Lecture3 - Intro to Scientific Research.pdf
- 1. LECTURE 3 26 September2022 (2.00 – 4.00 pm) Introduction to Scientific Research, Paradigms and the Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
- 2. Scientific Research asystematic, controlled empirical and critical investigation of propositions about the presumed relationships about various phenomena.
- 3. Systematic This implies thatthe procedures adopted to undertake an investigation follow a certain logical sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a haphazard way. Some procedures must follow others
- 4. Controlled many factorsaffect an outcome: A particular event is seldom the result of a one-to-one relationship; some relationships are more complex than others; and most outcomes are a sequel to the interplay of a multiplicity of relationships and interacting factors. In a study of cause-and-effect relationships it is important to be able to link the effect(s) with the cause(s) and vice versa. In the study of causation, the establishment of this linkage is essential; however, in practice, particularly in the social sciences, it is extremely difficult – and often impossible – to make the link.
- 5. Critical Critical scrutinyof the procedures used and the methods employed is crucial to a research enquiry. The process of investigation must be fool- proof and free from any drawbacks. The process adopted and the procedures used must be able to withstand critical scrutiny
- 6. Scientific Research away to gather or collect evidence for our practice. one of the ways to find answers to our questions. is a process for collecting, analysing and interpreting information to answer questions.
- 7. Scientific Research aresearch study to find out answers to a question means that the process being applied: is being undertaken within a framework of a set of philosophies; uses procedures, methods and techniques that have been tested for their validity and reliability; is designed to be unbiased and objective
- 8. Scientific Research A setof ideas, a framework (theory, ontology) A set of questions (epistemology) Specific ways (methodology, analysis)
- 9. Research Paradigms beliefsabout the nature of knowledge a set of philosophical assumptions about the phenomena to be studied, about how they can be understood.
- 10. Research Paradigms aperspective about research held by a community of researchers. This perspective is based on a set of shared assumptions, concepts, values, and practices, terminology, methods and techniques to understand social phenomena.
- 11. Research Paradigms arecharacterized by their distinctive: ontology—“what is the nature of the knowable? or what is the nature of reality?” epistemology—“what is the relationship between the knower (the inquirer) and the known (or knowable)?” or what is the paradigm’s theory of knowledge methodology— “how should the inquirer go about finding out knowledge?” or, more specifically, what methods should be used in research?
- 12. Ontology (1) aphilosophical belief system about the nature of social reality—what can be known and how, or what are the characteristics of things that exist? For example, is the social world patterned and predictable, or is the social world continually being constructed through human interactions and rituals?
- 13. Ontology (2) These assumptionsrepresent the two very different ontological perspectives A researcher’s ontological assumptions impact topic selection, the formulation of research questions, and strategies for conducting the research
- 14. Epistemology The researcher’sontological and epistemological positions form the philosophical basis of a research project This philosophical foundation impacts every aspect of the research process, including topic selection, question formulation, method selection, sampling, and research design
- 15. Research Paradigms Eachdimension impacts how a research question is formulated, how a project is conceptualized, and how a study is carried out. ontological and epistemological positions invariably inform methodological and methods choices
- 16. Research Paradigms guide aresearcher to discover knowledge - positivism - interpretivism - critical theory/science
- 17. positivism there are universallaws that govern social events, and uncovering these laws enables researchers to describe, predict, and control social phenomena.
- 18. Quantitative Approach Basedon “the model of science” - Positivism
- 19. Positivism Positivism holdsthat there is a knowable reality that exists independent of the research process. The social world, like the natural world, is governed by rules, which result in patterns. Accordingly, causal relationships between variables exist and can even be identified, proven, and explained. Thus, patterned social reality is predictable and can potentially be controlled. This describes the nature of social reality from the positivist perspective.
- 20. Positivism Reality consistsof what is available to the senses (what can be seen, smelt, touched, etc.). Inquiry should be based upon scientific observation. The natural and human sciences share common logical and methodological principles, dealing with facts and not with values.
- 21. Assumptions about positivism As physical world and social world are similar, then social phenomena can be studied as in physical phenomena. As theory is universal, then principles and inferences can be used to describe an individual’s behavior and phenomena in the settings.
- 22. Quantitative Approach Formulatea research question Develop a hypothesis Define variables Construct measurement instrument Coding Sampling (random sampling) Reliability and validity checks
- 23. Interpretivism to understandhow people see, think, and feel about the world, seeking to grasp diverse perspectives in their own terms. Here, the links between perspectives and actions, and between behaviour and its effects, are seen as complex and uncertain, rather than reducible to statements about fixed relationships.
- 24. critical theory Refers tothe notion of equity or social justice. seeks to explain social inequities through which individuals can take actions to change injustices
- 25. Qualitative Research a broadapproach to the study of social phenomena a way of knowing through collecting / gathering data by organizing and interpreting information obtained from people using his/her eyes and ears.
- 26. Qualitative Research A situatedactivity that locates the observer in the world Consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible.
- 27. Qualitative Research isenacted in naturalistic settings, draws on multiple methods that respect the humanity of the participants in the study, focuses on context, is emergent and evolving, and is fundamentally interpretive.
- 28. Qualitative Research ifthe purpose of the study is primarily to describe a situation, phenomenon, problem or event if the information is gathered through the use of variables measured on nominal or ordinal scales (qualitative measurement scales). if the analysis is done to establish the variation in the situation, phenomenon or problem without quantifying it.
- 29. Qualitative Research A situatedactivity that locates the observer in the world Consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible.
- 30. Qualitative Research asProcess A set of ideas, a framework (theory, ontology) A set of questions (epistemology) Specific ways (methodology, analysis)