Summary
Samenvatting Research methods + readings
- Course
- Institution
Contains all the substance
[Show more]
1 review
By: caroridder • 1 year ago
Seller
Follow
robindebree
Reviews received
Content preview
Research Methods for Health SciencesLecture 1 - Research perspectives, research objective and research questions
1. Current and complex public health issues that fall within the realm of your
specialisations
1. - Climate crisis / environmental impact on health
2. - Opioid crisis
3. - Making health care fairer
4. - Access to medicine
5. - Health care delivery in areas of conflict and crisis
6. - Preparing for epidemics
7. - Anti-microbial resistance
8. - Public trust (social media misinformation/disinformation)
9. - Ethical and social implications of new technologies
10. - Data modernization and privacy
11. - Food insecurity and food deserts
12. - Public Health workforce shortage
What make the current challenges, complex:
- Globalization ‘a world that is becoming increasingly integrated and interdependent’.
- Fuzzy, instead of rigid, boundaries
- Internalised rules drive action
- Agents within the system change
- Systems are embedded in other systems and co-evolve
,2. Epistemology and theoretical perspectives and the relationship between them
Why is Epistemology important:
1. Help the researcher to recognize which designs will work and which won’t
2. It can help clarify issues in research design
Epistemology = study of knowledge
In other words, it is the study of what constitutes valid knowledge.
- Objectivism
- Constructivism
- Subjectivism
1. Objectivism
Reality exists independently of consciousness – in other words, there is an objective reality
‘out there’. Is about discovering this objective truth. Researchers should strive not to include
their own feelings and values.
→ Connected to research perspective ‘Positivism’: there is only one reality/truth. Reality
can be measured. Knowledge can be formulated into laws.
→ This view has been challenged: Post-positivism we can only approximate the truth.
2. Constructivism
Truth and meaning do not exist in some external world, but are created by the subject’s
interactions with the world. Subjects construct their own meaning in different ways, even in
relation to the same phenomenon.
→ Connected to research perspective ‘Interpretivism’: there are multiple realities. Multiple,
contradictory but equally valid accounts of the world can exist. Knowledge is contextual.
3. Subjectivism
Meaning is imposed by the subject on the object. Subjects do construct meaning, but do so
from within collective unconsciousness, from dreams, from religious beliefs, etc.
→ Postmdernism can be taken as an example of a theoretical perspective linked to
subjectivism. Postmodernism emphasis on multiplicity, ambiguity, ambivalence and
fragmentation.
4. Critical inquiry
Meta-process of investigation, questions currently held values and assumptions and
challenges conventional social structures. Not only interpret the world but also tries to
change it.
Epistemic injustice
Epistemic injustice occurs when individuals or groups are wronged in their capacity as
knowers or holders of knowledge. It involves unfair treatment or discrimination based on a
person's perceived credibility, identity, or social status. There are two main types of
epistemic injustice:
Inductive and deductive reasoning
- Deductive: look at your data with clear units of analysis:
, 1. theory
2. hypothesis
3. data collection
4. confirmation, rejection, modification
- Inductive: analyze data for emerging patterns:
1. theory
2. data collection analyses: patterns e.g. hypothesis theory
3. Objective and research questions
How to get to a research topic
1. Literature → theoretical oriented
2. Problems and questions of the workplace or community setting → practice-oriented
From topic to objective and research questions
- What is the big problem/ issue
- What is known/done about it
- What is not known/done about it
- What am I going to make known about it
Topics: avoid research disasters
- Too big
- Too trivial
- Lack in resource materials and people
- Dependent on the completion of another project
- Unethical
Research objective
Formulate research objective:
- Informative (indication of knowledge to be gathered)
- Useful (relevant according to parties involved)
- Realistic (likelihood of contributing to solving the problem)
- Feasible (feasibility – time and resources)
- Clear (specify contribution)
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, information,
knowledge needed = very similar to your research question
, Lecture 2 - Conceptual frameworks and operationalizing your research
1. Role of theory / conceptual frameworks
Perception is influenced by our conceptualizations
In social sciences (interdisciplinary sciences) concepts and their relations are often
differently interpreted, therefore there is a need for clarification of concepts to understand the
research perspective and scope: e.g. what is a perception?
Concepts and theories are discussed separately (or as part of introduction/methods -
analytical framework)
2. Deductive and inductive reasoning
Yellow - Deductive Reasoning:
- Starts with general premises and reaches a certain, specific conclusion.
- You Confirm, reject or modificate your hypothesis
- Example: All humans are mortal; Socrates is human, so Socrates is mortal.
Orange - Inductive Reasoning:
- Begins with specific observations and draws a probable, general conclusion.
- Common in scientific research and everyday decision-making.
- Example: All observed swans are white, so all swans are probably white.
In real research:
1. Deductive approach → Using the stigma framework
- Internalized stigma
- Perceived stigma
- Enacted stigma
2. Inductive approach
3. Deductive approach
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller robindebree. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
50155 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now