Exploring Paradigmatic Philosophical Foundations for Better Research Quality in Tanzania Universities via Grounded Theory

Abstract

This study investigated how Tanzanian Master's students' research paradigms impact their dissertation composition, supervision, defense, and final grades. It highlights that researchers often neglect the importance of paradigm clarity and relevance in the knowledge creation process, affecting thesis assessments. Using Charmaz's 2006 Grounded Theory (GT) with inductive logic research, a qualitative approach, and multivariate descriptive design were employed. The study saturated sampled size involved 67 students, 6 external examiners (EEs), and 14 supervisors through triangulated sampling techniques. The Kaiser Oklin Measure (KMO) and Bartlets' tests ensured sample size adequacy and data relevancy. Multiple methods of: interviews, primary documents, and observations collected data. Data were collected via multiple methods of: semi structured interviews, documents, and observations. Interviews, primary documents, observation schedules and non parametric Likert scale intruments collected data. Multiple methods of: sorting, coding, memoing, theme building analysed qualitative data. The triangulated descriptive analysis techniques analysed the ordinal and nominal data. The analysis revealed that students who clarified their research paradigm and design theme received higher grades (A or B+), boosting their GPA. In contrast, students who failed to clarify these themes were graded lower, with scores implying B (Flat), C, D, or E grades, reducing their GPA. The findings suggested that examiners implicitly base their grading on paradigm clarity. The study three outcomes included: generated a mid-range Grounded Theory, three fresh hypotheses and a holistic model to address the lack of clarity in paradigms within universities. It urges  further research to improve a substantive theory emerged, test the three new hypotheses and to try a constituted holistic model of: paradigm, ontology, epistemology, methodology, axiology, logic, rhetorical language (POEMALoR) for easening paradigm attributes’ clarity among university novice researchers .This paper is organised on subsections of: Introduction covering: study background, objectives, literature  review, significance and methodology. Then follows data findings and discussion, it ends with conclusion and recommendation.