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Research Methods > Research Methods questions > Flashcards

Research Methods questions Flashcards

1
Q

What is a literature survey?

A

The literature survey is a prerequisite for theses and projects.

Different purposes:

  • To IDENTIFY a topic, a research problem
  • To ANCHOR an established topic to related work
  • For ANALYSING purposes as any analysis must relate to research

The literature survey demonstrates viewpoints, solutions, research results related to the area. Only material that is relevant and directly related to the research is selected in the survey.

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2
Q

Name the two types of data collection procedures and describe them

A

Qualitiative e.g., focus groups
Qualitative research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-numerical data, such as language/text. Qualitative research can be used to understand how an individual subjectively perceives and gives meaning to their social reality

Quantitative e.g., surveys
Quantitative research involves the process of objectively collecting and analyzing numerical data to describe, predict, or control variables of interest.

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3
Q

What is the different between Population and sampling?

A

Population: Entire group of people/organization you are interested in
Populations are used when your research question requires, or when you have access to, data from every member of the population.

Sample: The portion of the group that you can access
When your population is large in size, geographically dispersed, or difficult to contact, it’s necessary to use a sample.

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4
Q

What are the three components of a research plan?

A

Research design - Research nature - Research logic

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5
Q

What are quantitative & qualitative method used for?

A

Qualitative methods are used for
Exploration
Finding meaning
Characterising

Quantitative methods are used for
Measuring
Comparing
Testing

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6
Q

What are the three central parts in a research design?

A

Extensive design (survey-based)

Comparative design (experiment based)

Intensive design (interview-based)

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7
Q

What is the difference between deductive and inductive?

A

A deductive process is when testing an existing theory. And goes from broad generalization to detailed observations.
–Knowledge is reached via testing theory. –
!!This approach begins with a pattern that is tested against observations to prove or disprove theory!!

While inductive aims at developing a theory. Moves from specific observations to broad generalizations.
–Knowledge is reached via developing new theory. – -new theories are derived from the data–
This approach aims to generate meanings from the data set collected in order to identify patterns and relationships to develope a theory and test if it is true or false;!!

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8
Q

Which are the 6 phases of the systematic research process?

A
  1. Practical problem - Inference
    Is the process whereby a conclusion is drawn without complete certainty
  2. Literature survey
    To develop a warranted academic/scientific problem
  3. Research - Problem definition
  4. Doing a scientific investigation
    Collecting and analyzing data
  5. New academic knowledge
  6. Solution(s) to the problems
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9
Q

Name the two types of scales.

A

Nominal scale (Data can NOT be categorized by rank)

Ordinal scale (Data can be categorized with rank)

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10
Q

Which are the 3 main phases of a write-up?

A

1 - Organize materials so that the work tells a story.
2 - giving this story the structure of a thesis or of an academic paper.
3 - actually writing.

From exam:

1) Organising
2) Telling story
3) Writing & Editing

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11
Q

What is the differences between theoretical research and empirical research?

A

Theoretical research - based on research publication - review

Empirical research - based on data from reality

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12
Q

Name the three types of research (purpose) & the associated methods in computing science

A 
Knowledge organization (research)
Literature survey, Systematic literature survey

Knowledge creation and understanding (research)
Interviews, qualitative surveys, ethnography with a more open approach and solely research questions

Knowledge creation and evaluation (research)
Experiments, simulations, quantitative surveys, observational studies mostly with the development of hypotheses

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13
Q

Which are the three steps when analyzing data?

A

Clean → Take away irrelevant data

Code → A label that describes a piece of content

Run → Test & analyzes hypothesis/proposition

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14
Q

Describe and name the two components of a literature survey

A
  1. Literature Search
    Main activities:
  2. Looking for (search with a pattern - year, journal, keywords, database, authors)
  3. organizing & managing data (Take notes, save references)
  4. Digesting the available research (Reading to see if it is relevant)
  5. Literature Review:
    Evaluating/gathering content from literature
    Main activities:
    1.Detailed reading of specific parts (Abstract / Intro - Conclusion –> methods)
  6. Extraction of relevant pieces of information (Read in layers to peel the content)
  7. Focus on identifying weak/strong points (Validity, orginality, reliability, impact)
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15
Q

A hypothesis shall be:

A

specific, unambigious and precise

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16
Q

What are the 4 types of validity threats?

