Week 2: Research Contexts & Intro to Quantitative Research PDF

**Week 2: research contexts and intro to quantitative** Chapter 1: general research orientations: - This chapter begins by exploring the fundamental issues in social research - Emphasizing two main research approaches - **QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE** - **Quantitative** research is...

**Week 2: research contexts and intro to quantitative** Chapter 1: general research orientations: - This chapter begins by exploring the fundamental issues in social research - Emphasizing two main research approaches - **QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE** - **Quantitative** research is centered on numbers, measurement, and statistical analysis - **Qualitative** research focuses on understanding meaning and interpretation from a subjective and interpretivist perspective - A **key element** in social research is the relationship between theory and research - As it determines whether data collection tests or builds theories - Additionally, epistemological and ontological concerns **which are known to be the nature of social reality** are central to research process - The chapter encourages researchers to reflect on how values politics and practical issues influence the conduct of research  **Chapter goals and learning outcomes:** - The chapter outlines the goal of distinguishing between **deductive (theory testing)** and **inductive (theory building)** approaches - Understanding different social science perspectives such as positivism, interpretivism, and critical approaches - It also emphasizes the importance of understanding how values, politics, and practical considerations affect the research process - This chapter provides an overview of quantitative and qualitative methods explaining how both orientations have distinct assumptions and methodologies - **Quantitative** research is generally deductive, focusing on hypothesis testing and statistical analysis - While **qualitative** research tends to be inductive, aiming to understand social realities through subjective interpretations - Despite their differences, both approaches are empirical and systematic methods for perceiving the world. - Theories in research can be categorized into middle-range theories - Which have a narrow scope like **durkheim's theory of suicide** and grand theories, such as structural-functionalism or feminism - Which are broader and more abstract - **Deductive** and **inductive** reasoning are key to the research process - **Deductive** research begins with theory and tests hypothesis - **Inductive** research collects data to generate new theories. **Epistemological and ontological considerations:** - The chapter covers epistemology and ontology in research - **Positivism** advocates for objective, value-free research grounded in sensory experience - **Interpretivism** focuses on understanding the subjective meanings individuals assign to their actions.  - Researchers using the **interpretivist approach** to immerse themselves in social contexts to uncover lived experiences. - **This chapter also discusses objectivism and constructionism in ontology** - **Objectivism** suggest social phenomena exist independently of individual perceptions - **Constructionism** holds that social reality is socially constructed through human interactions  Chapter 4: the nature of quantitative research: - This chapter introduces **quantitative research ** - Which is characterized by its systematic use of numerical data to investigate social phenomena - The quantitative approach follows deductive reasoning process: theory formulation, hypothesis testing, data collection, and analysis - Measurement plays a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data. **Key steps in quantitative research:** 1. **Theory formulation:** establishing a theoretical framework 2. **Hypothesis:** developing testable hypotheses based on the theory 3. **Research design:** deciding how to collect data (like surveys or experiments) 4. **Operationalization:** translating abstract concepts into measurable variables 5. **Data collection:** gathering numerical data through structured methods 6. **Data analysis:** using statistical techniques to identity patterns and test hypotheses 7. **Conclusions:** drawing broader implication from the findings - The chapter underscores the importance of measurement, reliability, and validity in **quantitative research ** - **Reliability** refers to the consistency of measurement over time or across different raters - **Validity** ensures that the research truly measures what it intends to measure **Goals of quantitative research:** - It aims to accurately measure variables - Establish causality  - Generalize findings to broader populations - And ensure that results are replicable **Lecture on this week:** - Confidence in quantitative research findings - The idea of sampling from a population and using statistical analysis to make inferences is central - **The central limit theorem** explains that repeated sampling from a population eventually leads to a normal distribution where the mean becomes more predictable Variables in quantitative research:  - Variables are the building blocks of quantitative research - 1\) categorical variables: normal categories without an inherent order (hair color, gender) - 2\) ordinal variables: ordered categories without precise differences between data points (grades) - 3\) interval variables: ordered data with meaningful difference but no true zero (temperature in celsius) - 4\) ratio variables: ordered data with meaningful differences and a true zero (height and weight) Conceptualization: - The process of refining abstract concepts into measurable variables - This is especially important for complex concepts such as communication apprehension - Which has cognitive, physical and behavioral dimensions Hypotheses and research questions: - Research questions explore relationships between variables - Often without knowing exactly how the variable are related - Hypotheses propose specific relationships between variables - And they can be tested through quantitative research **Connection between lecture and chapters:** - Share a focus on the foundational aspects of **quantitative research ** - Emphasizing its reliance on positivism and the importance of objectivity and measurement - Both address the process of conceptualizing and operationalizing variables - Ensuring reliability and validity - And using clear definition to refine abstract concepts - **The lectures discussion** on variable types and sampling parallels **the chapter's** explanation on the **quantitative research process** including hypothesis testing and data collection - Both highlight the limitations of **quantitative methods,** such as oversimplification and biases, while stressing reflexivity and the need for critical interpretations - **Examples in the lecture** like wordle, align with the **chapters** use of practical illustrations to connect theory with real-world applications