DELIVERING THE GOODS, SHOWING OUR STUFF - THE CASE FOR A CONSTRUCTIVIST PARADIGM FOR HEALTH PROMOTION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

This article argues that there has been a tendency to empower the ''co nventional'' positivist paradigm in health promotion research, often a t the expense of confounding or ignoring much of health promotion prac tice. This article argues further that a ''constructivist'' research p aradigm not only has the potential to resolve some of the tensions bet ween research and practice in health promotion but also is inclusive o f knowledge generated by the conventional paradigm. The usefulness of a constructivist paradigm is demonstrated through the use of four prac tice-based case examples drawn from actual community-based health prom otion efforts. The congruence of a constructivist paradigm with the he alth promotion principles of empowerment and community participation a re discussed. Finally, this article argues for the acceptance of the l egitimacy of knowledge generated from the constructivist paradigm and concludes that this paradigm is more suited to the goals of current he alth promotion.