A

External validity threats - making sure that you can generalise to your population (exam: making sure that I can generalise to the selected population by using a representative sample)

Internal validity threats - making sure that my measurements are in line with my purpose and my selected theoretical framework

Statistical conclusion validity threats

Construct validity threats

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17
Q

What is reliability? What does reliability depend on?

A

The capacity to reproduce the same and get the same results and conclusion.

It depends on how well you described what you did in detail and what steps.

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18
Q

Describe the three things (circles) ethics is about.

A

The impact of research
Safety, reliability, security of computer science

The character of the researcher
Fair, honest, respectful to others

The process/conduct of research process
Focus on the quality of the research, the validity of the analysis and the reliability of its process

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19
Q

Mention 3 methods to collect qualitative and quantitative data

A

Interviews, focus groups, observation, case studies, open-ended surveys

Experiments, close-ended/multiple choice survey, simulations,

20
Q

What is the rules of two?

A

minimum 2 paragraphs

21
Q

What is A search strategy ?

A

It is a strategy to search for significant scientific works and articles to use in your argumentation,??

we use a pattern to look at the sources, keywords, authors, years, journals, and databases to find the most relevant articles/journals. It is an organized structure of key terms used to search a database, it combines search questions in order to retrieve accurate results.

22
Q

What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable?

A

An independent variable is a variable you think is the cause, while a dependent variable is the effect.

23
Q

Dodig-Crnkonic (2002) specified the 5 layers of classic sciences, which are these?

A

Logic & Mathematics / Natural Science / Social Science / Humanities / Culture

24
Q

Mention the shared characteristics for successful research students.

A

1 - Willingness to read widely. 2 - Enthusiasm to develop interest, ask for advice. 3 - Ability & persistence to undertake a detailed investigation of a larger topic. 4 - Initiative of what needs to be done. 5 - Systematic and organized. 6 - Actively reflect on habits and working practices. 7 - Their work looks plausible; it has the form and feel of high-quality published papers.

25
Q

What is an inference?

A

a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. Based on someone’s personal interest.

26
Q

6 steps you perform in an INDUCTIVE study

A 
Purpose
Literature review & research gap
Data collection
Data analysis
Development of TF
Conclusion
27
Q

What shall you do when defending one of your hypotheses?

A

Be prepared on all questions and answrer with the use of evidence

  • proof
  • model
  • simulation
  • Experiment

In presenting the hypothesis, you need to construct an argument relating your hypothesis to the evidence.

Be able to argue the reasonings with the use of evidence Justify the reasons behind the hypothesis (Identify aims, objective, research question. Acdemic reasonings behind it in terms of why one chose this study. Explain the gap and explain why it is important to fill that gap

28
Q

What are quantitative hypotheses and qualitative propositions? And how do they lead to a theoretical framework?

A

Quant hypothesis/Qual propositions are developed from THEORY (often we develop them while we write the theoretical framework) Represents the way we use theory

Quantitative hypothesis (Deductive): A hypothesis is a statement that we try to prove or disprove. It is used to express the relationship between variables and whether this relationship is significant.

Qualitative proposition (Inductive): A proposition is a statement about the concepts that may be judged as true or false if it refers to observable phenomena. Rely on prior research, reasonable assumptions, and existing correlative evidence.

They lead to a theoretical framework because we can connect the concepts and variables we get from the hypothesis/propositions into the Theoretical framework which is an organizing model that is helping with guiding the researcher in the right direction to see if the hypo/prop is contributing to the topic.

The Theoretical Frame is an organizing model for your research question, hypothesis, data collection. We collect concepts/theories to gain knowledge of the field to create a hypothesis/proposition. We collect data (concepts, theories) to test the theory.

