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Research Methods Overview

• Research methods are a systematic investigation to better understand our social world.
• This systematic process is conducted methodically for reliable results.
• Asking questions and seeking answers is a basic human trait, essential in both personal and professional contexts.

Basic vs. Applied Research

• Basic research is fundamentally driven by a scientist's curiosity to expand knowledge rather than to invent something new.
• Social psychologists study people's obedience to authority in order to understand obedience and influential factors.
• The goal of basic scientists is not to make people less obedient to dubious authorities.
• Researchers believe that a basic understanding is required in order for any academic progress to take place.
• Basic research provides the foundation of applied science; successful basic research leads to applied spin-offs.
• Applied research solves practical, real-world problems rather than acquiring knowledge for its inherent worth.
• Applied science utilizes research insights to address tangible issues.
• Examples of applied research include reducing susceptibility to cigarette advertising among pre-teens and education about corporate motives in advertising targeting teens.

Relationship Between Basic and Applied Research

• Basic research on beliefs about intelligence show that those who connect intellgence with effort perform better academically.
• "Applied outcome" intervention programs can help students change their beliefs, leading to improved academic performance.
• World War II propaganda studies led to basic research on attitude change and social influence.
• Applied research can inform and refine theories in basic science.
• Basic research builds theories that may lead to practical interventions.
• Applied research can lead to new insights that inform basic science and generate new theories.
• Basic and applied research are interconnected, influencing and enhancing each other continuously.

Ideas/Inspiration for Research

• Common sources of research inspiration include replicating previous research to confirm prior studies, and clarifying or challenging previous findings to address contradictions or gaps in existing literature.
• Technological advancements, social media platforms, serendipitous findings, and questioning common sense or tradition can be inspirational sources.
• Applied research can address practical problems posed by societal issues.
• The role of observation and asking questions can also be helpful, often beginning with "Why" or "How".
• Questions arise from personal observations or the need to solve real-world problems.
• Research is an iterative process; ideas evolve and refine as the research progresses, starting with broad questions.

Research Question

• A research question is a guide for research, papers, or literature reviews.
• Formulation steps include choosing a topic, conducting research to find related debates/issues, narrowing the focus area, and identifying a theoretical or practical problem to tackle.
• Frame a question based on what the research aims to achieve when defining the area of study.
• Example: With the gig economy growing among under-30s and little research on young people's experiences, this research can be used for a question regarding the main influencing factors.
• A good research question should be focused, researchable, feasible, specific, and relevant to the field.
• The hypothesis is the answer to a research question and argument to be explored through research efforts.

Types of Research Methods

• Research method selection is dependent on goal/objective and hypothesis.
• Descriptive method includes the goal to describe something, for example "which study techniques do students think are best?"
• Correlational method: "how study technique use relates to exam scores" is one example.
• The goal of this research method is to predict a relationship between two things.
• Method: Examine correlations between variables.
• Experimental method: "How different study techniques affect exam scores" is one example.
• The goal of this approach is to manipulate variables to observe the cause and effect.

Independent vs Dependant

• Key factor: control over variables. "Variables" can include data like age gender, etc.
• Independent variables are manipulated under the control of the experimenter.
• Changes in the independent variable may affect changes throughout the dependent variable, which measures the outcome.

Causation vs Correlation

• Is social media a major contributor to adolescent anxiety and depression that began in the early 2010s? This is an example of a research correlation question.
• Is social media causing an increase in dysfunction? This is an example of a causation question.

Control in Research

• Control refers to the steps researchers take to minimize the influence of factors other than the independent variable on the experiment's outcome.
• Without control, it becomes impossible to determine causality or confidently state that the independent variable caused the observed changes.
• Control is necessary to ensure that only the independent variable influences the dependent variable with the key goal to isolate the independent variables effect and rule out other influences.

Ontology

• Ontology regards the study, theory, or a science of being — What is and what is not.

• Objectivism is the belief that reality is independent of human perceptions or beliefs.

• Subjectivism sees that reality is shaped by human experiences, interpretations, and social interactions.

Epistemology

• Epistemology is the study of knowledge; it is the methods used to uncover knowledge about society and human behavior.

