondary Schools, Garissa County, Kenya

Teachers spend lengthy periods of their lifetime in school work environments and their satisfaction in the job has crucially far-reaching implications. Besides making them feel good about themselves, job satisfaction draws on teachers’ well-being as satisfied teachers are less susceptible to leaving their positions. The aim of this paper was to evaluate teachers’ job satisfaction as a teachers’ turnover factor in influencing learning achievement in Biology in public secondary schools in Garissa County. Guided by Becker’s Human Capital Theory of Occupational Choice, the study was driven by a philosophical paradigm borrowed from the Pragmatic Worldview and adopted a convergent mixed-methods research design. The study targeted 2786 respondents comprising 2691 form three students and 95 Biology teachers from 40 public secondary schools from which 27 schools were picked through stratified random sampling. The sample size constituted 336 form three students and 51 Biology teachers obtained through simple random and purposive sampling respectively. Questionnaire and document analysis guide were used in data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Linear Regression were done. The study established that job satisfaction (r=0.67, p<0.05) had a positive significant correlation with learning achievement in Biology. The study therefore concluded that, teachers’ job satisfaction influenced learning achievement in Biology in public secondary schools in Garissa County. The study recommended strategies that should lower teacher turnover and increase learning achievement in Biology thus; re-visit salary schemes for teachers to ensure they re-visit salary schemes for teachers in public secondary schools to ensure teachers are well paid besides are well paid, teacher promotions should be streamlined and staff development opportunities enhanced.

Analyses of Pre-Service Teachers’ Errors in Solving Algebraic Tasks in Ghana.

This study analyzed prospective basic education teachers’ errors in solving algebraic tasks using Newman’s Error Analysis (NEA). The study employed an interpretivist philosophical paradigm with a qualitative case study design. Data were collected from 250 prospective mathematics teachers randomly selected from four colleges of education in the eastern region of Ghana using super item tests and unstructured interview protocols. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data. The study findings revealed that transformation and encoding errors among prospective mathematics teachers are the most prevalent errors. Other error types encountered included comprehension errors and process skills errors. In order to reduce aspiring mathematics teachers’ errors, the study emphasizes the necessity of focused interventions and professional development programs to address transformation and comprehension errors in algebraic concepts.

Диспозитивный и императивный методы правового регулирования: философско-правовой генезис и междисциплинарная экстраполяция

In this article, the concepts of “dispositivity” and “imperative” are considered as methods of legal regulation from philosophical and legal positions. The author draws parallels with the presence of free will in the individual in the philosophical paradigm, identifying this state of affairs with the dispositive principle in law, and, on the contrary, reflects on determinism as a kind of orderliness inherent in the imperative method. The author's view on the correlation of the use of the previously mentioned methods in the current reality, from the point of view of their essential features, seems to be the most curious. Additionally, the question of the viability of one method in the absence of another is raised, similar to such philosophical trends as compatibilism and incompatibilism in relation to human freedom of expression.

Future Role of Digital Platform of Community Policing in Malawi

Internet evolution and digital platform popularity have revolutionized citizens participation in public security administration. However, digital platform ecosystem and functionality remains underexplored. Study examines the future role of digital platform for citizens participation in community policing in Malawi. Within frame work of exploratory sequential mixed methods, focus group discussion interviews purposively selected four groups of 10 respondents each, and used interview guide for data collection. Survey randomly sampled 432 households using Yamene (1969) formular to distribute structured questionnaires for data collection. Interviews were written on script then coded, later grouped into sub themes and finally into themes which corresponded to research questions aided by NVivo application. The survey was analyzed through SPSS version 20 to come up with descriptive statistics. Using pragmatics philosophical paradigm, broken window, democratic participation and social-disorganization theories, the study revealed that citizens may be encouraged to participate on digital platform in community policing by; (a) providing training to citizens on digital crime prevention and safety measures, (b) offering incentives or rewards to citizens who participate in neighborhood safety and security digital initiatives, (c) using social media and other digital platforms to raise awareness and encourage citizen participation, (d) creating more opportunities for citizen-police collaboration and dialogue through social media. Multinominal logistic regression shows gender may have impact on the future role of digital platform of community policing; (i) gain communications between police and community, (ii) detect a wider variety of insecurities (Transparency), (iii) promote the effective use of limited resources, (iv) move beyond the customary bureaucratic procedures at p=.017, (v) gain participation of women, minorities, and vulnerable population at p=.459, (vi) contribute to empowerment of the community at p=.003. Solutions to challenges of digital platform of community policing use are; (1) awareness (Sensitization) Campaign, (2) capacity building on the usage of ICT tools, (3) make available ICT merchant selling and maintenance points, (4) usage of Solar Powered ICT and (5) Place coordinated governance mechanisms. While previous scholars have argued that digital platform has allowed formal and non-formal wide participation, as well as increase transparency and accountability to police officers in handling policing issues and empowering citizens to take part in security of their times. Current revelation points that harnessing and promotion of digital platform gives chance to revolution for transformation that may influence accountability of public security administration to provide quality public services for better life to the challenges of the time.

