Fundamental Research Concepts

Question 1

Ontology

Answer 1

our perception of reality influences what we think we can know about it

Question 2

Realism:

Answer 2

Reality remains stable
Truth can be discovered via objective measurements.

Question 3

Epistemology:

Answer 3

Nature of knowledge or the logic a researcher uses to decide what it is. Informs what type of knowledge is prioritised. Shapes relationship between researchers and research. Positionality, data generation.

Question 4

Objectivism

Answer 4

associated with realist ontology.
Researchers remain detached from researched ‘phenomena’.
- Objective measurement
- Eliminate bias/value(s)
- Achieve ‘accuracy’.

Question 5

Subjectivism:

Answer 5

Associated with relativist ontology
- Researcher becomes an interpretive tool; subjectivities; theory, reflexivity
- Interaction with the field, research participants is necessary for understanding experience and meaning.
- Data is co-produced (intersubjectively)
- Sustained immersion.

Question 6

Episteme

Answer 6

• Grounded in realist ideas for ‘good’ research
  
  • Emphasis on certainty and facts
  • Positivist norms of ‘scientific’ thinking
  • ‘truth’ acquired through systematic approach
  • Objective analysis produces reliable knowledge
  • Logical/theoretical reasoning
  • e.g. after studying, I know# what causes the rain.

Question 7

Doxa

Answer 7

• Socially constructed knowledge
  
  • Personal/community beliefs
  • Subjective observation
  • Popular (public) opinion
  • e.g. kanye is a bit intense
  • Descriptive and uncritical; a-theoretical
  • Criticised by realists
  • Vulgar
  • Passive knowledge

Question 8

how do we judge the goodness of research?

Answer 8

realism: Validity
Reliability
Objectivity
Verifiability
Generalisability (statistical)

relativism:Parallel Position (Guba and Lincoln, 1989)
Big-Tent Criteria (Tracy, 2010)
The Letting Go Approach (Sparkes and Smith, 2014)

Question 9

deductive reasoning

Answer 9

Starting with a universal view of a situation and working backward to particulars; engaging with theoretical perspectives before research

Start with a theory, and Create a hypothesis (an assertion about two or more concepts that attempts to explain the relationship between them)

Create measures and indicators to measure ideas

Test these ideas through experimentation

Confirm, refute, or modify hypothesis

Question 10

inductive reasoning

Answer 10

The establishment of facts on which theories or concepts are later built, moving from specifics to generalizations

Moving from fragmented details to a connected view of a situation; engaging with theoretical perspectives after research

Plan appropriate data collection

Analyse data to see if any patterns emerge that suggest relationships between variables

Construct generalizations, relationships, and theories from these patterns

Question 11

quantitative

Answer 11

Looking to definitively prove something
Less-debatable facts
Information that can be quantified
What? How? Does?
Numerical values
More emphasis on measurement
Often hypothesis-driven
Generalising from a sample to the population

Question 12

qualitative

Answer 12

Focusses on things that are ‘up for discussion’
Data that cannot measured or counted
Not numerical (written, spoken, other)
Often more emphasis on understanding than on measurement
Why? How?
Often no hypothesis
Used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations (the actions behind the numbers)
Descriptive in nature