Understanding, Metaphysics, Science & Objectivity

• The ability to understand each other and have mutual understanding is taken for granted

Causal Explanation

• Cause creates an effect, establishing a causal relationship

Metaphysics

• Different ways of viewing reality, involving hypotheses and theories that cannot be explained or proven through science

Natural Science

• Focuses on measuring and experimenting to obtain results without concern for what others say

Data as Empiricism

• Processed data is collected from sources such as interviews, surveys, or observations

Objectivity

• Examining situations from an open perspective, without the influence of personal values or emotions

Ontology

• The study of what exists, exploring existence in the world, focusing on the question of existence and reality, own beliefs play a role

Bias

• A natural inclination for or against an idea, group, or individual, involving preconceived opinions and individual perceptions that can be conscious or unconscious

Postmodernism

• An idea that there's no absolute truth, as everything depends on perspective, questioning rules, traditions, and fixed ideas, stressing the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences

Generalizability

• Requires sufficient empirical evidence to support generalization, preventing broad conclusions from limited studies

Structuralism vs. Phenomenology

• Structuralism analyzes systems and patterns. Phenomenology emphasizes individual perspectives and experiences. Researchers investigating individual perceptions use phenomenological approaches

Study Subject/Perspective

• Focuses on chosen subject. This could be observations, surveys, and interviews

Empirical Testing

• Uses methods such as surveys, observations, interviews, and analysis

Scientific Revolution/Paradigm Shift

• Refers to a fundamental change in understanding the world and the scientific theories that govern our perceptions

Paradigm Shift

• Scientific knowledge evolves in leaps through paradigm shifts, where one paradigm replaces another, incorporating previous knowledge and developing new beliefs

Action Research

• Has two goals: suggesting new practical approaches and generating knowledge at a broader level, typically driven by a desire for change, strengthening participants, and creating change through collaboration, participants can include project teams, employees, or professionals

Discourse

• Foucault defines discourse as the study of how language, ideas, and power relations shape our understanding of reality within philosophy, sociology, and linguistics

Discourse

• Refers to how we discuss and construct knowledge within a specific area or context
• "La clau" views it as a more abstract concept, meaning "over" or "behind" what is being discussed

Epistemology

• Is the study of knowledge, addressing how we attain reliable knowledge of reality and focusing on methods for acquiring knowledge
• Knowledge has to meet requirements and be a fact that is proven to be true and convincing to those saying it

Nomothetic/Idiographic Study

• Nomothetic involves law-based, generalizing research. Idiographic focuses on individual events and singularizing research

Positivism

• Focuses only on what can be observed and measured, based on facts, cause, and effect

Reliability/Validity

• Measurement must be reliable and relevant within the context

Constructive Frameworks of Understanding

• Our understanding of the world is built on our experiences, learning to expand on what we already know, leading to continuous knowledge development

Structuralism

• We understand things through opposites (ex: cold vs, warm) or concepts children pick up and use in play, where words lack inherent meaning, operating under unwritten rules and norms

Epoché

• Attempts to understand without personal biases, to grasp any situation through the individual's perspective

Analytical Statement/Proposition

• An analytical statement in positivism doesn't need empirical testing, as its meaning is inherent in its construction

Rationalism

• Knowledge arises from thought. It is a philosophical approach influenced by the Enlightenment, which focuses on using human reason to uncover nature's secrets

Quality in Qualitative Research

• Reliability includes trustworthiness, transferability, and dependability, reflecting how well a study's results mirror reality
• The methods for determining quality differ between qualitative and quantitative research

Materiality

• Is a growing area of pedagogical research. Understanding human knowledge increasingly relies on the material
• Technology, places, and landscapes shape our understanding of ourselves, our existence, and our place in the world

Materiality

• Concerns physical existence but extends to the qualities objects possess
• They are subjectively experienced

Cultural Background

• People's experiences shape their cultural perspectives. Consequently, the examination of material objects is twofold: the physical object itself and its cultural experience

Material Culture

• Concerns things that we surround ourselves with
• Materiality involves the relationships between people and material objects. It is a practiced relationship that continuously reproduces itself

Explore mutual understanding, causal relationships, metaphysics, and natural science. Delve into data as empiricism, objectivity, and ontology. Understand how bias affects perceptions, as well as preconceived opinions.