Methods of Knowledge Acquisition

• Methods of Knowledge Acquisition includes interviews, observation, surveys, and secondary data.
• The goal of interviews are to gather personal insights or opinions.
• Observation looks at studying people in their natural environments.
• Surveys include collecting self-reported data via questionnaires.
• Secondary data involves Analyzing existing opinions in media.

Validity and Reliability

• Reliability is about consistency; when applied to the same person, measures are reliable if similar results occur in similar conditions.
• Validity reflects the research's ability to actually measure what it intends to measure.

"Is Academia a Fraud Factory?"

• Last year, 10,000 research papers were retracted - just those caught for fabrications.
• Entire lines of literature are fabricated with rampant plagiarism.
• Universities are protecting and hiding serial plagiarists on the payroll.

Video Points

• The video pointed out the issues with the overwhelming amount of studies available
• The video claimed that a pressure to publish, can undermine science and academia
• The video referred to the use of p-hacking as playing with statistics to get results,

Defining and Understanding Qualitative Research Basics

• Qualitative research is a type of scientific research using investigation and evidence, with findings that can be applied beyond the immediate study's boundaries.
• Qualitative research seeks to understand a research problem or topic from the perspectives of the involved local population and is effective at obtaining culturally specific information.
• Qualitative research emphasizes words over quantification in the collection and analysis of data.
• Strategies for conducting inquiry discover how humans understand, experience, interpret, and produce the social world.

Qualitative Research Types and Examples

• Basic for Quantitative Research: Coyne and Calarco (1995) conducted two focus groups and used participant statements to develop a survey questionnaire.
• Mixed Method: a study of UK consumer's perceptions of farming and buying locally produced goods.

Meaning, Not Numbers

• The goal of Qualitative research is to focus on finding the meaning within the social or psychological world by organizing and interpreting.
• Unlike quantitative methods, does not aim to test differences or test pre-defined hypotheses.
• Qualitative research differs from quantitative research with it's lack of importance for replication.

No Single Answer

• Qualitative research understands that there are multiple meaning and different interpretations from data.
• Qualitative Data Analysis is one story among many, that is analysis is subjective, partial, and grounded in the data.
• Even though there may be many interpretations, each must be plausible, coherent, and based on the data.
• Qualitative data takes specific contexts by participants that are embedded in those contexts, into account.

Subjectivity

• Qualitative research embraces context and subjectivity, unlike the quantitative ideal of “uncontaminated” knowledge.
• Subjectivity includes how identities and experiences shape what is seen and understood, with context integral to understanding meaning behind data.
• Recognition of biases with integration into the analysis is also a consideration.

Experiential and Critical Research

• Experiential Research works to understand a phenomenon from the participant's perspective.
• Critical Research identifies where those phenomenon originated and Questions the data and examines the context behind the meanings

All Sorts of Data

• Qualitative data is not pre-categorized like quantitative data, but instead, the raw data is collected in raw form.
• Primary methods include interviews and group discussions that are conducted face-to-face or virtually.
• "Other Sources of Data" includes Diaries, qualitative surveys, parliamentary debates, internet/social media documentaries, advertising, archives, and informal conversations.

Thinking Qualitatively

• Positivist model terminology includes words like results, revealed, discovered, findings, and uncovered.
• Qualitative research interprets the data in context, as it relates to the research.
• Data should be arranged to form a pattern/analysis that tells a particular story

Deductive vs Inductive

• Top-down (Deductive) includes Theory, Hypothesis, Observation Confirmation
• Bottom-up (Inductive) includes Observation, Pattern, Tentative hypothesis, Theory

Ethnography

• Ethnographers observe life objectively (no labs) and collect the data through both observations and interviews to create a conclusion about the social impacts.

Examples of Ethnography

• A researcher joins a business and shadows management or lives in an isolated village to immerse themselves with management or tribe culture.
• Other examples include how researchers can observe customers to find the social interactions with employees or spend time on online forums.

Henry Mintzberg / What managers do

• In studying managers, interpersonal, informational roles, and decisional were found to be involved.
• Interpersonal roles requires developing peer relationships, negotiations, and motivational skills.

Focus Groups

• Focus groups are qualitative, attitudinal research where a trained facilitator conducts a workshop to identify and discuss any concerns with the topics at hand.
• The term focus refers to its facilitators responsibility to maintaining the group's focus on certain topics during discussions
• Videos show aspects important to a good facilitator -- to include all opinions, have the ability to push for details quickly, and be aware of group dyanmics.

