Feminist Empiricism

1. Creswell, J. W. 2003. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, andMixed Methods Approaches. SAGE. Thousand Oaks. USA.

2. Dawson, Catherine, 2002, Practical Research Methods, New Delhi, UBS Publishers' Distributors

3. Kothari, C.R., 1985, Research Methodology- Methods and Techniques, New Delhi, Wiley Eastern Limited.

4. Kumar, Ranjit, 2005, Research Methodology-A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, (2nd.ed.), Singapore, Pearson Education. Guba, E.G. & Lincoln, Y.S. (1994) Competiting

5. Niglas, K. (1999) Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry in Educational Research: is there a paradigmatic difference between them? Paper given at ECER 1999. Education-line: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/

6. Niglas, K. (2000) Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Paper given at ECER2000. Education Line: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/.

7. Paradigms in Qualitative Research. In Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage, pp. 105-117.

8. Tesch, R. (1990) Qualitative Research: Analysis Types and Software Tools. The Falmer Press.

Critical theory

The main protagonist of this theory was Jurgen Habermas, who worked at the Frankfurt School in Germany to develop an approach of investigation and action in the social sciences, which could describe the historical forces that restrict human freedom and expose the ideological justification of those forces.

Critical theorists like Habermas were critical of the earlier paradigms as they were not tuned to question or transform the existing situation. He developed theories which were built on a typology of interest. Habermas (1970) postulated three types of interest which generate three types of knowledge:

A technical interest concerned with the control of the physical environment, which generates empirical and analytical knowledge.

A practical interest concerned with understanding the meaning of situation, which generates hermeneutic and historical knowledge.

An emancipating interest concerned with the provision for growth and advancement, which generates critical knowledge and is concerned with exposing conditions of constraints and domination.

Critical theorists suggest two kinds of research methodologies, namely, ideology critique and action research, for undertaking research work.

Critical theory has also been criticized by some of the contemporary scholars. Lakomski (1999) questions the acceptability of the consensus theory of truth on which Habermas' work is premised. Habermas' work is little more than