Lecture #02 PDF

1 Lecture Elements 1) Research Process 2) Research Methodology and Research Methods 3) Shortcomings of Academic Research 4) Important Principles in Research Process  2 1) Research Process 1) Planning Phase...

1 Lecture Elements 1) Research Process 2) Research Methodology and Research Methods 3) Shortcomings of Academic Research 4) Important Principles in Research Process  2 1) Research Process 1) Planning Phase 3) Reporting Phase 1) Identify the research problem 10) Preparation of the 2) Review of literature thesis/report 3) Develop the objectives 11) Presentation of results 4) Decide the research design 12) Publication of reports 2) Implementation Phase 5) Formulate the research protocol 6) Get approval from competent authorities 7) Conduct the research work and collect data 8) Analysis of data 9) Interpretation of data  3 2) Research Methodology and Research Methods Research Methods are precise and detailed procedures a researcher employs to accomplish a research task such as: 1) research techniques 2) data collection methods 3) statistical techniques for the analysis of data 4) evaluation of research results, etc  4 2) Research Methodology and Research Methods Research methodology is used in a wider perspective. Research methodology deals with the general approaches or guidelines for conducting research. It is the science and philosophy behind research methods. Research methodology can be defined as the systematic study of the research process starting from the planning process to reporting the results. Research methods constitute only a part of the wider field of Research Methodology  5 3) Shortcomings of Academic Research A big problem with most academic research is that motivation for research is lacking. The initial motivation may be simply the practical need to satisfy the academic requirement. Naturally, most of such studies do not make a significant contribution to knowledge. From this kind of academic research, significant results cannot be expected because of constraints such as time limit, lack of finance, and lack of experience. The student’s interest may be to prepare a thesis somehow and get a degree rather than continue a career in research.  6 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-1) Empiricism dependence on evidence 4-2) Rationalism practice of logical reasoning 4-3) Skepticism 4-4) Falsifiability 4-5) Principle of Parsimony 4-6) Reductionism  7 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-1) Empiricism Empiricism or dependence on evidence is a major principle in the philosophy of science that all knowledge is the result of our experiences Empiricism is at the center of the scientific method, which says that acceptance of theories should be based on experiments and observations In scientific research, empirical evidence is important because it is the evidence that anybody can experience. It is repeatable, and therefore, empirical evidence can be checked by anybody While employing empirical methods, researchers try to control conditions to obtain better evidences.  8 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-2) Rationalism The practice of logical reasoning is often denoted by the term rationalism. According to rationalists:  Truth can be discovered through reason and rational thought.  For every phenomenon, cause and effect relationship is applicable. Emotion, hope, or wish cannot be evidences; therefore, researchers should learn to think logically and accept only logical evidences. Logic and mathematics are classical rational disciplines.  9 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-3) Skepticism Researcher should be a skeptic and should question the veracity and reliability of the knowledge claims made by others and the knowledge they already have. A scientific skeptic always questions the reliability of knowledge claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation. a scientific skeptic is anyone who accepts only those knowledge claims that are possibly true based on falsifiable hypotheses and testing. many theories, once considered scientific truths, were overthrown and became obsolete theories  10 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-4) Falsifiability The principle of ‘falsifiabilty’ or ‘refutability’ states that in order to be scientific, a scientific statement or an assertion (i.e. hypothesis, theory, law, or principle) must be falsifiable or refutable. If we say that some assertion is falsifiable, it does not mean that it should be proved false; rather it means that if the assertion is false, then this could be shown by observation or experiment. It only indicates that the empirical statement must admit logical counterexamples  11 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-5) Principle of Parsimony For explaining various phenomena, one should use the simplest description as possible. The principle of parsimony is generally used for evaluating hypotheses and selecting the best possible ones. When competing hypotheses are identical in other respects, the principle recommends selection of the hypothesis with the least assumptions and postulates for existing data  12 4) Important Principles in Research Process 4-6) Reductionism Reductionism means a bottom up approach to understand complex natural phenomena by ‘reducing’ them to their fundamental parts and studying their interactions under controlled conditions. Scientific reductionism is most often used to describe the notion that everything in the universe can be broken into smaller and smaller parts and that the whole can be understood in this way.