Research Methods Summary - Scientific Research Methods (INFOWO)
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Course
Wetenschappelijke Onderzoeksmethoden (INFOWO)
Institution
Universiteit Utrecht (UU)
This summary contains everything you need to know for the final exam for Scientific Research Methods (INFOWO). All research methods can be found in it. The summary is based on the book, the lecture slides, and my lecture notes. In case you need extra convincing: with this summary, I got a 9.6 mysel...
Samenvatting WO RM1-10
Belangrijke woordenlijst A-Z:
2x2 factorial design: Experiment, test 2 interventions in 1 sample
Action research: research aimed at solving a practical problem
Case study: investigating a contemporary phenomenon in real-life context
Covert observation: People don’t know you are observing them
Critical research: paradigm seeking to empower people
Deductive research: test formulated assumptions
Design science: Scientifically solving a problem with innovative artifacts
Ethnography: Descriptive study, aimed at understanding something thoroughly (verstehen)
Evaluation: Design science: testing an implemented artifact in real context
Experiment: isolate cause & effect in controlled situation
External validity: Are results generalizable?
Fabrication: Researcher makes up data himself
Falsification: Researcher changes data to change results
Hawthorne effect: When subject behaves differently because someone is watching
Inductive research: develop theory based on data (theory-building)
Internal validity: Are measurements really because of manipulation of independent variable?
Interpretivism: there are multiple realities, which we can’t investigate neutrally
Interview: Interviewing someone (1 to 1, or in a group) to gather data
Mediating variable: between independent & dependent variable, explains relationship
Moderating variable: influence relationship (strengthen or weaken)
Observation: Observe through your senses to describe a setting, in the field
One group, pre&post test: Observation before → treatment → observation (1 group)
Overt observation: People know you are observing them
Paradigm: set of shared assumption/ways of thinking
Participant observation: The researcher takes part in the situation he is observing
Positivism: there is 1 truth, which we can investigate objectively
Pre test/post test control group: Observations before Static group comparison
Quasi-experiment: Experiment, can be 1 group, no control of variables, no random
assignment
Questionnaire: predefined set of questions
Reflexivity: Researchers should reflect on what might influence their ethnography
Reliability: You are consistent with measuring
Simulation: Experiment done by simulation of the real world
Solomon group design: 4 groups (both static group & pre / post test control group)
Static group comparison: 1 group receives treatment, 1 does not, comparison afterwards
Survey: Obtain same kind of information from large group standardized & systematically
(don't confuse with questionnaire)
Systematic observation: Plan in advance what you will observe
Triangulation: using multiple methods/strategies/theories to enhance validity
True experiment: Experiment comparing 2 groups, controlled setting, random assignment
Uncontrolled trial: Quasi-experiment, but no measuring before & after
Validation: Design science: testing an artifact without applying it in real context
Validity: You measure precisely what you want to measure
, HC1
- Inductive research: develop theory based on data (theory-building)
- Deductive research: formulate assumptions → test them
- Qualitative research: no numerical data (observation, interview)
- Quantitative research: numerical data (questionnaire)
Rigor: 1. Systematic conduct (research steps taken rationally, logical relationships)
2. Validity (Appropriate process used, findings indeed come from data)
Relevance. Relevant to who? practitioners, academics, etc
HC2
Philosophical paradigms (paradigm: set of shared assumption/ways of thinking)
Paradigm = ontology (is there such thing as reality?) + epistemology (how do we come to
reality?)
1. Positivism.
a. Ontology: there is 1 reality / truth
b. Epistemology: We can investigate reality objectively
Goal: find universal laws, disprove them and not confirm them (black swan theory)
3 important notions:
- Reductionism (split research in smaller parts)
- Repeatability (other researchers should get same results)
- Refutation (hypothesis should be disprovable)
(+) objective, testing causal relationships
(-) reductionism sometimes (almost) impossible
2. Interpretivism.
a. Ontology: there are multiple subjective realities
b. Epistemology: investigation through social constructs, not neutral
(+) high validity, high data quality
(-) more bias, hard to reproduce, long process, ‘non-scientific’
3. Critical research.
a. Ontology: multiple realities, but reality has dominating properties
b. Epistemology: investigate through social construct, also empowering people
Enhance validity through triangulation: use multiple methods (important for interpretivism)
HC3
Requirements for formulating RQ: Efficient (is it exactly what you want to know?) and
Steering (which type of knowledge & data you need)
Types of RQ: 1. Descriptive (describe something accurately)
2. Explanatory (demonstrate through which process)
3. Predictive (predict future cases)
4. Evaluative (assess situation)
5. Prescriptive (provide instructions)
Literature review types: I Ad hoc (searching google scholar), II Systematic process
Steps: 1. Search (google scholar etc, check references)
2. Assess, read & evaluate (assess quality, use grey literature only for motivation)
3. Combine & write (combine findings concept-centric, structure findings)
Conceptual model: develop by identifying variables & their relationships
- Moderating variable: influence relationship (strengthen or weaken)
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