Transcript Research Philosophies

Research Philosophies
Planning Research
Chapter 4
Why is it important?
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It can help you choose the research
method
Assist you to evaluate different
research methods
It may help you to be creative by
choosing or adapting research
methods
Two main philosophies
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Positivism
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A more objective interpretation of reality
Using hard data form surveys
Phenomenology
(interpretivism/constructionism)
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Examine people and their behavior
Features
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Positivism
The world is external
and objective
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Science is value-free
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Focus on facts
Structured and formal
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Phenomenology
The world is socially
constructed and
subjective
Science is driven by
human interests and
motives
Focus on meanings
Evolving and flexible
The positivist researcher
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Take the stance of a natural scientist
Remain distanced fram the object that
you study
Focus on facts
Use a structured methodology
The interpretive researcher
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Seek insight into phenomena
Try to understand and interpret what is
occurring and why
Focus on finding and understanding
meanings
Less structured and less formal
methodology
Conjunction/Triangulation
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Combining the strength of both
philosophies
May enhance the process of
systematizing your research
While retaining the ability to investigate
phenomena in depth
Research approaches
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Deduction
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Moving from the known to the unknown
Induction
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The evidence leads the researcher to a
conclusion
Deduction
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The conclusion is drawn first
The research is all about proving it to
be correct or incorrect
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Develop a hypothesis
Express it in operational terms
Test the hypothesis
Examine the outcome
Eventually modify the theory
Induction
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Advantages
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Helps make causes between particilar variables
and the way they are interpreted
Helps you explain why a particular phenomena
is taking place
Disadvantages
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More effective with a small sample
The risk og finding no useful data patterns and
theories are higher
Continuum
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The deductive and theory-driven
approach
can be used alongside
The inductive and phenomena-driven
approach
Inductive /phenomenology
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Particularly interrested in
understanding why something is
happening
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Rather than
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Describing what is happening
Qualitative/Quantitative
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The phenomenology approach is
usually associated with
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induction and
qualitative approach
Conclusions drawn from such research
designs cannot be generalized
Two systematic approaches
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Quantitative
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Qualitative
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Objective
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Deductive
Generalizable
Numbers
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There are issues
about ”objectivity”
Inductive
Not generalizable
Words
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Conjunction/Triangulation
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A combination of the two offers the
best of two worlds!
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If you think that a mixed methodology
is appropriate then do not hessitate to
adopt it.
Assignment
Positivism
Phenomenology
Constructionism
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Apply the following terms to the
continuum above
Qualitative
Quantitative
Deductive
Inductive
The levels of scientific
approach
1.
2.
3.
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Research Design – methodology
Research Strategy – case study,
observations, surveys
Research Methods – data collection,
interpretation, analysis
Apply these levels to the continuum in the
assignment above
Triangulation
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Explain triangulation in relation to the
figure you have just constructed by
assembling the continuum and the
levels og scientific approach
How can triangulatoin be used in
planning a research?