Class notes

All Lectures exam I - Research methods for analyzing complex problems (AM_1182)

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Course
Research methods for analyzing complex problems (AM_1182)

Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)

All the lectures (1-6) necessarily for the first exam of RMCP summarised. Divided in two separate parts due to the exam being in two parts.

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Uploaded on January 7, 2024
Number of pages 31
Written in 2023/2024
Type Class notes
Professor(s) D.h.j. lynch
Contains All classes

qualitative
research
methodology
triangulation
focus groups
interviews
deductive
inductive
questionnaires
designs
validation
ethics

Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
Education
Management, Policy analysis, and Entrepreneurship
Course
Research methods for analyzing complex problems (AM_1182)

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RMCP - all lectures for the first exam

Lecture 1: Introduction, PS, RO, RQ.................................................................................... 2
Lecture 2: Theory, concepts, and models............................................................................7
Lecture 3: Research methodology..................................................................................... 11
Lecture 4: Interviewing........................................................................................................ 17
Lecture 5: Questionnaires...................................................................................................24
Lecture 6: Ethics, role of researcher and planning.......................................................... 29

,Lecture 1: Introduction, PS, RO, RQ
What are complex problems?
● Unpredictable
● Uncertain
● Problems are multi-dimensional

Multiple actors/stakeholders
● Academic vs non-academic stakeholders

Different conflicting
● Factors
● Values
● Perspectives

Various:
● Rules & regulations
● Management
● Markets

Different perceptions:
● Problem definitions
● Problem roots
● Solutions

Research..
“Research is something that people undertake in order to find out things in a systematic way,
thereby increasing their knowledge.”

Goals of this lecture are to introduce you to:
● Understand the internal consistence of research design elements
● Formulating a research objective
● Formulating a main research question

How to study real world research.
For some problems we cannot measure anything, but you have to understand the problem
and have to observe, listen.
● Transforming the world (Action research, transdisciplinary research)
● Understanding the world (Case study, ethnography)
● Measuring the world (Survey research, experimental research)

2

,Transdisciplinary research: also using non-academic environment, listen to others, outside
of
Interdisciplinary research: using each others methods, outside of your own level of
expertise
Multidisciplinary: Multiple methods, but they not integrate

Real world research
● Society is our laboratory
● Doing research in an uncontrolled environment
● We focus on change.
● What do I need in order to solve complex problems?
● What skills do I need to solve problems

Designing real world research:
● Why: My contribution, what i want to
achieve
● What: My research area, the concept I will
study
● How: How to proceed, the way I collect
material and the way I analyze it

Designing is an iterative process!

Principles of doing research
1. Research is being a designer.
Designing is defining and refining. New insights help to revise your definitions.
Iterative process - of coming to understand your research object.

2. Problematizing
● Not taking anything for granted, curiosity
● Ask implicit questions (deeper roots of problem)
● Practical and theoretical relevance

3. Interpreting is relating to your data
● Are interpretation steps standardized?
● Standardization of interpretation steps is impossible..?
● Interpretation steps have to be made explicit (perspective)
● Are you aware of your role as a researcher?

3

, Selecting a research topic
What is a good research topic?
● Interesting
● Meet academic requirements
● Accessible information, material & data

Avoid research disasters:
● Too small or too big
● Too easy or too trivial
● Lack in resource materials and people

Research topic
- Every research starts with a problem, a relevance
- There is also a problem owner
→ e.g.: Primary school teachers notice that more of their students are overweight. They
wonder whether they, as educators, should take action.

● Causes of overweight
● Risk/effect of overweight on children
● Impact on curriculum
● Responsibilities of primary teachers

Research topic → provides knowledge, insight, information → contributes to problem
solving, addressing a situation → has practical and theoretical relevance → research
objective

Research objective
Quality criteria for effective RO:
● Useful (relevance)
● Realistic
● Feasible (time, knowledge, resources)
● Clear
● Informative
Demarcation is key (otherwise unfeasible, invalid, unreliable results)

The research objective is (a) by (b)..
a) External objectives = contribution of your research project to solution of the
problem / what results can be expected

4

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All Lectures exam I - Research methods for analyzing complex problems (AM_1182)

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