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RM Part A Summary
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A clear summary of research methodology of the first year, with practice questions and answers.
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Research Methodology - Period 3 - Exam A - Chapters: 1 2 / 8 9 10 11 12Research Methodology Introducing Communication Research
Chapter 1 Getting Started Possibilities and Decisions
Research: A systematic process of asking and answering question, in our case about human
communication
Interest area
Research methods – reflect researchers
A systematic process of: (given in a cycle)
Posing questions
Answering questions
Demonstrating that your answers are valid
Sharing your research results
More detail: research methods reflect contestable assumptions about human
communication
- Observations capture an underlying reality.
- Theories about human behaviour can be generalized.
- Researchers should distance themselves from research participants. (try not to
become to involved)
- Research should be done for a specific purpose.
- There is one best position from which to observe human behaviour. (different for
every research)
These assumptions are related to major research decisions: theoretical, ethical, practical (red
are the ones related to communication studies)
Field of study:
- Wide or narrow?
Researcher:
- Dispassionate or involved?
Approach:
- Objective or subjective?
Priority:
- Your questions or participants’ answers?
Sample:
- Large or small?
Data:
- Qualitative or quantitative?
Reporting:
- Objective or subjective?
Major approaches to communication research
,Research Methodology - Period 3 - Exam A - Chapters: 1 2 / 8 9 10 11 12
Empirical (quantitative) Method – Survey
Observe, measure from researcher’s perspective.
Interpretive (qualitative) Method – Focus group / Interviews
Observe, interpret from participants’ perspective.
Critical Method – analyse speech
Ask whose interests are advanced by communication.
Practice exam question
1. Use two words to describe an advantage of using words and language instead of numbers
and statistics
Insight, more in depth
Better understanding
Qualitative
You will know more about ‘why’ people act a certain way
2. In communication research, a large sample is always better than a small sample – False
Chapter 2 First decisions
, Research Methodology - Period 3 - Exam A - Chapters: 1 2 / 8 9 10 11 12
Researchers differ in:
o Basic assumptions about communication
o Views on how theory and research relate
o Reasons for doing research and therefore
o Their research methods
Starting points for research:
What? – Interest area.
Starting with a question: linking a theory to an observation
If you start with a research, you want to link a theory with a certain observation, but the
start of this may differ between different researchers.
Induction: reasoning from observations to a theory that explains the observation.
(what theory can explain this behaviour)
Deduction: reasoning from a theory to observations that will test the theory. (will
behaviour fit with my theory)
Abduction: reasoning from an observation or effect to possible causes. (This is
unusual; can I explain it?)
Why? – goals and reasons for research.
Starting with a purpose: why do research? (quantitative/ qualitative data?)
Possible goals:
Exploration – broad questions
Description – informative but not explanatory
Explanation – why? More specific questions, possible hypotheses
Prediction – Using theory to relate two or more variables (deduction)
Control – manipulating physical processes (e.g. buying behaviour)
Interpretation – open ended questions, leading to understanding
Criticism – power in groups, organisations, societies
How? – method decision.
Starting with a method: How? *Can you relate these possible goals of doing research?
Surveys (Chapter 9)
Experiments (Chapter 10)
Observations (Chapter 11)
Interviews (Chapter 11)
Focus groups (Chapter 11)
Content analysis (Chapter 12)
World View – Basic assumptions
Starting with a world view *Can you relate these to different methods?
World View I:
Human communication is predictable, objectively measurable, generalizable, and can
be summarized in rules. “Nomothetic” approach (more quantitative research)
World View II:
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