Final Deck Flashcards
What is Action research (AR)
Action research is described as a research method suitable for studying technology in social contexts. Researchers help clients to identify and solve a problems.
ETHICS IN RESEARCH
Ethics in research concerns issues relating to the research content and the researcher’s relationship to the task. Research ethics include aspects that follow from mandatory legislation, but research ethics are broader than this.
Honesty in terms of ethics
meaning scrutinizing the research. Researchers should conduct their work with honesty and integrity. This includes reporting findings in an open, fair and objective way. Honesty also extends to acknowledging limitations and uncertainties in the research process and results.
Respect when it comes to ethics
Respect for research participants, society, and the environment. This involves obtaining informed consent from participants, protecting their confidentiality and privacy, and considering the potential impact of the research on individuals and communities.
Accountability
Researchers are responsible for the entire research process, from idea to publication and beyond. This means taking ownership of their work, ensuring it adheres to ethical standards and regulatory requirements, and being prepared to address any consequences or implications that may arise.
Transparency when it comes to ethics
Transparency is essential for ensuring the reproducibility and credibility of research findings. Researchers should clearly document and communicate their methods, data collection procedures, and analysis to enable others to assess the validity and reliability of the research.
Positive results bias
Researchers must guard against the tendency to selectively report or emphasize positive outcomes while neglecting negative findings. This positive result bias can skew the overall body of evidence and mislead both researchers and the wider community. It’s important to present all findings.
When is a Qualitative method used?
A qualitative method is used when answering “why” questions. For example people’s perceptions, opinions, ideas, interpretations, values, behavior
When is a Quantitative method used?
A Quantitative method is used when answering “how many/much” questions.
Explain what a Qualitative method is?
Qualitative method is suitable for researching “why” questions, such as why people have a specific opinion. In a qualitative method data is interpreted, categories and structured. This data is often observations, textual and figures. The qualitative approach is to observe and interpret. A qualitative analysis is thematic analysis (identifying. Analyze and interpret pattern)
Explain what a Quantitative method is?
A quantitative method is suitable when trying to research “how many/ much” questions. In a quantitative method data is measured, counted and ranked. This data is often Numerical and statistics. The quantitative approach is to measure and test. The analysis method that is used is statistics. In a quantitative method variables and categories are predefined.
Give examples of Qualitative methods
Case study
Focus groups
Interviews
Diary study
Ethnography
Card sorting
Explain what a Case study is?
Case study is a qualitative research method that entails conducting a comprehensive examination of a specific case, which could pertain to an individual, a group, or an organisation. It is used to gain a detailed understanding of a specific case or cases. Case studies often take a holistic approach, considering multiple aspects of the case rather than focusing on just one variable or factor.
Explain what an interview is in the context of a Qualitative method?
An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data. Interviewing people is at the heart of qualitative research.
There are several types of interviews:
* Structured interviews have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order.
* Unstructured interviews are more free-flowing.
* Semi-structured interviews fall in between.
Explain what a focus group is?
A focus group is a research method used to gather data through group interaction. A small number of carefully chosen individuals debate a certain issue in a group. focus groups identifies and examines people’s thoughts and behaviours.
What is Technical action research (TAR)
Technical action research refers to a systematic approach where practitioners, often in technical fields such as computer science, engage in research activities to solve practical problems or improve processes within their professional domains. The researcher wants to learn something about a technique by using it to solve a client’s problem
Contrasting TAR with AR in information system
AR in information systems
- Identify problem in an organization
- Jointly search for a solution and implement it
- Evaluate
- Specify learning
TAR is technology-driven, not problem driven!
- The technology is motivated by a desire to solve a class of problems
- Not a singular problem in a specific situation
In action research the researcher wants to solve a problem for a client, in technical action research the problem is only a way to learn about a specific technique
In technical action research, what are the three roles of the researcher?
Designer, helper, researcher
Design Science Research (DSR
Design Science Research (DSR) is a research methodology used primarily in information systems. It focuses on creating innovative artifacts to solve complex problems or improve existing systems.
What is an artifact in IT-research?
An artifact is something that is created by human begins which don’t exist without human involvement as something either by design or by interpretation.
Example of artifacts are computers, software, methods, models and so on.
What is hermeneutics?
Hermeneutics means to develop the ability to understand phenomenon’s from another person’s perspective and to be able to understand and appreciate cultural and social forces that affects their situation.
What are the 3 types of literature review and there purpose?
Simplified literature review
- Identify and summarize seminal work in your chosen topic
Systematic literature mapping
- To structure a research area
Systematic literature review
- Gathering and synthesizing evidence
Describe the literature review process?
The literature review process involves systematically searching and critically evaluating existing literature relevant to a specific research topic.