Firm Resources and Competitive Advantage of Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions in Kenya

Studies have investigated the effect of firm resources on the management of firms, with very little being done on the attractiveness of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) destinations. This study aims to examine how firm resources influence competitiveness of MICE destinations in Kenya. Tangible and intangible assets are the two main categorization of firm resources used for this study, with tangible assets being characterized by brand reputation, innovation and facilities and equipment, while tangible assets being characterized by technology, location and access to financial resources characterized intangible and tangible resources respectively Resource-Based View theory was adopted as the theoretical foundation of the study, as it analyses MICE destination as a bundle or resources which creates value that can never be imitated by competitors. The study applied explanatory research design anchored on positivist philosophical paradigm and the target population was 496 MICE establishments in Nairobi and South-Rift circuits. Purposive sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 107 MICE establishments. Data collection was through closed-ended questionnaires, with marketing/or operations managers. Data was analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Study hypotheses were tested using F-statistic and t-statistics. Findings showed that tangible assets had no significant effect on competitiveness while intangible assets had a significant direct effect on competitiveness. Intangible assets were significant in determining competitive advantage of MICE establishment implying that they need to capitalize more on intangible assets as opposed to tangible assets. The study also confirms the falsifiability of RBV theory as regards tangible assets and therefore recommends exploring other theories to understand how tangible assets affect competitive advantage.

“Roots of Reluctance”: Exploring the Reasons Behind the Management Undergraduates’ Less Preference for Qualitative Research Approaches. - A Case of Sri Lankan State University

The study was contextually undertaken in the Faculty of Management (FOM) at a State University of Sri Lanka with two objectives: to explore the reasons for the less preference for qualitative approaches and to classify such contextual reasons for a proper understanding that is necessary for practical implications of diverse parties. The key study areas of undergraduates’ perspectives on qualitative research and influences on them when selecting the research approach were majorly subjective. Thus, the philosophical paradigm is qualitative interpretivism. Thematic Analysis was conducted on the data collected through semi-structured interviews with 27 students who belong to a final year from different genders and ethnicities. Purposive sampling was undertaken by the researchers to narrow down the population into samples. The study found four major themes, the impact of the learning environment, the role of supervisors, the impact of the mindset of undergraduates, and the perception of the qualitative research process being the areas of reasons for less preference. This study is one of the initial qualitative explorations on the reasons influencing the choice of undergraduates about their final year research.

Making Country Proud: The Role of Athletics in the Development of Eldoret City, Kenya

