Detailed summary of lectures for Research Methods!
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Course
Research Methods
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
In this document, all lectures given during the course Research Methods are summarized. In total, 12 lectures are included. I added screenshots of relevant lecture slides, as well as other images to improve understanding. I passed the exam with a 8.7 with this summary!
Research Methods
Lecture 1 – Philosophical standpoint about what we can
know when doing research
Part 1 – Positivism and interpretivism
Purpose of research = finding an objective, generalizable truth
- This is arguable. In some cases, like the mechanisms of a vaccine,
there is a generalizable truth, but in other cases it’s not, for example
in social studies
Positivism (objectivist)
- People who come up with a law, which is generalizable
- One single reality, a truth
- Deductive approach
Interpretivism (constructivism)
- Mostly for social sciences, not based on laws
- Truth and meaning are constructed by the person/researcher
(subjects) interpretations of the world (object)
- Researchers inherently view the world through their frame of
reference
- Inductive approach
Both approaches are equally important!
COVID-example
- Many research question to find a truth what is a good treatment,
how many people are infected etc.
o Finding a truth
- But also, researchers that construct a reality why did they
perform a behavior? What barriers in socio-cultural systems inhibit
rapid outbreak control in a community?
o Study of people
- Important to combine both perspectives
Quantitative research = expressed in numbers and graphs. It is used to
test or confirm theories and assumptions. This type of research can be
used to establish generalizable facts about a topic.
Common quantitative methods include experiments, observations
recorded as numbers, and surveys with closed-ended questions.
Qualitative research = expressed in words. It is used to understand
concepts, thoughts or experiences. This type of research enables you to
gather in-depth insights on topics that are not well understood.
,Common qualitative methods include interviews with open-ended
questions, observations described in words, and literature reviews that
explore concepts and theories.
Take home message: Are we
constructing something (such as
QOL) or are we finding a
generalizable truth? Health
sciences is interdisciplinary, so we
work with both perspectives.
Part 2: Inductive and deductive
research and reasoning
Deductive research
- Start from a
theory/hypothesis
- Manipulation and control of
data
- Uses formal instruments
- Experimentation/survey/structured interviews
- Seeks for confirmation/rejection
Theory hypothesis observation confirmation/rejection
Inductive research
- Start with data, see a pattern, and draw a conclusion
- Thick description
- Ends with hypothesis or grounded theory
- Emergence and portrayal
- Researcher as instrument
- Seeks for theory
Observation pattern hypothesis theory
In qualitative research, you often use inductive and deductive research in
one study
,Part 3: Research methodologies
(quasi) Experimental
- Determine causality
- Manipulate the independent variable to determine effect on the
dependent variable, control over variables
- For example, RCT for a treatment
- Use of existing groups is called quasi experimental
- The aim is to generalize from the experiment
- Associated with positivism and deductive approaches
Analytical survey
- To explore and test proportions/associations/predictors between
variables
- Observational studies
- Structed questions/units and limited options for respondents
- Generalization from sample
- Highly deductive, associated to positivism
Phenological studies
- Aim for contextual description and analysis of phenomena
- Phenomenology holds that any attempt to understand social reality
must be grounded in people’s experiences of that social reality
- Inductive logic
- Seeks the opinions and subjective accounts and interpretations of
participants
- Relies on qualitative analysis of data
- Not really concerned with generalization to larger populations
Participatory action research (PAR)
- Aims to change practice in real life
- Collaboration between researchers and practitioners and users
- Iterative design
- Mixed methods
- Understanding of perspectives to determine change and often
measuring the change
- Deductive and inductive reasoning
The research objective is (A) by (B)
A = external objective = contribution of your research project to
solution of the problem/what results can be expected
B = Internal objective = the way in which this will be done/the insights,
info, knowledge needed (very similar to your research question)
Research objective should be useful, realistic, feasible, clear, and
informative
,
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