Research Philosophies Planning Research Chapter 4

Why is it important? 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 Positivism  A more objective interpretation of reality  Using hard data form surveys Phenomenology (interpretivism/constructionism)  Examine people and their behavior

Features Positivism The world is external and objective Science is value-free Focus on facts Structured and formal 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 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 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 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 Deduction  Moving from the known to the unknown Induction  The evidence leads the researcher to a conclusion

Deduction The conclusion is drawn first The research is all about proving it to be correct or incorrect  Develop a hypothesis  Express it in operational terms  Test the hypothesis  Examine the outcome  Eventually modify the theory

Induction Advantages  Helps make causes between particilar variables and the way they are interpreted  Helps you explain why a particular phenomena is taking place Disadvantages  More effective with a small sample  The risk og finding no useful data patterns and theories are higher

Continuum The deductive and theory-driven approach can be used alongside The inductive and phenomena-driven approach

Inductive /phenomenology Particularly interrested in understanding why something is happening Rather than Describing what is happening

Qualitative/Quantitative The phenomenology approach is usually associated with  induction and  qualitative approach Conclusions drawn from such research designs cannot be generalized

Two systematic approaches Quantitative Objective Deductive Generalizable Numbers Qualitative There are issues about ”objectivity” Inductive Not generalizable Words

Conjunction/Triangulation A combination of the two offers the best of two worlds! If you think that a mixed methodology is appropriate then do not hessitate to adopt it.

Assignment PositivismPhenomenology Constructionism Apply the following terms to the continuum above Qualitative Quantitative Deductive Inductive

The levels of scientific approach 1. Research Design – methodology 2. Research Strategy – case study, observations, surveys 3. Research Methods – data collection, interpretation, analysis Apply these levels to the continuum in the assignment above

Triangulation 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?