The positivist paradigm, sometimes referred to as the hypothetico-deductive, quantitative, rationalist, or empirical-analytical paradigm, began to be used in the 19th century. Initially, it was applied to the natural sciences but later extended to the social sciences. It assumes the existence of a reality that can be predicted, explained, and controlled through laws, which, in turn, can be theoretically generalized and applied to multiple realities. For this reason, it is considered a limited paradigm, especially in the social sciences, because positivism is rigid when determining and applying solutions, disregarding contingencies and human subjectivity.

The positivist paradigm is based on the idea that prior knowledge always leads to new hypotheses, which, when confirmed or refuted, lead to new knowledge. It establishes a correlation in which the researcher is presumed to contribute nothing personal or subjective to the research process. In this paradigm, a research outcome is valid when it is quantitatively verified, based on representative samples with universally estimated criteria established beforehand.

Among the characteristics of the positivist paradigm is methodological monism, which implies that, even in the diversity of objects and subjects studied in research, there must be unity of method and homogeneity of doctrine: there must be a single way to consider the phenomenon. If there are multiple perspectives on the same phenomenon, positivism does not consider it scientific knowledge. Another characteristic is the presumption of a canon, rooted in the exact sciences—physical-mathematical science—that sets the standard for the development of other sciences.

Positivism is used in educational research to establish causal relationships and measure educational phenomena objectively, such as in studies that evaluate the impact of intervention programs on student academic performance, or in research that analyzes the correlation between variables, like time spent on tasks and academic achievement.

Examples of Questions in Educational Research Using the Positivist Paradigm:

• What is the effect of a specific teaching method on student achievement in mathematics?
• How does the amount of homework assigned correlate with students’ grades in high school?
• Is there a significant difference in academic performance between students who attend tutoring sessions and those who do not?
• What impact does the use of technology in the classroom have on student engagement levels?
• How do parental involvement and support influence children’s academic success in elementary school?
• What are the measurable outcomes of implementing a new curriculum on student learning outcomes?
• How does class size affect student performance in standardized tests?
• Through quantitative methods, such as surveys and experiments, researchers seek to obtain empirical data that allows for generalization of findings and formulation of evidence-based conclusions, emphasizing objectivity and replicability in the research process.

In the positivist paradigm, research techniques focus on the collection of empirical and numerical data with an objective and systematic approach. Below is an expanded explanation of each technique related to this paradigm:

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In the next chapters we will go deeper into these techniques and others.