Research Methodologies:A Module within DMN 905

 

Many Students Think Research is a Matter of Data Collection and

Reporting:

Data Synthesis

Data

Data

Data

Data

Report

 

This is Not Research. Research Demands a Question. This is a

Better Model:

Data Synthesis

Data

Data

Data

Data

InformationQuestion

Conclusions

Recommendations

    

 Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

E.W. Kenyon:

    

 Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

    

 Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

    

 Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

    

 Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

    

 Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

    

 

Developing Questions from a Working Knowledge

Developing Research Questions around E.W. Kenyon

What influence did the metaphysical New Thought philosophy have on his teachings?

This will likely need to be narrowed to one aspect of his teachings, e.g. his view of the atonement.

Was Kenyon a Gnostic?

Was Kenyon correct biblically in saying that our faith can force God to act?

What was Kenyon’s influence on the Word Faith movement of today?Not a good question on two counts:

It is easily answered (Word Faith leaders see him as the father of their movement) It is a blunt point – too broad. Kenyon’s influence was much too wide-ranging to be covered in a single research project.

    

 Developing Preliminary Outlines From Research Questions

1. What influence did metaphysical New Thought have on E.W. Kenyon’s doctrine of the atonement?

I. Introduction (Influence of New Thought on Kenyon in general)

II. E.W. Kenyon’s Doctrine of the Atonement

III. Relevant Teachings in New Thought

IV. Influence of New Thought on Kenyon’s Doctrine of the Atonement

V. Conclusion

    

  Developing Preliminary Outlines From

Research Questions

2. Who was the real Lucretia Borgia?

I. Introduction II. The Lucretia of historical legend III. Balancing view of Lucretia IV. Conclusion

3. With regard to the time of the Exodus from Egypt, is the earlier or later date to be preferred?

I. Introduction II. Arguments in favour of the late date. III. Arguments in favour of the early date. IV. Conclusion

 

Research Questions:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

(Think of a research question as an arrow seeking to reach a target)

  a. The arrow that does not exist:    

This is the paper that has no question to direct it and thus no target to hit.  Instead, the writer has assumed that simply explaining the subject matter of whatever the topic might be is enough.  To the question, "What is the purpose of your paper?" the answer is, "I didn't know it had to have a purpose."  Such a paper is doomed.

  b. The blunt arrow  

This arrow makes its point a broad, blunt rectangle by dealing with a broad issue rather than focusing on a narrow one.  This arrow might ask something like:  “What is the best way to revitalize a Sunday School program?”   With a question like that, it’s not really clear what limits you want to set to your answer.   You can detail all the events leading up the war, but you will simply end up with a survey that bounces off the target, not actually solving any problem or answering a real question

  c. The multi-pointed arrow:    

It looks strange and it flies strangely.  The main problem is that this arrow seems to want to hit three areas of the target and will be fortunate even to stick to the target at all.  Picture this research question: “I want to look at the reason why teens leave the church and how to get them back and how to help their parents raise them.” What is it that you want to answer here?  I see three research projects pretending to be one.  How are you going to unify them?  Having three points of focus means you really have no focus at all.  As you do your research you will find that your bibliography has to cover three times as much territory as it would if you only had one question.  Your reader will be uncertain about your purpose, and chances are none of your three questions will be answered with the depth they deserve.

   d. The simply fuzzy arrow     

This arrow has a cloud instead of a point.  It will likely float away before it ever reaches the target.  This is a research question that doesn’t appear to have any well-defined point at all.  It might look something like this: “What’s going on with this emerging church movement?” My question in response is, “What are you trying to accomplish with such a question?”  It’s not at all clear what your point is.  Are you asking what the emerging church is, or what it’s doing right now, or are you implying a criticism of it?  There’s no way to research and write such a paper until its point is defined.

     e. The never-will-fly arrow

     

  This arrow has a point, but any archer will tell you that it won’t fly straight or reach the target, because it’s built wrong.  It has a target to discover, but it’s one of those questions that is built to fail, because its very formulation is all wrong.  It has gaps in its shaft (replace by wire) and no feathers.  What does a question that’s look like?  “What is the connection between the emerging church movement and Billy Graham’s evangelism?”

There doesn’t seem to be any logical connection between the two, nor is there any apparent way to find data that will help to make the connection.

       f. The arrow that’s already there

                             

   

This is a research question that’s so easily answered that there is no research to do.  For example: “Does the ministry of Jesus support the concept of servant leadership?”

