UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Positivist philosophy holds that authentic knowledge is based on observable, measurable facts and that scientific inquiry should discover general laws through systematic observation and experimentation. In research, this paradigm is linked to quantitative methods, hypothesis testing and the search for regularities that can be generalised across contexts. It assumes that reality is objective and can be studied without the researcher influencing the phenomenon. Therefore, the paradigm described in the stem is correctly associated with positivist philosophy.

Option A:
Positivist approaches typically favour structured designs, standardised instruments and statistical analyses to ensure objectivity and replicability. They emphasise control of variables and minimisation of bias to make law-like generalisations possible. These characteristics align exactly with the description in the question.

Option B:
Interpretivist philosophy, in contrast, focuses on understanding subjective meanings and social constructions of reality, often using qualitative methods. It is less concerned with universal laws and more with context-specific interpretations, so interpretivist is not the correct completion.

Option C:
Constructivist philosophy emphasises that knowledge is co-constructed by researchers and participants within specific contexts and that multiple realities may coexist. It privileges qualitative, in-depth methods rather than objective measurement and law-like generalisations, making constructivist an unsuitable answer for this stem.

Option D:
Critical philosophy examines structures of power, inequality and ideology, seeking emancipatory change rather than only neutral description or prediction. While it may use both qualitative and quantitative methods, its primary emphasis is on critique and transformation rather than on positivist-style general laws. Hence, critical philosophy does not fit the description in the stem.