AN ANALYSIS OF THE PREVAILING RESEARCH PARADIGMS IN THEATREARTS STUDIES: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Research in Theatre arts studies and, in general, irrespective of the discipline has been defined “as a systematic investigation process that is designed to collect, analyze, interpret, and use data to understand, describe, predict, or control a phenomenon” (Osemwota et al. 4). Since theoretical questions in Theatre Arts discipline emerge from different conceptions and interpretations of social reality, different paradigms have been involved to determine the criteria according to which one would select and define problems for inquiry. Thus, in order to conduct the research projects, researchers should follow a research process which consists of a series of sequential steps, beginning by identifying the researcher’s own paradigm. Research paradigms play important role in shaping how people perceive the world and permits the researchers to identify their position in the research process and distinguish different perspectives. Thus, it is significant for researchers to understand the prevailing theoretical paradigms and their underlying philosophical assumptions. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the major research paradigms commonly used in Theatre Arts discipline in order to make justifications for selecting a suitable paradigm for a study.