General Research Principles and Theories

Question 1

Broadly defined, what 2 points explain what is Empiricism?

Answer 1

A theory of knowledge or a Epistemological stance to study reality, which posits that

1) only knowledge gained through experience and the senses is acceptable knowledge, and that
2) the collection of facts in itself is worthy - called “Naive Empiricism”

Question 2

The collecting of facts is a worthy act in itself, and as an exploratory approach to research can be called what?

Answer 2

Naive Empiricism

Question 3

Explain 3 points that constitute Deductive Research

Answer 3

1) is when theory guides research
2) when you can deduce or extract a hypothesis from a theory or from what is known
3) posits that the role of theory (particularly middle-range theory) is to guide empirical inquiry

Question 4

What kind of research involves the use of theory to guide the research?

Answer 4

Deductive Research

Question 5

What do you call research wherein you can deduce or extract a hypothesis from a theory or from what is known?

Answer 5

Deductive Research

Question 6

Explain 2 points that describe what is Inductive Research

Answer 6

1) when theory comes out of completed research
2) when the researcher INFERS or COMES TO A CONCLUSION about the implications of his findings for a theory; and then the findings are fed back into the theory or the facts that inspired the research

Question 7

When the researcher INFERS or COMES TO A CONCLUSION about the implications of his findings for a theory; and then the findings are fed back into the theory or the facts that inspired the research, what kind of research is this?

Answer 7

Indictive Research

Question 8

When theory comes out of completed research, what kind of research is described?

Answer 8

Inductive Research

Question 9

What is Ontology?

Answer 9

It is the study of the nature of social entities
in relation to whether social entities be considered as objective entities separate from social actors or if social entities social constructions built by the perceptions and actions of social actors.

Question 10

The central issue:
“Can and should social entities be considered as objective entities with a reality separate from social actors (Objectivism), or are social entities social constructions built by the perceptions and actions of social actors (Constructionism/Constructivism) reflects what field of study?”

Answer 10

Ontology

Question 11

What are the 2 ontological positions or approaches?

Answer 11

Objectivism and Constructivism or Constructionism

Question 12

What 5 key points defines objectivism?

Answer 12

1) is an ontological position or approach
2) posits that social phenomena confront us as external facts beyond our reach or influence
3) posits that even organisations have rules and people who work in them and create and follow rules; the organisation has an external reality beyond control/influence of even the people inside them
4) posits that social phenomena and their meanings have independent existence of social actors
5) posits that organisations and cultures are pre-given, and if anything the organisation affects people; and the same can be said of cultures

Question 13

An ontological position or approach that posits that
1) social phenomena confront us as external facts beyond our reach or influence
2) even organisations have rules and people who work in them and create and follow rules; the organisation has an external reality beyond control/influence of even the people inside them
3) social phenomena and their meanings have independent existence of social actors
posits that organisations and cultures are pre-given, and if anything the organisation affects people; and that the same can be said of cultures
…is which ontological approach or position?

Answer 13

Objectivism

Question 14

What 6 key points explain Constructionism/Constructivism?

Answer 14

1) is an ontological position or approach that states that
2) a strategy is needed to respect differences between people and objects of natural sciences
3) research must grasp the subjective meaning of social actions
4) people and their institutions are different from natural sciences
5) the natural world has no meaning to atoms and molecules that exist in it, but that social reality has much meaning to the beings living in it
6) social scientists should look to people’s common senses and interpret meaning from their point of view

Question 15

An ontological position or approach that states that

2) a strategy is needed to respect differences between people and objects of natural sciences
3) research must grasp the subjective meaning of social actions
4) people and their institutions are different from natural sciences
5) the natural world has no meaning to atoms and molecules that exist in it, but that social reality has much meaning to the beings living in it
6) social scientists should look to people’s common senses and interpret meaning from their point of view

……is what type of ontological approach or position?

Answer 15

Constructivism or Constructionism

Question 16

Explain what is Epistemology?