29
Q

Name the 4 broad types of forms of evidence and their use

A

Proof: a formal argument that a hypothesis is correct

Model: A mathematical description of the hypothesis

Simulation: Implementation of a simplified form of the hypothesis

Experiment: Implementation and evaluation under real/realistic conditions

30
Q

6 steps you perform in a DEDUCTIVE study

A

Purpose
Literature review & research gap

Development of TF

Data collection
Data analysis
Conclusion

31
Q

What is validity? How can one ensure validity?

A

Validity refers to how accurately a method measures what it is intended to measure.

By checking how well the results correspond to established theories and other measures of the same concept.

32
Q

Which are the three types of researchers?

A

The detective - looking for solutions (problem-solving)

The doctor - diagnose problems (testing out)

The explorer - look for new areas (exploratory)

33
Q

What kind of literature should you base your work on?

A
  • papers that have been refereed and published in a reputable venue,
  • theses that have been undertaken and examined at a reputable institution,
  • books that are based on the information presented in refereed theses and books. (a refereed source).
34
Q

What are the 5 project management steps applied to a research project?

A

1 - DEFINING the research problem
2 - PLANNING the methodology, (deciding the overall way to conduct)
3 - CONTACT setting stage (eg. prepare for e.g interview)
4 - EMPIRICAL research control, (collection / analysis of data)
5 - WRITING up (assessing quality, reviewing text)

35
Q

What is new knowledge?

A 
New knowledge is either completely new (Not planned, unknown until now)
Or new (new context, confirmation, or different location)
36
Q

Which are the steps towards developing a research question?

A

Inference / Purpose / Research problem / Research question(s)

37
Q

How do we reach knowledge? What is the unifying principle in science?

A

Reasonable skepticism

▪ An open-minded approach to knowledge
▪ To seek the most accurate description that fits known facts
▪ To seek the evidence needed to convince a reasonable skeptic

38
Q

what does DOI stand for?

A

Digital Object Identifier

Unique number for an article

39
Q

Name the 3 values

A

The three values
•” numerical value”: The possible value that will enter in SPSS to enable statistics

  • ” theoretical value”: What does it mean in relation to your theoretical variable and the values you have in your framework
  • ” empirical value”: what the respondent ”tell”, how do they click on your scale…
40
Q

What does SPSS stand for? And for which method can it be helpful to use?

A

SPSS is short for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences,

It is helpful when analyzing survey data and mining text data

41
Q

Name two statistical measurements and what they do:

A
  1. Correlation - measures the degree of a relationship between two variables (x and y), (relationship)
  2. Regression - measures how one variable affects another. (cause & effect)
42
Q

Name the 4 suitable structures in scientific writing:

A

Chain - A logical order from background to result (A chain structure is most used in intros)
Specificity - A general outline followed by details (specificity based structure is most used in the analysis, and especially in an inductive research approach)

Example - an explanation or application followed formalisation
Complexity - a simple case followed by more complex cases

43
Q

What is a theoretical framework?

A

A theoretical framework is a way to CONNECT variables. Is the structure that contains the variables and concepts that we base our theories on.
It defines the relevant variables for your study and maps out how they might relate to each other.

The TF guides the researcher to see if a hypothesis/proposition fits or contributes to the topic. The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge. Guided by a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your hypotheses and choice of research methods.

Theories are developed by researchers to explain phenomena, draw connections, and make predictions. In the theoretical framework, you explain the theories that support your research, showing that your work is grounded in established ideas.

44
Q

What are 3 forms of misrepresentations?

A

The authors have not accurately reported the results

The significance of results from previous research is exaggerated or
diminished to favor publication

The authors have not revealed the exact aim of the research to their respondents

45
Q

Name and describe clearly 3 critical aspects for you to develop “good” quantitative hypotheses and frame of reference?

A
  • Pre-test hypotheses by trying to come up with obvious cases of evidence that would reject the hypotheses
  • Think rationally about whether the question can get a complete answer or whether an answer would be trivial
  • Include the consideration of what is to be measured and what measures will be used

A frame of reference is a complex set of assumptions and attitudes which we use to filter perceptions to create meaning.

Research Methods (1 decks)

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