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what is research
defining research
the research process
how does research matter to every one.
the implication of your researcher
how does research matter to you
purposes of research
- identifying problems
- addressing uncertainties
- identifying relationships between variables
- finding solutions
- developing theories
- planning for the future
research as a cyclical process
1 identifying and analyzing the problem
2 finding and reading the literature
3 formulating you question or hypotheses
4 choosing an approach
5 writing your research proposal
6 pretesting your research data collection methods or instruments
7 sample and collect you data
8 analyzing and interpreting your information
9 writing your report
research topics
exploratory research
explanatory research
descriptive research
stage 2: focus on articles that contain key words and info relevant
stage 3
stage 1: research databases
a hypotheses is a statement the you will ether attempt to accept or reject at the end of your research
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feasibility
ethical implementations
what are you researching
why is it worth doing
how are you going to gather
research paradigms and traditions
ways of generating knowledge
the three dominant research traditions.
what is a paradigm
describes a cluster of beliefs and dictate which for scientists in a particular discipline influence what should be studied, how research should be done and how results should be interpreted
the three cognitive interests or sciences, by habermas
historical hermeneutic
empirical analytical (empirical research is concerned with phenomena that is conformable through observation)
critically oriented (to free people from all forms of domination and oppression and to use knowledge to empower people to do so, ideally researchers should use both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in their search for the truth)
(primary goal is to gain understanding, more interested in symbolism and the way in which people use them to gain understanding)
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objective knowledge (free from culture and absolutely certain)
subjective (the researcher's own interests and expectation)
interpretivism
critical realism
positivism
positions
to expose myths and empower people to transform society radically.
epistemological position knowledge should supply people with the tools needed to change their own world.
ontological position reality changes over time and is governed by underlying structures.
ontological position reality is external and objective and the laws that govern it can be discovered
methodological position reliability is important, objective quantitative research is used
to discover causal relationships in order to predict and control events
meta-theoretical position by establishing causal relationships we can predict effects and therefore take action to manipulate or control phenomena
epistemological position the only valid knowledge is knowledge produced by empirical observation
methodological position subjective qualitative methods are used
meta-theoretical position theory should tell a story in order to create an in depth understanding of other peoples realities.
- axiological position* uniqueness is valued
ontological position reality is fluid and subjective and is created by human interaction
methodological position mixed methods are used (quantitative, qualitative and quantitative methods are combined.
meta-theoretical position theory should be a critique that reveals true social conditions and that helps people to see the way to a better world.
to understand and describe meaningful social action and experiences
epistemological position something is seen as knowledge when it feels right to those being studied. common sense is an important source of knowledge.
axiological position freedom, equality and emancipation are valued.
methodological position
epistemological position (ontos-being) the study of being, existence or realty
meta-theoretical position (meta-about) theory of theory
epistemological position (episteme- knowledge) (the study of knowledge) deals with what counts as knowledge)
axiological position (axios-worthy) study of values and judgments
axiological position objective research, truth and reason is valued.
theory in research
defining theory (is a systemic description of the concepts, constructs and relationships of specific processes of phenomena in a given discipline)
types of theories
the nature of theory
the basic components of theories
functions of theories
evaluating theories
theories vs models
characteristic of theories
the systems approach
the theoretical framework
working theories
scholarly theories
commonsense theory
theories are abstractions and hence are partial and incomplete explanations or description of a phenomenon.
theories are constructions that provide ways to view a phenomenon.
theory is a conceptual representation or explanation of a phenomenon. theories are abstract concept and construction of a phenomenon
assumptions (theoretical statements that cannot be confirmed by direct observation
concepts have a label and a definition
relationships theories describe relationships between concepts
prediction and explanation.
prediction (is a statement that an event or out come of a research study will occur.)
explanation can either be ordinary or theoretical. an ordinary explanation describes aspects of every day life in order to make it more understandable. a theoretical explanation includes a logical argument or poisons and explains the concepts and underlying principals that establish the argument.
identify and select what concepts or key areas of a phenomenon to study
explain the relationships between concepts
organise experiences into smaller categories
validity
parsimony
heuristic value
appropriateness
theoretical scope
external constancy (how understandable is it in comparison to other theories )
internal consistency (the logical use of ideas and constructs in the development of a theory)
openness
direction of theorizing
inductive (from more specific to the more general)
deductive (reasoning from general assumptions to more specific assumptions.)
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levels of analysis
macrotheory
mesotheory
micro theory
paradigm or tradition
interpretivist theorizing
interpretivist theorizing
positivist theorizing
critical theorizing
a set of elements that are dependent on one another and work together in a stable way as a total and whole unit or entity.
specific collection of though and theories that relate to the phenomenon
functions of a theoretical frame work
it points to concepts on which we focus
to outline the theoretical scope
assists us identifying key variables
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