An Introduction to the Critical Paradigm in Educational Administration

Taking the fundemnentals of ontology, epistemology and methodology into consideration, EA like other academic fields is widely influenced by the overall evolution of scientific paradigms.The first studies of EA were formed by "positivism school" in the early 20th century and since then interpretative, critical and post modern paradigms ensued. any studies have been done by EA researchers using these paradigms. The current article aims at applying and promoting the concepts derived from critical paradigm in the field of EA consisting two parts. The first part describes background and evolution of the theoritical approach involved in EA, followed by an indication of critical paradigm in the field of EA.The second part is devoted to presenting and summarizing one of the most authentic books in the field of critical paradigm in EA titled "Paradigms and Promises: New Approaches to Educational Administration" written by William Foster in 1986 and translated into Farsi by Dr Ali Alagheband in 2021. The article concludes by presenting some further applications of critical paradigm in the field of EA.