Some steps that make a good literature review are:
Clearly defining scope and purpose: Determine the specific research topic you want to explore and establish the boundaries of your review (e.g., timeframe, geographical scope, types of sources).
Search for Relevant Literature: Use academic databases, library catalogs, and search engines to identify relevant literature. Employ a combination of Search terms, keywords, and strings, Quality criteria, Assessment and ranking functions.
Organize and Synthesize Information: Organize the selected sources chronologically based on common themes, topics, or key concepts. Identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the literature, and synthesize the findings to develop a coherent narrative that addresses your research question.
Write the Literature Review: Write the literature review using a clear and structured format. The review should be well organized and replicable.
Some steps that make bad literature review are:
Lack of Focus: A bad literature review may lack a clear focus or research question, resulting in a broad and unfocused review of the literature. Without a specific focus, the review may cover irrelevant topics, leading to confusion and lack of coherence.
Poor Organization: An ineffective literature review may suffer from poor organization, with sources arranged in a careless manner. This can make it difficult for readers to follow the text or identify key themes and trends within the literature.
Lack of Depth: A shallow literature review may provide only superficial coverage of the existing literature, failing to delve deeply into key concepts, theories, or empirical findings. This lack of depth can undermine the credibility and rigor of the review.
Lack of Critical Analysis: A weak literature review may lack critical analysis or evaluation of the sources reviewed. Instead of critically assessing the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of each source, the review may simply summarize or describe the findings without offering meaningful insights or interpretations.
Existence of Previous Reviews: If comprehensive literature reviews already exist in the field, conducting another review without adding new perspectives or insights may be redundant and unnecessary.
What two stages of interpretation are important to hermeneutics?
1.Uncovering interpretation (finding how others have categorised the world)
2.Assigning interpretation (creating new categories)
What is Knowledge?
Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experience and information.
What is explicit knowledge?
Formal, codified: documents, databases, books etc
What is informal (tacit) knowledge?
Informal, uncodified: values, perspectives, culture, memories
What is categorical/descriptive knowledge?
It is conceptualizing in terms of categories, concepts and relations
What is explanation knowledge/declarative knowledge?
Declarative knowledge is explanation of why a phenomenon is in a certain way.
Cause - effect - relationships
- if cause then effect
- if condition then result
What is evaluation/value knowledge?
Knowledge about the desirable, what we want given specific circumstances.
Defining what “user friendly” means for example
What is normative/prescriptive knowledge?
Guiding knowledge
Advice, instructions, models, methods, tools, checklists… regarding a phenomenon.
What are some paradigms of research?
- Positivism – How reality is
- Realism – Objects exist independently of our will and knowledge
- Interpretivism – Understand humans in their role as social actors
- Pragmatism – If success then its good
What is positivism?
Working with an observable social reality, the researcher is independent of the research, highly structured.
What is realism?
Based on a belief that reality exists independent of human thoughts and beliefs. Social objects or phenomenon’s, external to or independent of individuals affect the way people perceive their world, whether they are aware of them or no
What is INFORMATION SYSTEMS (IS)
The discipline of information systems (IS) focuses on information
(data in a specific context) together with information capturing,
storage, processing and analysis/interpretation in ways that supports
decision making.
COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS)
Computer science is the study of computers and algorithms,
including their principles, hardware and software design, their
applications, and their impact on industry and society
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
Information technology (IT) is the study of systemic approaches to select, develop, apply, integrate, and administer secure computing technologies to enable users to accomplish their personal, organizational, and societal goals
Why do we do Litterature Review?
- To examine scientific progress and know what has been done
- To find a research gap in order to motivate new research
How do we do Litterature Review?
By identifying and summarizing existing research and results
What is Iterative process?
Returning to earlier stages as you search, read an evaluate
What are some steps in the Literature search process?
- Formulate a research topic and useful keywords
- Refine the search. ex: date limits
- Review your results and revise your search
- Evaluate your results
- Keep up-to-date with new literature on your topic
What should the literature review results be summarized in?
- A related work section
- Identification of research gap/problem description
What three types of litterature reviews are there?
- Simplified literature review
- Systematic literature review
- Systematic literature mapping
What type of literature review is used to provide a survey of the field?
Systematic literature mapping/scoping
At what stage should the simplified literature review be conducted?
Before planning any form of research
What is the aim of the simplified literature review?
Idetify and summarize influential work in your chosen topic
Purpose of Systematic literature mapping?
To structure a research area
Purpose of systematic literature review?
Gathering and synthesizing evidence
What type of literature review creates categories?
Systematic literature mapping
What type of literature review is used for evaluation and interpretation of research relevant to a particular topic?
Systematic Literature Review
What are the three high-level phases in a Systematic Literature Review?
- Planning the review
- Conducting the review
- Reporting the review