Research Methodology Fundamentals

Limitations of Personal Experience

• Personal experience is limited due to bias, subjective interpretations, and inaccurate observations.
• Self-esteem can influence objectivity.

Tradition and Knowledge Acquisition

• Reliance on tradition hinders the acquisition of new knowledge.
• It discourages questioning existing practices and makes adopting new ideas difficult.

Critical Analysis of Authority

• Critically analyze authority figures' suggestions.
• These figures can be incorrect or present opinions as facts.
• Authorities may offer conflicting perspectives.

Research vs. Other Knowledge Sources

• Research is systematic, disciplined, objective, and involves data collection, interpretation, and reporting.

Objectivity in Research

• Objectivity ensures unbiased observations and conclusions based solely on evidence.

Verification in Research

• Verification through replication ensures research reliability and generalizability.

Significant Research Questions

• Significant research questions address important issues with potential educational or knowledge benefits.

Relationship Between Research and Theory

• Theories provide a framework to understand phenomena and generalize findings.

Credibility in Research Conclusions

• Credibility is ensured by providing a coherent evidence-based chain of reasoning.
• Addressing limitations and ensuring methodological rigor are key.

Peer Review in Scientific Inquiry

• Peer review ensures credibility.
• It allows for scrutiny and validates findings through professional critique.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

• Quantitative research focuses on numerical data.
• Qualitative research uses narrative or textual insights.

Mixed-Method Research

• Mixed-method research combines quantitative and qualitative strengths for comprehensive insights.

Qualitative Research Disadvantages

• Qualitative research's small, non-random samples limit generalizability to larger populations.

Sampling in Quantitative Research

• Sampling is critical in quantitative research.
• It ensures data represents the population and allows findings to generalize.

Applied vs. Basic Research

• Applied research addresses practical problems.
• Basic research expands theoretical knowledge.

Action Research Focus

• Action research focuses on improving practices and outcomes within a specific institution or context.

Analytical Research

• Analytical research involves systematic document, record, and artifact analysis to investigate events or ideas.

Informed Consent in Research

• Informed consent is crucial for ethical research.
• Participants must understand the study and agree voluntarily.

Participant Anonymity and Confidentiality

• Protecting participant anonymity and confidentiality is essential.
• Privacy and avoiding harm or discomfort are key.

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

• Institutional review boards (IRBs) ensure ethical research standards are upheld before data collection.

Pedagogy's Greek Roots

• "Pedagogy" combines "paidos" (child) and "agein" (guide or lead).

Educere vs. Dúcere

• Educere means to remove someone from a state.
• Dúcere means to guide or lead.

Hermeneutical Phenomenological Method Phases

• The method involves four phases:
  • Previous stage/clarification/budgeting
  • Experiential lived collection
  • Reflection on lived experience
  • Writing/reflection on lived experience

Phenomenology's Educational Purpose

• Phenomenology in education aims to understand and interpret lived educational experiences' fundamental structures and pedagogical value.

Phenomenological Research Silences

• Two types of silence exist in phenomenological research:
  • Literal/epistemological silence—what cannot be said
  • Ontological silence—acquiring meaningful experience

Previous Stage in Phenomenology

• The "Previous Stage" in phenomenological research establishes budgets, hypotheses, preconceptions, and identifies bias.

Van Manen's Experiential Material Collection Methods

• Three primary methods include:
  • Personal experience description
  • Conversational interview
  • Observation

In-Depth vs. Conversational Interviews

• In-depth interviews gather biographical information and interpretations.
• Conversational interviews aim to understand the lived experience of specific situations.

Epiphany in Phenomenological Text

• "Epiphany" refers to sudden, intuitive understandings of life meaning.

Anecdote Writing in Phenomenology

• Anecdotes should be described as lived experience.
• Avoid causal explanations, generalizations, and abstract interpretations.
• Focus on specific events and experiences.

Multidisciplinary Pedagogy

• Pedagogy blends philosophy, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and economics.

Close vs. Participant Observation

• Close observation avoids pre-conceived schemes.
• Participant observation begins with or develops categories.

Phenomenological Analysis: Selective Approach

• The selective or marking approach in phenomenological analysis identifies fundamental phrases revealing experience.

Theory Relevance in Phenomenological Research

• During phenomenological research, theories should not be relegated but disregarded to achieve freedom of thought.

Martinez's Phenomenological Goal

• Martinez believes the phenomenological method aims to move from particular to universal.

Two Dimensions of Phenomenological Meaning

• Two dimensions of meaning exist:
  • Semantic meanings (expository)
  • Expressive quality (non-cognitive)

Phenomenological Subject-Object Relationship

• Phenomenology views subject and object as interconnected.
• World objects are separate from human consciousness.

Experiential Material Collection Sequence

• Several steps are followed in collecting experiential material:
  • Conversational interview
  • Description writing
  • Question formulation
  • Conversational interview (again)
  • Description rewriting
  • Description reformulation in the final document

Integrating Structures in Phenomenological Research

• Descriptions should be concise but comprehensive, encompassing the common physiological features while maintaining individual distinctions.

Difficulty in Phenomenological Reflection

• The difficulty in phenomenological reflection stems from meaning-seeking.

Hermeneutics Branches

• Hermeneutics' two branches:
  • Interpretation (practical application)
  • Understanding (philosophical questioning)

Hermeneutic Circle

• The hermeneutic circle illustrates that understanding emerges iteratively, relating the parts to the whole.

Father of Modern Hermeneutics

• Friedrich Schleiermacher is considered the father of modern hermeneutics.

Whole-Parts Relationship in Interpretation

• Schleiermacher viewed the relationship between the whole and parts as reciprocal.
• The whole is understood through its parts.
• Parts are understood through their relationship to the whole.

Heidegger's Emphasis in Hermeneutics

• Heidegger shifted the focus in hermeneutics to existential concerns.
• It centers the circular relationship between pre-understanding and understanding.

Gadamer's "Fusion of Horizons"

• Gadamer introduced "fusion of horizons," integrating the interpreter's perspective with the historical and cultural context of a text.

Meaning vs Significance in Hermeneutics

• Meaning refers to literal text content.
• Significance addresses text relevance.

Hermeneutics of Suspicion

• This critical approach questions the trustworthiness of texts.
• Ricoeur, Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche are key figures.

Gadamer's View on Understanding and Tradition

• Gadamer links understanding to shared traditions, shaping both the text and interpreter.

The Significance of Non-Sense in Hermeneutics

• Non-sense, disrupting expected meaning, encourages deeper interpretation.

Schleiermacher vs. Gadamer on Authorial Intention

• Schleiermacher emphasized authorial intent.
• Gadamer focused on dialogue between text and interpreter, regardless of original intent.

Critical Hermeneutics

• Critical hermeneutics examines ideological and power dynamics in interpretation, targeting emancipation.

Hermeneutic and Strict Subjectivity/Objectivity

• Hermeneutics challenges rigid separation between subjectivity and objectivity.
• Interpretation relates texts to their context and the interpreter's personal experiences.