ARIN 2000

1
ARIN 2000

• Research Methodologies and Research Methods

2
Lecture Overview

• What is research?
• Conceptual frameworks and Research Methodologies
• Research methods

3
What is research?
??????
4
What is research?

• Oxford Concise Dictionary
• research
• The systematic investigation into and study of
  materials, sources, etc, in order to establish
  facts and reach new conclusions
• An endeavour to discover new or collate old facts
  etc by the scientific study of a subject or by a
  course of critical investigation

5
What is research?

• This definition of research is useful because it
  focuses on the fact that research is a systematic
  process
• We need to follow a research methodology and use
  appropriate research methods if we want our
  research to be taken seriously

6
The Research Framework

• Research Methodologies are frameworks within
  which research is undertaken
• Research Methodologies are informed by different
  epistemologies or research paradigms
• Epistemology philosophical theory of knowledge
  How do we know things about the world? What is
  our view of reality?

7
Epistemologies
8
Research Methodology

• Three Main Research Methodologies
• Positivism
• Interpretivism
• Critical inquiry
• These methodologies are informed by the
  philosophical stance or epistemology underpinning
  them

9
Positivism

• Informed by objectivist epistemology
• Social sciences should follow a natural science
  model
• Scientific, rational(follows the enlightenment
  project of progress through reason)
• Values neutrality, objectivity and detachment -
  the detached observer/researcher
• Scientific research is value free
• Attempts to discover reality, universal laws
  (nomothetic)
• Causality, logical deductions, empirical evidence
  (experience and observation)
• Underpinning philosophy and assumptions often
  left unstated
• Aim explaining the object of research,
  measurement, prediction, efficiency, control

10
Interpretivism

• Informed by constructivism
• Sees social science research as being quite
  different from natural sciences model
• Views reality as socially constructed
• Goes beyond empirical data - investigates human
  mind and consciousness
• Is interested in discovering how individuals
  experience life and construct meaning in various
  social frameworks (for example family,
  organisations, subcultures, etc)
• Does not claim to be neutral or objective,
  researcher takes an insiders view, tries to
  understand individual experiences
• Values are an integral part of social
  life(values are relative and dependent on
  context)

11
Interpretivism

• hermeneutics - focuses on interpreting or
  understanding (Verstehen) social practices and
  texts (cf. explaining which is the focus of the
  positivist methodology)
• symbolic interactionism - focuses on the changing
  meanings people attribute to social objects and
  practices as a result of social interaction and
  social relationships
• Aim understanding, interpreting and describing
  the object of research

12
Critical Inquiry

• Critical Inquiry Methodologies are more
  explicitly political in their epistemology than
  Positivism or Interpretivism
• Informed by Marxist and neo-Marxist
  understandings
• Sees reality as historically constructed and
  determined by social, economic and political
  forces
• Values are an integral part of social life (seeks
  to reveal ideologies and power structures)
• Aim emancipation and transformation, revealing
  power structures, raising consciousness,
  empowerment and social change
• Does not claim to be neutral or impartial, makes
  its bias clear
• Feminist Theory
• Postmodernism

13
Methodologies cf. Methods

• Research Methodologies conceptual frameworks
  and assumptions used to inform research
• Research Methods research techniques or
  procedures used to gather and analyse data

14
Research Methods (Tools)

• Surveys
• Interviews
• Field Research
• Ethnography
• Participant observation
• Focus groups
• Case studies
• Content analysis
• Comparative analysis
• Experiments
• Action Research
• etc

15
Types of Research Method

• Quantitative
• Measures objective facts
• Large sample sizes
• Focus on variables
• Statistical analysis
• Researcher is detached
• Typical research methods surveys, experiments,
  observation etc

• Qualitative
• Describes socially constructed reality
• Small sample sizes
• Focus on interactive processes and events
• Thematic analysis
• Researcher is involved
• Typical research methods interviews, participant
  observation, focus groups, action research etc

16
Quantitative and Qualitative Research

• Quantitative Research is frequently associated
  with positivist methodologies
• Qualitative Research is frequently associated
  with interpretivist and critical methodologies
• However, quantitative research can be used within
  interpretive and critical methodologies and
  qualitative research can be used within
  positivist methodologies.

17
Types of research

• Exploratory
• Descriptive
• Explanatory

18
Research Exploratory

• Learn about a new topic or area
• Generate new ideas and concepts
• Used to help formulate research questions for
  more systematic research

19
Research Descriptive

• Provide a detailed picture of a social
  phenomenon, process, group etc
• Create a set of categories or classifications
• This type of research is often found in scholarly
  journals and is used for making policy decisions

20
Research Explanatory

• Endeavours to answer why things happen or or why
  things are the way they are
• Determines causes
• Looks for general principles that can be applied
• Tests theories and hypotheses

21
Research Timeframes

• Cross-sectional
• snapshot approach, looks at a single point in
  time
• Advantage simple and cheap
• Disadvantage cant show social processes/change
• Longitutional
• Time series - data collected from multiple time
  periods on a group of people/organisations
• Panel - data collected from multiple time periods
  from exactly the same people/group/organisation
• Cohort analysis - follows similar group of
  people (a cohort) rather than exactly the same
  people
• Case Study - involves only one or a small number
  of cases (people/groups/ organisations) and
  investigates them in depth

22
Research Sources

• Primary Sources(research you produce yourself)
• Interviews
• Surveys
• Observation
• Questionnaires
• Experiments
• etc

• Secondary Sources(already existing research)
• Government reports and statistics
• Previous research
• Photographs, films, video, TV, paintings
• Books, magazines, newspapers, websites,
• etc

23
The Research Process
24
Summary

• Research Methodology - theoretical framework for
  research
• Positivist
• Interpretive
• Critical
• Research Methods - techniques and tools to
  collect and analyse data
• Research Methods can be quantitative or
  qualitative
• Quantitative methods associated with positivism
• Qualitative methods associated with
  interpretivism
• This is NOT a fixed rule

25
Summary

• Research Sources can be Primary or Secondary
• Research Timeframes include
• Cross-sectional
• Longitutional (time-series, panel, cohort, case
  study)
• Types of research include
• Exploratory
• Descriptive
• Explanatory (within critical framework can also
  be emancipating or transforming)

26
Next week

• Research Design
• Start thinking about possible topics you are
  interested in researching

27
References

• Babbie, Earl R. 2001 The practice of social
  research (9th edition), Wadsworth Thomson
  Learning, Belmont, CA.
• Crotty, M. 1998 The foundations of social
  research meaning and perspective in the
  research process, Allen Unwin, St Leonards,
  NSW.
• Myers, M and Avison, D (eds), 2002 Qualitative
  Research in Information Systems A Reader, Sage,
  London.
• Neuman, W. Lawrence, 2003, Social research
  methods qualitative and quantitative approaches,
  5th ed., Allyn and Bacon, Boston.