This study examined the impact of athletics on the development of Eldoret City from 1920-2020. The study was informed by the need to discuss in detail and document the development of athletics among the Kalenjin community in Kenya. To realize the above, the study utilized Social Constructivism and Self-efficacy theories. The study was guided by one objective: the development and impact of athletics among the Kalenjin community in Kenya from 1920 through 2020. The literature reviewed, global, regional, and local, helped identify the knowledge gap, hence the study’s justification. The philosophical paradigm that anchored this study is constructivist philosophy. The study is qualitative and has an applied historical research design. The sampling procedure entailed using purposive and snowball sampling to arrive at knowledgeable informants. The sample size of 20 informants was determined by saturation. Data collected was from primary and secondary sources. Primary sources entailed archival materials such as artefacts and photographs, while unstructured interview schedules were used to collect oral data. The secondary sources were the books, theses, journals, magazines, and newspapers. Using the qualitative method, the study analyzed data thematically and presented the findings through narration, direct quotes and descriptive texts. Photographs were also used to present the findings. According to the research findings, the Kalenjin community had traditional sports activities, primarily athletics. The thrust of the athletics was reminiscent of their cultural aspirations. Further, the study established that the development of athletics grew gradually in phases marked by the arrival of the European colonialists, the internationalization of sports in the 1950s and the emergence of Kenya as a world athletics player. The study additionally found that scholarship, employment opportunities, and acquisition of wealth through diverse investments are evident in Eldoret City. The town has recently grown into the 5th Kenyan City following a significant economic contribution from the athletics arena. The rise of the Kalenjin diaspora and the attraction of multinationals to local athletics constitute substantial socioeconomic and political impacts on athletics among the Kalenjin. The study thus recommends that the government improve funding for sports and fully implement the existing laws and policies

Building on and contributing to sustainability transitions research with qualitative system dynamics

This paper explores the novel connection between qualitative system dynamics and sustainability transitions research. As the urgency for sustainable solutions intensifies, this interdisciplinary combination offers a promising avenue for addressing complex sustainability challenges. We reflect on recent research projects to establish the value of combining the two fields. We delve into the methodological and theoretical synergies, using examples to illustrate how the two fields can mutually benefit from each other. We find that qualitative system dynamics complements other sustainability transitions research approaches by encouraging (a) more inductive research that results in a broader system boundary than traditional sustainability transitions research frameworks and (b) higher endogeneity, which leads to a better appreciation of the feedback mechanisms that determine whether transitions succeed or not. This leads to an explicit reflection on assumptions that otherwise might remain hidden, and more explicit conceptualizations of the feedback mechanisms driving and hindering sustainability transitions and recommendations on navigating seemingly opposing interests that diminish when seeing the whole system. We also propose how future research can contribute to further cross-fertilization between the two fields, including the need for explicit positioning in terms of starting points, considering different philosophical paradigms, exploring combinations with other analytical approaches to foster change, and increasing reflection on the part of researchers, particularly in participative modes. We argue that the fusion of qualitative system dynamics with sustainability transitions research can significantly enhance our understanding and ability to manage complex sustainability issues, substantially contributing to both academic discourse and practical applications in sustainability transitions.

Examining Paradigmatic Shifts: Unveiling the Philosophical Foundations Shaping Social Research Methodologies

Research is a systematic process involving collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data using appropriate methods and tools to investigate a specific problem or question, leading to a deeper understanding of the issue. The framework and execution of research are inherently tied to the philosophical paradigms that underpin it. The philosophical paradigm in research encompasses fundamental elements, namely ontology, epistemology, axiology, and methodology, shaping the presumptions, norms, beliefs, and values inherent in the research process. This study aimed to delineate the shifts in philosophical perspectives within social research, utilizing content analysis. The examination and interpretation of document contents highlight the prevalence of positivist and post-positivist paradigms as traditional frameworks predominantly advocating quantitative research. In contrast, newer paradigms such as interpretivist/constructivist, critical, postmodern, and multiparadigmatic philosophies emphasize qualitative and mixed research designs advocate for qualitative and mixed methods research. This study highlights the significant influence of philosophical paradigms on research design and processes, emphasizing the need for researchers to understand these paradigms thoroughly. This understanding is crucial to ensure clarity, relevance, and authenticity in research. By delineating the shifts in philosophical perspectives within social research, this study provides valuable insights into how these paradigms shape research endeavors.