If it isn’t obvious that it does, then you haven’t read the Gospels.Better to ask:

“How does the ministry of Jesus show how to practice servant leadership while at the same time maintaining a leader role?”

    

 The Concept of the Data Record

The hitchhiker's guide to the meaning of everything / William Badke. Grand Rapids, MI : Kregel Publications, 2005. BS511.3 .B33 2005

    

 The Concept of the Data Record

    

 The Concept of the Data Record

 

Keyword Searching withBoolean Operators

 

The "OR" Command

This command is most often done when you have two words with the same meaning (cars, automobiles) or two words that are related (exegesis, interpretation)

= exegesis OR interpretation

You are indicating that you don’t care if the data has “exegesis” in it or “interpretation” – you want that data

 

The “AND" Command

This command is done when want two or more words to appear in the same data. This will narrow the topic and reduce the number of results over what you would get with either of the words alone:

= exegesis AND Malachi

You are indicating you don’t want material just on exegesis or just on Malachi, but only exegesis of Malachi.

 

The “NOT" Command

This command is done rarely. Its purpose is to exclude words that are bringing you data you don’t want. It is often part of a “nested” search command, for example:

(exegesis AND Malachi) NOT Elijah

where you want material on exegesis of Malachi, but not the Eljah passages within Malachi

 

Truncation and Wildcards

In order to avoid multiple searches, some databases (but not GOOGLE) allow you to do truncation. For example, searches like this:

Discipl*Discipl$ (our library catalog uses this one)

Discipl?

depending on the database and its rules, could mean:

Disciple AND disciples AND discipleship AND discipling

all in one search.

 

Truncation and Wildcards

Wildcards are technically truncation within a word, e.g.:

Wom*nWom#nWom?n

to search for:

Woman AND women

in one search.

Sometimes the term “wildcard” is used to mean truncation at the end of a word, so the meaning of this term is a bit slippery.

 

Controlled Vocabularies

The concept of a controlled vocabulary is one of the most difficult to teach in all of research training.

Imagine that you want to find some books or articles on the ethics of taking someone’s life because that person is suffering, and you think the person would be better off dead. What would you call this?

Euthanasia?Mercy Killing?Right to Die?

Assisted Suicide?

It could be any one or all of these terms. Thus you have to do multiple searches, and there may be other terms you haven’t thought of.

 

Controlled Vocabularies

Imagine that someone could make the choice for you so that you could use only one term and find everything in the database on your topic.

Let’s, for example, choose Euthanasia as the term you will use to search for material on this concept.

That would mean you would NOT use “Mercy Killing” or any other term. Everything on this topic would be searchable under Euthanasia.

 

Controlled Vocabularies

The Library of Congress in Washington, DC faced this problem back in the late 1800s.

There were no computers, so patrons could only search for books on a certain topic by going to a drawer of cards filed alphabetically that had that topic at the top of each card.

Clearly, it would not be good to have some cards in the E’s, with Euthanasia at the top, and other cards in the M’s with Mercy Killing at the top.

Thus the Library of Congress staff created a list of subject headings that they authorized, adding synonyms that they would not use. This created a “Controlled Vocabulary,” a list of authorized subject headings.

  Controlled Vocabularies

(From the website of Duke University Library)

  Controlled Vocabularies

Within the “catalog record” for each book was incorporated the controlled vocabulary subject heading system:

  Controlled Vocabularies

Note that controlled vocabularies are not keywords. With a subject heading like Emerging Church Movement, you can find most items on the emerging church. (Note that this is a new subject heading for a new subject, so it covers only those emerging church books published from 2007 on).

  Controlled Vocabularies

Keywords Controlled Vocabularies

Search words formulated by YOU

Search words predetermined by someone else

You have to have the right words or you will miss things

One search should get you just about everything on the topic

You can put your terms in any combination you want, using Boolean operators like AND, OR, etc.

The format and order of your terms is pre-set. You can’t combine subject headings nor use Boolean operators.

You can change your words whenever you like

The words absolutely CANNOT BE CHANGED

  Journal Articles

At this point we turn to live demonstration of journal databases.

Evaluation

Reading and Organizing

Reading and Organizing

Reading and Organizing

Reading and Organizing

Reading and Organizing

Reading and Organizing