Content Analysis

• Content Analysis: "a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data - systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns"
• Qualitative content analysis emphasizes an integrated view of speech/texts and allows researches to have a more insightful look - socially/scientifically

Phenomenology and Thematic Analysis

• Phenomenology: exploring how individuals experience and interpret their world, understanding subjective experiences
• Thematic Analysis: identifying and analyzing patterns or themes within data from interviews, focus groups, visual data, etc.

Grounded Theory

• Developing theories inductively based on the data collected and the idea of a theory grounded in a close inspection of qualitative data gathered from concrete, local settings
• This theory is concerned with constructing theory from gathered data - not just an analysis method

Historical Research

• Historical (social historical) looks at past events to understand past significance through written records.
• Historical Timelines: listed in order, though lack deeper context.
• Social Historical Research: creates written accounts of the past offering stronger deeper views historically

Oral History

• Oral history intersects with social history by using interviews to extract prior people through personal interviews,
• Oral history helps preserve culture with empowerment and activism.

Diary Studies

• Diary Study: A research method where one collects insights from the behaviors, activities, and user experience over a period of time.
• Participants report the results over time, and collecting this contextual data makes diary easier to understand how the people behave.

Examples of "Diary Studies"

• Broad Study: Researching general activities helps understand the mindset
• Targeted Product/Activity usage: What is that application/product used for

Case Studies

• Case Studies: A process of gathering information with the aim of finding interworking relations with all significant factors involved.
• Archives include primary documents/source, not just official records (that are no longer needed, informative of writing history

Topics of "Archival Research

• Examples of archival documentation includes: Personal papers, Non commercial media, diplomatic dispatches, baptismal records and other various events

"Orange Julep Example"

• Demonstrates "Then" compared to "Now".
• Included changes in how how the signs changed over time.

Planning and Designing for Qualitative Research - Things to consider

• Before starting a study, asking "what do I need to learn" as well as "what do I want to know".
• Ethical considerations and resources available are extremely important

Research Design

• A research designs should have structure and planning, but is more than just data collection and stories.
• Key Components include Goals, Theoretical framework, ethics, and data collection and analysis

Benefits of "Good Research Designs"

• Ensuring questions are correct, enhance work feasibility efficiently

The "Spiraling Research" approach

• To include a start on a rough idea, research applicable literature, development of researchable questions and maintaining focus on main goals

Literature Review

• Includes brainstorming by utilizing various examples such as alcohol usage in college, how it effects males, masculinity etc.

Terminological Bias

• Bias is to be aware of because indexes from both digital and print copies can have negative implications
• The best method is to recognize your focus in search for new information

Refining The Research Focus

• Immersion is to consider existing knowledge to know what will be a value to study

Framing the Problem

• Direct the research process while driving to new conclusions.
• Statement will begin refining it through literature review with potential factors such as college students amongst males

Importance of the Problem Statement

• Allows a greater focus for the question you seek to solve, and is address in more detail:
• Examples: How do males define certain drinking practices and behaviors

Addressing Research Questions - How vs Why

Qualitative Research commonly is utilized by asking "How" verses an "Why" focus.

• Research should focus on meaning and wider context that will lead to the most results

Methodology

• This process includes Data gathering and utilization of "Qualitative research (questionnaires"

Sampling

• Samples sizes tend to be smaller compared to the alternative for the amount of data utilized

Common "Sample Sizes"

• (15-30) will be used for most interviews
• (larger #) utilized for more focus on text than results
• (4) groups will be used amongst focus groups

Rich vs Shallow Data

• Rich Data provides fewer participants, and Depth allows more interviews
• Shallow Data requires higher numbers

Considerations for "Data Saturation"

Ensure enough data to tell a compelling story with sufficient resources to allow for better and enhanced abilities while utilizing time

Quantitative Vs Qualitative Focus

• Quantitative focuses on creating reliable sources, while qualitative utilizes higher focus

The Value of "Data"

Data will allow participation of case studies and high detail

"Ethics and Consent"

• Putting notices from all the campus sites will inform individuals in what the scope of a study will be
• Research incentives will offer incentives and insight to what the study results indicate

"Social Media/Video Influences"

• Concerns exist through social media platforms.
• Debates/Opinions is something that will be considered