research methods i - lecture 1 - research, what is it (good for)?
DESCRIPTION
The first lecture in a freshman course on pluralistic approaches to research methodology.TRANSCRIPT
Research Methods 1Research, what is it (good for)? – Lecture 1
Welcome
• Who am I?• What do I do (and how can you help)?
• What is this course about?– Research Methods 1, 2, and Project– Course structure
The Research Methods Semester
Research Methods I
(SKI1004)
Research Methods II
(SKI1005)
Doing Your Research Project(PRO1011)
Period 1 & 4 Period 2 & 5 Period 3 & 6
Semester 1 & 2
(Currently incorrectly titled ‘Research Proposal Writing’ in the
Course Catalog)What is (good) research?
Analyzing data
Presenting results
Writing a research proposalMany ways of
doing research
The research process
Asking the right questions
Practical Issues
• RTFM• House rules• Assessment• Literature
– Getting the book– Using assigned literature
• Shaping this course
Topics for today
• What is research methods?• Research methods vocabulary &
different approaches• The place of theory in research• The role of literature in research (if we
still have time for that)
What is research?
• To create new knowledge• Finding answers to questions (or problems)
– Posing the right questions to begin with.– Answering those questions systematically.
What is research not (necessarily)?
• Complex, difficult, hard to do.• Statistics, or generally done with a
computer.• Boring (no really!)
What are Methods?
• The systematic process by which we conduct research.
• Rooted in certain assumptions on ‘reality’ and ‘knowledge’ (which we’ll discuss next week).
• Methodology vs. ‘techniques’ (sometimes called ‘methods’)
Basic Process of doing Research
Define topic Formulate question
Decide on approach
Gather information
(data)Analyze Present
Three Approaches to ResearchQualitative research:– Focuses on individual meanings.– Tends to use open ended questions.– Collects data in participant’s setting.– Moves from particulars to general themes (inductive; we’ll get to that).– Written report tends to be flexible in structure.Quantitative research:– Tests the relationships among measurable things (variables; we’ll get to
that as well).– Tends to use closed ended questions.– Produces numerical data.– Uses statistical analysis of data generated.– Tests theories deductively, final report is structured.Mixed methods research: – Collects and integrates both quantitative and qualitative data.– May provide a more comprehensive analysis of a given research
problem.
Criteria for Selecting a Research Approach
Quantitative approach is best when:– Testing causal relationships (factor/s that influence a particular
outcome).– Evaluating the usefulness or successes of an intervention.– Establishing which factors best predict an outcome.– Testing theories or explanations.
Qualitative approach is best when:– The Researcher is uncertain about which are the most important
variables to be examined.– If the topic is new, sample population is unexplored by the topic
or the dominant explanations may not apply to a given sample population.
– If we want to understand hard to quantify concepts better (‘meanings’, ‘identities’, etc.).
Criteria for Selecting a Research Approach (continued)
Mixed Methods approach is best when: – Neither quantitative nor qualitative approaches will adequately
examine the variables being researched.– The Researcher wants to capitalize on the strengths of both
qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• Personal Experiences– Training– Preferences– Time– Resources– Experiences
• Audience– Advisors– Journal editors– Graduate committees– Colleagues in the field
Confirmatory vs. Exploratory
• Confirmatory: is it true what we believe based on the existing theory and literature?
• Exploratory: what is going on here, and how can we explain it?
Research logics
• Deductive: work from the ‘top down’.• Inductive: work from the ‘bottom up’.
• Nomothetic: aims to generalize, and come up with ‘universal’ laws.
• Idiographic: aims to specify, and come up with particularistic meanings and descriptions.
Variables
• A variable is a characteristic of an individual or group that is measurable.
• Variables may have temporal order, or be measurable or observable.
• Normally used within quantitative approaches.• Not used very often in qualitative approaches
(though they can be).
Types of Variables
• Independent– Variables that (probably) cause outcomes
• Dependent– The outcomes that depend on the independent variables
• Intervening or mediating– Variables that stand between the independent and dependent
variables• Control
– Independent variables that are measured and statistically "controlled"
• Confounding– Variables that could also affect the dependent variables, but
cannot or will not be measured
Types of information in variables
• Data:– Categorical
1. Nominal2. Ordinal
– Quantifiable3. Interval4. Ratio
Population
• The whole (theoretical) group of people, things, observations, phenomena, etc. that we wish to make statements about.
Size of the sample
• N = Number of people, things, observations, etc. in the sample.
Quality control: Validity
• Internal validity: Do we measure what we intend to measure?
• External validity: Can we generalize this to the population to which we want to?
Quality control: Reliability
• Are the ways in which we are measuring things consistent over time, or between cases?
The Nature of Theories
‘A set of interrelated constructs (concepts), definitions, and propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relations among variables, with the purpose of explaining and predicting phenomena.’
(Kerlinger, 2000: 9)
The Use of Theory
• The literature determines what theories may be used to examine the research questions
• Quantitative studies tend to test theories as explanations
• Qualitative studies may generate the theory• Mixed methods studies may have no theories
at all or a theoretical framework in which both quantitative and qualitative data are collected
The Use of Literature
• Provide a summary of major studies on the research problem.
• Demonstrate the writers knowledge of the topic/problem/issue.
• Integrate what others have done and said about the topic/problem/issue.
• May criticize previous scholarly works on the topic/problem/issue.
The Use of Literature in a Quantitative Study
In quantitative studies the literature is used deductively as it provides a framework for the research questions and hypothesis
– Provide direction to the research questions and hypotheses
– Introduce a problem– Introduce and describe the theory that will be used– Examine the usefulness of the theory– Compare results with existing literature or predictions
Selecting Literature Material
1. Broad syntheses (such as encyclopedias) Especially if you are new to the topic
2. Journal articles3. Academic books4. Conference papers5. Dissertations6. Reports on the web
Style: Definition of Terms & Concepts
• Qualitative studies are inductive and evolutionary in nature hence the definition of terms may appear later in the written report, perhaps in the data analysis.
• Quantitative studies are deductive with a fixed set of objectives, hence all relevant terms are comprehensively defined earlier in the study.
• In Mixed methods studies the definition of relevant terms follows the use of (earlier or later in the study) and emphasis placed on quantitative and qualitative approaches.
What is bad research?
1. Research that is fraudulent.2. Research that is in a technical sense correct, but
misleading.3. Research that is sloppy or poorly written.4. Research that is made in good faith, but in error.5. Research that makes extremely small or
incremental arguments.6. Research that has no real-world application.