1. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante SUPPORT TO STUDENT SERVICES TRAINING PEJA 10-12 MAY, 2016 RESEARCH METHODS

2. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante 1.What are Research Methods? 2.Research Process 3.Detail

3. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Research methods are the particular strategies researchers use to collect the evidence necessary for building and testing theories Frey, Botan, Friedman, & Kreps (1991) …Empirical data, collection and analysis

4. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Functionalistic research process

5. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Quantative research

6. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Quantity is the unit of analysis Amounts Frequencies Degrees Values Intensity Uses statistics for greater precision and objectivity Based on the deductive model

7. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Quantitative research is rooted in the positivistic approach to scientific inquiry each part of a quantitative design is important if any part is is deficient, the entire design is weakened one of the main purposes of quantitative study is to detect casual relationships between variables.

8. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Define causal relationships Compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of the mean and the median Interpret the meaning of the standard deviation in relation to the normal curve Decide whether to reject or accept the null hypothesis

9. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Research design sets out The way in which caused relationships between variables or phenomena are to be explained

10. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Pros of Quantitative Research Clear interpretations Make sense of and organize perceptions Careful scrutiny (logical, sequential, controlled) Reduce researcher bias Results may be understood by individuals in other disciplines

11. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Cons of Quantitative Research Cannot assist in understanding issues in which basic variables have not been identified or clarified Only 1 or 2 questions can be studied at a time, rather than the whole of an event or experience Complex issues (emotional response, personal values, etc.) can not always be reduced to numbers

12. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante The researcher’s relationship with study participants can influence outcomes. The researcher is always concerned with how various factors (including the nature of the relationship) affect study results.

13. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Positivisism - French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857) - Dominant scientific paradigm until the mid-20th century - Observe and measure - Theories that can be directly tested. - Empiricism or a blind faith in observed data and a rejection of any attempt to extend or reason beyond observable facts. - Frustrations with the strictly empirical nature of positivist philosophy led to the development of post-positivism (or postmodernism) during the mid- late 20 th century.

14. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Post-positivists view science as not certain but probabilistic (i.e., based on many contingencies), and often seek to explore these contingencies to understand social reality better.

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16. Scientific Theory Self correcting: Prevailing wisdom requires constant re- evaluation when new evidence appears. Each discovery reveals a tiny piece of a giant puzzle. Science never proves anything, it just continues to add puzzle pieces to the big picture.

17. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Theories in scientific research are explanations of a natural or social behaviour event, or phenomenon: A system of constructs (concepts) and propositions (relationships between those constructs) that collectively presents a logical, systematic, and coherent explanation of a phenomenon of interest within some assumptions and boundary conditions (Bacharach, 1989)

18. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Distinction between theoretical and empirical concepts

19. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Embrace qualitative and quantitative as best fits each particular situation Acknowledge the value of more than one method of knowing what we need to know

20. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Ontology refers to our assumptions about how we see the world, e.g., does the world consist mostly of social order or constant change. Epistemology refers to our assumptions about the best way to study the world, e.g., should we use an objective or subjective approach to study social reality.

21. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Building theories Build theories inductively based on observed patterns of events or behaviours Conduct a bottom-up conceptual analysis to identify different sets of predictors relevant to the phenomenon of interest using a predefined frame-work.

22. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Qualitative Research

23. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Exploratory 1. to scope the magnitude or extent of a particular phenomenon, problem, or behavior 2.to generate some initial ideas ( or ‘hunches’) 3.to test the feasibility of undertaking a more extensive study regarding that phenomenon Descriptive - examines the what, where, and when of a phenomenon Explanatory - seeks answers to why and how types of questions

24. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Four paradigms of social science research (Source: Burrell and Morgan, 1979)

25. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Attributes of a good theory: Replicate results: Others should be able to independently replicate or repeat a scientific study and obtain similar, if not identical, results Precise: Theoretical concepts, which are often hard to measure, must be defined with such precision that others can use those definitions to measure those concepts and test the theory Falsefiable: A theory must be stated in a way that it can be disproven Parsimony: When there are multiple explanations of a phenomenon, scientists must always accept the simplest or logically most economical explanation

26. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Extend or modify existing theories to explain a new context Apply existing theories in entirely new contexts by drawing upon the structural similarities between the two context

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28. Building blocks of a theory: Constructs, propositions, logic, and boundary conditions/assumptions. 1.Constructs capture the “what” of theories 2.Propositions capture the “how” 3.Logic - represents the “why” (i.e., why are these concepts related) 4.Boundary conditions/assumptions examines the “who, when, and where” (i.e., under what circumstances will these concepts and relationships work). (Whetten,1989)

29. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Constructs May be unidimensional (i.e., embody a single concept), such as weight or age, or Multi-dimensional (i.e., embody multiple underlying concepts), such as personality or culture

30. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Propositions are based on deductive logic. Propositions are stated in declarative form and should ideally indicate a cause-effect relationship (e.g., if X occurs, then Y will follow). May be conjectural but MUST be testable, and should be rejected if they are not supported by empirical observations. Are stated at the theoretical level, and they can only be tested by examining the corresponding relationship between variables that can be measured

31. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante The third building block of a theory is the logic Acts like a “glue” that connects the theoretical constructs and provides meaning and relevance to the relationships between these constructs. Represents the “explanation” that lies at the core of a theory. Without logic, propositions will be ad hoc, arbitrary, and meaningless, and cannot be tied into a cohesive “system of propositions”

32. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Theories are constrained by assumptions about values, time, and space, and Boundary conditions that govern where the theory can be applied and where it cannot be applied. For example, many economic theories assume that human beings are rational (or boundedly rational) and employ utility maximization based on cost and benefit expectations as a way of understanding human behavior

33. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Model Building Process

34. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Empirical formulation of propositions, stated as relationships between variables, is called hypotheses.

35. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante Common mistakes in research: Insufficiently motivated research questions Pursuing research fads Unresearchable problems Favoured research methods Blind data mining

36. Denise Galvin - Universidad de Alicante QUESTIONS? THANK YOU!