Answer 16

It is a theory of knowledge that takes any stance on what should pass as acceptable knowledge; and deals with the central issue of:
“Can and should the world be studied and understood according to the same principles and procedures as those in the natural sciences?”

Question 17

A a theory of knowledge that takes any stance on what should pass as acceptable knowledge; and deals with the central issue of:
“Can and should the world be studied and understood according to the same principles and procedures as those in the natural sciences?”
…..is known as what?

Answer 17

Epistemology

Question 18

What are the 4 Epistemological positions?

Answer 18

1) Empiricism
2) Positivism
3) Realism
4) Interpretivism

Question 19

What is Positivism?

Answer 19

Is an epistemological stance or approach that

1) advocates the use of natural science methods to study social sciences (like Objectivism)
2) posits (like Empiricism) that only phenomena and knowledge confirmed by senses are true knowledge - also known as Phenomenalism
3) posits that knowledge is gained through fact gathering to develop laws (reflects principle of Inductivism)
4) posits that knowledge is gained by using theory to generate testable hypotheses( reflects principle of Deductivism)
5) posits that there is a reality that exists separate from our possible description of it (reflects Objectivism)

Question 20

In what sense does Positivism reflect Objectivism and Realism?

Answer 20

They each advocate the use of natural science methods to study social sciences

Question 21

In what sense does Positivism reflect Empiricism?

Answer 21

They both posit that only phenomena and knowledge confirmed by the senses is try knowledge.

Question 22

In what sense does Positivism reflect Inductivism?

Answer 22

They both posit that knowledge is gained through fact gathering to develop laws.

Question 23

In what sense does Positivism reflect Deductivism?

Answer 23

They both posit that knowledge is gained through using theory to generate hypotheses.

Question 24

In what sense does Positivism reflect Objectivism and Realism?

Answer 24

They each posit that there is a reality that exists separate from any description that researchers can provide.

Question 25

Explain what is Realism?

Answer 25

It is an epistemological position or approach that

1) posits that natural science methods can and should be used, which reflects Positivism
2) posits that there is an external reality that’s separate from our descriptions of it, which reflects (Positivism)
3) respects positivism but posits that the scientist’s view is only one simple view of reality

Realism is either Empirical Realism or Critical Realism

Question 26

What are the 2 Realist perspectives?

Answer 26

Empirical Realism and Critical Realism

Question 27

In what sense does Realsim reflect Positivism and Objectivism?

Answer 27

They each advocate the use of natural science methods to conduct resarch in social sciences.

Question 28

Explain what is Empirical Realism?

Answer 28

A stance of Realism that

1) states that reality can be understood through appropriate methods (is also called “Naive Realism”) because it….
2) assumes that there’s a perfect or near perfect correspondence between reality and the method used to describe it

(fails to recognise the obstacles that structures, mechanism and phenomena present, which make observations superficial - - Refer to Critical Realism)

Question 29

Explain what is Critical Realism?

Answer 29

A stance on Realism that

1) posits that the reality of the natural order of events, structures, and discourses of social world in order to understand and change the world, and
2) posits that what is gained through research is often provisional

(as opposed to Critical Realism or Naive Realism)

Question 30

What is another name for Empirical Realism?

Answer 30

Naive Realism

Question 31

Explain what is Interpretivism?

Answer 31

It is an epistemological position or approach that

1) states that you need a strategy to respect differences between people and objects of natural sciences
2) states that research must grasp the subjective meaning of social actions
3) states that people and their institutions are different from natural sciences
4) posits that the natural world has no meaning to atoms and molecules that exist in it, but that social reality has much meaning to the beings living in it
5) argues that social scientists should look to people’s common senses and interpret meaning from their point of view

(reflects Hermaneutics
is the study concerned with theories and methods of understanding human action
posits that human actors interact based on the meanings they attach to action and things - Symbolic Interactionism)