ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author introduces paradigm to readers unfamiliar with the concept, providing examples that will hopefully make its meaning clearer. Yet as time passed, the author's unconsidered paradigmatic position increasingly failed him; in particular, it prevented him finding a satisfying answer to a problem that was increasingly baffling him. The author considers and contrasts two of the paradigmatic positions on the chart, positivism and postfoundationalism, which come under Lather's 'predict' and 'deconstruct' headings. Before moving on to consider paradigm in early childhood education, he wants to add a postscript to this discussion by making clear what paradigm is not – or rather one of the things that it is not. In the past, the author has found that people sometimes equate paradigm with methods chosen in research, in particular whether researchers choose to work with 'quantitative' or 'qualitative' methods.
