Philosophy of science and leisure research: an exploratory analysis of research paradigms

The purpose of this exploratory analysis was to examine paradigmatic trends within leisure research. Thomas Kuhn's philosophy of science suggested that a field is the operational paradigm composed of a set of assumptions that include theories, methodology and instruments that guide inquiry. In contemporary leisure research, the scholarship being produced can be categorized into four research paradigms: (post)positivist, interpretive, critical and post×. The sample for this exploratory study included two timeframes (1991–1993 and 2014–2016) resulting in a total sample of N = 495 articles. Results confirmed evidence of a dominant (post)positivism in leisure research in the first sample and a trend toward paradigmatic pluralism in the second. Findings suggest that the philosophy of Larry Laudan's 'research traditions' may be a more accurate model, compared to Kuhnian philosophy, for discourse within the leisure field. Additionally, results indicate a lack of paradigmatic and ontological and epistemological reflexivity among authors in leisure research.