Method – Mrs G's Masters Musings

I have just completed the giant task that is Assessment 2 in ETL567. This assessment involved comparing two research articles in regard to their overall research design and the strengths and weaknesses of the two studies. I won’t dive into the nitty-gritty of the analysis of the two articles, but I my big take away from this assignment has been that there is research, and then there is research.

Before undertaking any research, first there must be a strong understanding of the problem and then framing questions around this problem. It then needs to be decided how the questions are going to be answered. Are the questions framed around people’s experiences or can they be objectively measured and generalised around the sample population? Or, perhaps, it’s a bit of column A and a bit of column B. The answer to these questions will decide the paradigm of the study. Answers that can be measured and generalised will fit within a positivist paradigm. The answers around people’s experiences will fit within a interpretivist paradigm, and the combination of the two fits with a post-positivist or mixed-methods approach.

The methodology needs to match the paradigm. Typically, positivist research uses quantitative methodology, interpretivist research uses qualitative methodology and mixed methods is a combination of the two. There are a wide range of methods that can be used within these paradigms and methodologies, but must be selected appropriately to answer the research question/s. The same applies to the data collection techniques that are available under each method.

When the paradigm, methodology, method or data collection technique are selected inappropriately, then it affects the strength of the study.

This week has been a world of new vocabulary relating to research. To wrap me head around some relevant vocabulary, I decided to create my own definitions.

Research

To begin the discussion around research it is important to first define what the word research means. There are so many definitions out there, but my understanding is that research is the systematic study of a phenomenon. It relies on the collection and analysis of data and using this information to create or discover new knowledge. It can also be the analysis of existing knowledge that creates new understandings. Once this process has been completed, the dissemination of this research is also an important step.

Paradigm

The paradigm is the framework for how the researcher views the world. This view will in turn influence how the research is conducted. The three main paradigms are positivist, post-positivist and interpretivist, each with their own distinct views.

Positivist	The positivist paradigm is very black and white in its views. It relies on solving problems mathematically and that truth is out there, but just needs to be discovered. This truth can be discovered in its whole through quantitative methods such as experiments.
Post-positivist	The post-positivist paradigm leads on from the positivist approach, however there are limits to what can be discovered. This paradigm often focuses on the null-hypothesis and falsifying findings. Eg: One black swan disproves the theory that all swans are white. Post-positivists often use mixed-methods and triangulate the findings.
Interpretivist	Interpretivists focus on reality being constructed through human experience. Truth can be discovered through understanding the complexity of relationships and this is achieved through qualitative methods such as interviews and focus groups.

Methodology

Research methodology is the framework for how a researcher intends to complete their research. It usually falls into the categories of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. The methods then come below this. A qualitative method could be ethnography where data is gathered through interviews. A quantitative method could be an experiment where data is gathered through statistical modelling.

There is still a long way to go in my understanding of research theory, but I am enjoying the journey.

Mrs G's Masters Musings

Tag: Method

Not all research is created equal

Definitions for research