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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Define paradigm, and describe the significance of paradigms.
- Identify and describe the four predominant paradigms found in the social sciences.
- Define theory.
- Describe the role that theory plays in sociological inquiry.
The terms paradigm and theory are often used interchangeably in social science, although social scientists do not always agree whether these are identical or distinct concepts. In this text, we will make a slight distinction between the two ideas because thinking about each concept as analytically distinct provides a useful framework for understanding the connections between research methods and social scientific ways of thinking.
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