1 / 39

Research Method:

The Art and the Science. Research Method:. Associate Professor Barbara Adkins Faculty Research Office Creative Industries Faculty. Developing, Embedding and Communicating the Craft of your Research. A story about the work - what contribution it makes and how it does this.

cael
Download Presentation

Research Method:

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Art and the Science Research Method: Associate Professor Barbara Adkins Faculty Research Office Creative Industries Faculty

  2. Developing, Embedding and Communicating the Craft of your Research

  3. A story about the work - what contribution it makes and how it does this

  4. Today is about two elements in this discourse: Ways to talk about 1 Research Questions and Research Approaches 2 Research Design and Process

  5. Part 1: Research Questions and Research Approaches

  6. Research questions arise out of your observations of a current state of knowledge: • Very little knowledge or understanding of a phenomenon – Research is exploratory, descriptive, let the data speak - Questions tend to be “what” questions • Some current knowledge but requires clarification • Research is about enhancing existing propositions or theories • Questions tend to be more developed “what” questions or “why” questions

  7. ...or • Knowledge is well developed but needs more/better evidence base -Does a theory still hold in different contexts? - Under what conditions does it work?

  8. The Story about knowledge gaps and research questions... Are the Researchquestions derived from an assessment of the status of knowledge in the thesis topic area and formed in response to this assessment? - this is one of the jobs of the “lit review”

  9. The next step.... “The thesis now turns to a review of the research approach best suited to addressing these questions” Research Approaches

  10. Some language to describe research approaches Key distinctions in research approach and a checklist

  11. What Theoretical/Conceptual Approach best enables me to capture the relationships and processes identified in the research question?

  12. Is my research primarily about buildingnew propositions (inductive) etc?............Or is it mainly oriented to testing existing propositions (deductive)?

  13. Theory: Knowledge propositions Hypothesis Description of Patterns from data Observations: Data Theory Building and Theory Testing Theory building Deduction Theory Testing Induction

  14. If my research is primarily theory building or theory testing, what research approach is best suited to making this knowledge contribution?QualitativeorQuantitative?OrBoth?

  15. Qualitative or “Intensive Research” • Contrast with “Extensive” (statistical) Research • Concerned with “in depth” understanding of relatively small number of cases • The rigour and discipline focus on the faithfulness of the findings to all the cases studied (emphasis on understanding practice in context)

  16. Quantitative or “Extensive” Research • Based on the logic of statistical inference – to extend the inference beyond the sample to the “population” • The rigour and discipline focus on the rules for making this inference - eg standardisation and coding of survey responses • Set procedures that enable collection and analysis of broad patterns and causal relationships

  17. Theory Building can be done using qualitative or quantitative approachesTheory Testing generally requires adherence to statistical inference and therefore a quantitative approach

  18. The story linking research questions to research approach Are the research approaches: Theory Building/ Theory Testing and Qualitative/Quantitative appropriate for making the contributions to knowledge identified in the research questions?

  19. Data Selection, Collection and Analysis Part 2:Research Design and Process

  20. Developing a methodological framework • A coherent account of data selection collection and analysis that is underpinned by the same principles

  21. Data Selection • Should be adequately considered before data collection: • What sources of data are best for addressing my questions? • What processes and rationales should I use to select the sample?

  22. Data Selection: Types of Data Primary - Generated by the researcher themselves for their own data analysis Secondary - Collected by a previous researcher or organisation, usually for a different purpose Tertiary - Data previously analysed by another researcher, either the primary researcher or a secondary data analyst – original data may no longer be available

  23. Data Selection: Sources of Data • Natural social settings • Semi-natural settings • Artificial settings • Social artefacts

  24. Data Selection: Statistical Sampling The aim of sampling is that the sample will be representative of the population from which it is drawn and so we will be able to generalise from the sample to the population …  - to within certain limits of accuracy we can talk about the information we have for the sample as though it were the population  - figures obtained from samples are estimates of the characteristics of the population

  25. Data Selection: Theoretical/Purposive sampling • The data are theoretically – rather than statistically – representative • They are chosen to tell us something about the research problem – e.g. Choosing settings that intensify, accentuate, give you an opportunity to study the research problem • This is the logic of case study selection

  26. Data Collection – influenced by methodological framework • Documents/Artefacts (policy documents, business plans, menus, calendars, websites, mementos, photos, travel diaries etc) • Observation • Interview (Survey and Qualitative) qualitative examples include focus groups, email interviews, face to face structured, semi structured or unstructured

  27. Data Analysis – Choosing an Approach Suitability for • Statistical description and inference; • Intensive analysis of meanings and practices • Theory building or Theory testing • Focusing on aspects of the data suited to addressing the research question (methodological framework)

  28. Data Analysis – Deductive Logic

  29. Data Analysis – Inductive Logic

  30. The story linking strategies for data selection, collection and analysis to research questions and research approach Is the strategy for data selection, collection and analysis suited to making the knowledge contribution designated in the research questions?

  31. Making The Craft of your Research clear to examiners Make Sure these stories are written into your thesis

  32. The Story about knowledge gaps and research questions... Are the Researchquestions derived from an assessment of the status of knowledge in the thesis topic area and formed in response to this assessment? - this is one of the jobs of the “lit review”

  33. The story linking research questions to research approach Are the research approaches: Theory Building/ Theory Testing and Qualitative/Quantitative appropriate for making the contributions to knowledge identified in the research questions?

  34. The story linking strategies for data selection, collection and analysis to research questions and research approach Is the strategy for data selection, collection and analysis suited to making the knowledge contribution designated in the research questions?

  35. A story about the work - what contribution it makes and how it does this

More Related