1. Choose the most accurate statement:

1. A paradigm is the name given to the theory which a piece of research is trying to test
2. Paradigm is an Italian word for paradise
3. A paradigm is a theoretical framework which links to how one sees the world
4. The paradigm which sees the world as being governed by universal laws and that everything can be explained by revealing these universal laws is called interpretivist

2. Choose the best answer from the options below. Empiricism is

1. Moral ‘rules’ or principles which underpin research
2. Ideas about how to approach research based on an underlying paradigm
3. Assumptions about the nature of reality and the nature of things
4. The idea that knowledge comes from experience and derived via the senses

3. Choose the best answer. The dependent variable is

1. The variable to which measured changes are attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable by the researcher
2. A variable which has not been controlled by the researcher and which may affect the findings of the research, making them unreliable
3. The variable that is being manipulated by the researcher in an experiment
4. A factor which may affect the findings of a research study

4. Which is a criticism of positivism?

1. By applying highly controlled procedures and quantifying variables it is possible to obtain results that can help to refine theory
2. There is recognition that children and childhood are legitimate subjects for scientific study and this has led to real advances in our understanding, especially in the field of physiology and medicine
3. Scientific methods often put the researcher in a more dominant and powerful position than the participant
4. Positivism gives rise to quantitative methodology and the use of statistical analysis. In early childhood this approach has been valuable as the basis for the large cohort studies of children

5. Choose the most correct answer. Methodology

1. Is a description of the methods used in a research study
2. Influences the paradigm in which the research is located
3. Describes ideas about how to approach research based on an underlying paradigm
4. Is a term that can be used instead of ‘paradigm’