Metamodern economy: Between war and peace

Man's economic activity and his worldview are closely interrelated, and this relationship has attracted the attention of philosophers and scientists for centuries. When making economic decisions, a person entered into relations of cooperation, collaboration and/or competition and even war. Since ancient times, war was used by man as a tool for resolving economic conflicts and achieving economic interests and evolved along with the development of socio-economic systems and the worldview of man himself. The economic worldview and socio-economic systems, in turn, evolve under the influence of the development of economic activity, philosophical knowledge, science and technology. In the development of mankind, we can distinguish eras of dominance of a certain philosophical paradigm (classicism, modernity, postmodernity, metamodernity), which determined the worldview of people, the “spirit of the times”, as well as their economic activities, the choice of tools for resolving economic conflicts and achieving economic interests, including characteristics and distinctive features of wars. Since in the modern global world of the metamodern era, military conflicts have a significant impact on the economic decisions of economic entities, identifying the distinctive features of modern wars in conjunction with the philosophy of metamodernism is relevant. The purpose of the study is to identify the distinctive characteristics of war as an economic instrument in each of the above-mentioned eras in conjunction with the dominant philosophical paradigm and the characteristics of the socio-economic systems of the parties to military conflicts, as well as to substantiate the key features of war in the modern metamodern era. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved: a comparative historical and economic analysis of the wars of the eras of classicism, modernity, postmodernity, and metamodernity was be carried out; differences between them were identified according to a number of criteria. The relationship between the characteristics of wars and the dominant philosophical paradigm were identified. The role of war in the economy of metamodernity was determined. The research methodology was based on a synthesis of historical and economic methodology, a systemic economic approach, and comparative analysis, which determined the novelty of the research results: the rationale for the relationship of war as a tool for solving economic conflicts and/or realizing economic interests with the dominant philosophical paradigm.

MULTICULTURAL EMPLOYEES’ PERCEPTIONS OF DIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Purpose: This research explored the in-depth meaning of how multicultural employees perceive diversity in South African formal sector firms. In doing so, it extracted the lived experiences of multicultural employees about the cultural differences perceived within the country. South Africa is characterised by cultural and linguistic heterogeneity and a relatively large formal sector economy by African standards. Methodology: For this cross-sectional study, data were gathered through a homogeneous purposive sampling of nine participants and conducting semi-structured interviews. This small sample size allows for a thorough investigation into each participant's lived experience to gather qualitative data. The specific phenomenological method used in this study is a novel interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which seeks to extract data and discern meaning in the participants' narratives. Results: The findings were interpreted through the lens of social identity theory within an interpretative philosophical paradigm. These interpretations were leveraged to extract a central narrative that is grouped thematically. The main finding was identifying several factors that contribute to the spanning of cultural boundaries in South African formal sector firms. Practical Implications: The study identified how participants make meaning of their experiences within the formal sector of South Africa and how their interpretations shape their behaviour and attitudes. Originality/Value: The findings indicate that a significant amount of intra-country cultural diversity is perceived in the South African formal sector workplace, which can cause friction and reinforce cultural stereotypes.

PECULIARITIES OF THE USE OF ANCIENT QUOTATIONS IN THE PORTRAITURE OF THE RENAISSANCE ERA

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the use of quotations from ancient authors’ works in the form of inscriptions on secular portraits of the Renaissance period. It outlines the cultural and historical prerequisites that determined the peculiarities of portrait painting development in this period as well as the use of Latin inscriptions therein. The key underlying role in cultural development of this period played the change of religious and philosophical paradigm, the general cultural humanistic orientation of the era, as well as the revival of classical ancient ideas. These factors ultimately determined the selection and application of Latin inscriptions in the Renaissance portraiture. This paper analyses the grammatical features (change in the grammatical design of individual quotation elements) and structural transformations (abbreviation or, conversely, supplementation) of the ancient quotations on portraits depending on their respective functional load, which the painters availed themselves of, in order to explicitly convey their artistic intention. The article scrutinizes various semantic transformations undergone by ancient quotations in terms of their use in a completely different (as regards to the original text) cultural context. It also offers general description of the functional semantics of ancient quotations on secular portraits of the Renaissance period.

Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm

A paradigm is a worldview, a set of beliefs, values, traditions, and conventions that shape our understanding of how we know what we know and what knowing is. With this definition in mind, the purpose of this paper is to point out the added value of articulating the research paradigm of a mixed methods case study that examined the preparedness of university graduates for today’s job market. The paper intends to examine how the exploration of participants’ worldviews of the phenomena under inquiry lends itself to pragmatism, a paradigm that underpins the philosophical premise of mixed methods research (MMR). The discussion demonstrates (1) how pragmatism as a research paradigm informs the chosen mixed methods design, and (2) how the chosen research paradigm, pragmatism, values multiplicity of worldviews that enrich the development of viable solutions for the problem under inquiry. Articulating the research paradigm that informs the overall design of a study is oftentimes marginalized especially in case studies. This paper intends to explain the value for highlighting the philosophical paradigm of case studies.

Influence of Information, Education and Communication on Road Safety amongst Boda-boda Motorcyclists in Kenyan Cities

This study sought to investigate the influence of information, education and communication on road safety amongst Boda-boda motorcyclists in Kenyan cities. Road safety has become a major concern with over 1.35 million people losing their lives worldwide annually and over 4,000 people losing their lives in Kenya. Human behavior on the road causes 90 per cent of death and injury amongst road users with Boda-boda motorcyclists contributing 58 per cent of all road accidents in Kenya. This study was anchored on the social cognitive theory, the safety culture theory and the uses and gratification theory. The study used a pragmatic philosophical paradigm with a convergent parallel design of the mixed method research. Stratified sampling and simple random sampling were used to draw the target population of 399 Boda-boda motorcyclists from the four cities in Kenya. Interviews were conducted with twelve key informants. Quantitative data was collected from the motorcyclists by use of semi-structured questionnaires while key informant interviews were used to collect the qualitative data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic data analysis. The findings show that influence of information, education and communication has a significant impact on predicting road safety hence showing a potential synergistic effect between the two factors. In conclusion, behavior change communication interventions aimed at Boda-boda motorcyclists significantly contribute to road safety. Tailored educational materials and training programs were recommended as a unique way to address the needs and literacy levels of Boda-boda motorcyclists.

The development of music education philosophy in mainland China during 1990–2022: A corpus-based thematic review

This study used corpus-based text analysis to examine the discourse on Music Education Philosophy (MEP) in 346 Chinese scholarly articles published after 1990. Applying topic modelling techniques, the study identified 685 key terms in the corpus that collectively established six prevailing themes: Aesthetics, Praxis, Confucianism, Teaching and Learning, Values of music education, and Influence factors of music education. It was discovered that Aesthetics, Praxis, and Confucianism were three streams in Chinese literature that significantly influenced the MEP study landscape. In contrast, the other three topics served as the ‘battleground’ for these competing philosophical paradigms. The study discussed the sources of contemporary MEP in China, where combined influences from European North American Chinese philosophies are evident. It was argued that music, education, and philosophy emerge as three equally critical components that collectively define the inherent ‘nature’ of MEP. Thus, while the nature of music does not predetermine the nature of music education, the foundation of music education was shaped collectively by understandings, judgements, and expectations of music and education in the Chinese context. In addition, corpus analysis presented a promising methodological approach for tracing the evolution of discourse over time and facilitating critical inquiries in MEP discourses.

Neoplatonizm i chrześcijaństwo w twórczości Synezjusza z Cyreny (370–414) – przyczynek do zagadnienia

The article presents creative personality of Synesius of Cyrene (4th/5th century CE) against the background of ideological tendences of late antiquity. It aims to answer two questions: First, whether the term Christian Neoplatonism, rightly criticized in relation to patristic writers, reflect the nature of Synesius' outlook, and second, whether his work significantly complements our image of late antiquity in its philosophical aspect, viewed as a clash between Christian and classical, mainly Neoplatonic, philosophic paradigms. Synesius’ rich correspondence, consisting of one hundred and fifty-six letters, provides the main source for the present analysis; yet, his other works (mainly the Hymns) and biographical details are also drawn upon to attain a wholistic perspective. This broader selection of sources is necessary because a reading of his works leaves some doubt as to his ideological affiliation. On the one hand, he was a disciple of Hypatia, and, on the other, a friend of St. Theophi lus of Alexandria, who called him to the post of bishop. These and other ambiguities in the life and outlook of Synesius make him an interesting object of analysis.