Group Work Lesson 9

Core elements of research design (Blaikie, 2000) Data reduction and analysis Topic/problem Research questions and objectives Data collection and timing Selection from data sources Research strategies Concepts, theories, hypotheses and models Data sources, types and forms

Research topic and problem (Blaikie, 2000) The statement of the research topic sets boundary markers – defines the territory to be explored. However, initial definition is vague and imprecise – until the research design is completed, the researcher cannot be sure what the project will be like It may take much thought and reading, a number of trial runs and even some exploratory research before a clear and precise statement can be produced. Research topic and problem (Blaikie, 2000)

Research questions and objectives (Blaikie, 2000) Conventional wisdom: research should be guided by one or more hypotheses. While there is a role for hypotheses in particular kinds of research, they do not provide the foundation for a research design. They can lead to unnecessary rigidities – much more useful to start with the research questions. Research questions and objectives (Blaikie, 2000)

Types of research questions (Blaikie, 2000) What questions require a descriptive answer; they are directed towards discovering and describing the characteristics of and patterns in some social phenomenon. What types of people are involved? What is their characteristic behaviour? What are the patterns in the relationships between these characteristics? What are the consequences of these activities? Types of research questions (Blaikie, 2000)

Types of research questions (Blaikie, 2000) Why questions ask for either the causes of, or the reasons for, the existence of characteristics or regularities in a particular phenomenon; directed towards understanding or explaining the relationships between events, or within social activities. Why do people think and act this way? Why did these patterns come to be this way? Why do the characteristics or social process change? Types of research questions (Blaikie, 2000)

Types of research questions (Blaikie, 2000) How questions are concerned with bringing about change, with practical outcomes and intervention. How can these characteristics, social processes or patterns be changed? How can they be made to stop changing, or to slow down or speed up their rate of change? Types of research questions (Blaikie, 2000)

Research objectives and questions (Blaikie, 2000) Exploration Description Understanding Explanation Prediction What might be happening? What people are involved? In what way? What is happening? What people are involved? In what way? Why is it happening? What is likely to happen? Research objectives and questions (Blaikie, 2000)

Research objectives and questions (Blaikie, 2000) “What” questions can be answered by making appropriate observations or measurements without imposing concepts or categories. “How” questions require a different kind of description; a possible state of affairs has to be described and ideas about how to get there – “what” and “why” questions answered in previous or our research. Research objectives and questions (Blaikie, 2000)

Research objectives and questions (Blaikie, 2000) Answering “why” questions involves dealing with theory (Hypotheses to test? Data to generalize? Searching for underlying causal mechanisms? Seeking social actors’ meanings and interpretations?) => Research strategy provides a starting point and set of steps by means of which “what” or “why” questions can be answered. Research objectives and questions (Blaikie, 2000)

Define your research questions and match it with objectives (2 pages) What to do