Paradigm

How Alien Scientist See the Earth?
Image from: http://www.alientimes.org/Main/AlienScientist042

"Paradigm" is a word that confused me for a long time.  I only know that from a research perspective in social science, the paradigm could be categorized into "quantitative/positivism" and "qualitative/interpretivism." But what is the exact meaning for the word itself.  I've tried to look it up everywhere, included both dictionaries in Chinese and English, those explanation never satisfied me. Until I read a passage from Patton's book last week, I think the word begins make sense of me:

"A paradigm is a worldview-- a way of thinking about and making sense of the complexities of the real world. As such, paradigm are deeply embedded in the socialization of adherents and practitioners. Paradigm tell us what is important, legitimate, and reasonable. Paradigms are also normative, telling the practitioner what to do without the necessity of long existential or epistemological consideration "

That's why we have the debate between extreme quantitative researchers and qualitative researchers (or, we can add a third category, the critical researchers) because they look things differently. It is also associated to  the assumption if there is a true reality in the world (ontology) and the way to know the world (epistemology).