These past few weeks we have discussed
the different ways that research questions can be answered and how every method
has it's advantages and disadvantages, but what they all have in common is that
eventually they all make a contribution to knowledge in their own way. These
contributions are also what most of our general knowledge is build on.
We want to know more about the
world, as there is much more then what we see, feel, hear, perceive. We are
curious and to satisfy this curiosity and to answer these questions that we
have, various methods are used to gather data, which are analyzed and drawn
conclusions from.
The qualitative method
(observations, semi-structured interviews etc.) and the quantitative (survey,
online polls etc.) methods are both research methods to use. Depending on what
the purpose of the study is one may choose a method to use. For instance if you
would like to know how many people use LinkedIn? You conduct a survey or a poll
to find this out. In this case you are not asking them for their motivations,
you want a quantifiable answer (in numbers). The quantitative method is then
the perfect way, cause you want numbers and not their reasons, another
important matter of importance is that you would probably also like to have
this information from as much people as possible, with this method all this is
possible. When you have this information and you decide that you would like to
know, what these people use LinkedIn for? What are there experiences? In this case you want their reasons, their
motivations. Then the qualitative method is a valuable way to get this
information.
Then you might want to held a
semi-structured interview, because you can gain in-depth information with this
method, it often requires a lot of time, it’s time consuming. So often a much
smaller group participants is used with these kind of methods. The large amount
of people that was a priority in the quantitative method is of less importance
in this method. Off course this doesn’t mean that you should only interview two
people and build your entire research around them, but the possibility of
having 50 participants (what you might have had during the survey, or even
more) is highly impossible. But it’s important that there are enough people
interviewed, as you would like the results to cover the reasons. Motivations of
a large amount of people (generalizability)
But this depends on the topic of
your study, therefore it is a matter of importance that as a researcher, you
make choices before you go in the field.
These two methods can also be
combined to enrich your data (using qualitative data to get the information
that you missed during the quantitative method) This is actually preferred as
it gives the possibility to look at the research question from different
possibilities. It also has a positive impact on the validity of the research as
the results are obtained in several different ways which means that the
disadvantages of the method is enhanced by the strength of the other and makes
the interpretation of the results much better. The combination of these methods
can be done in different ways, by Parallel data gathering or by Sequential data
gathering. In the first form quantitative and qualitative data are gathered at
the same time. In the second form, Sequential data gathering one of the two
methods is used first, the information wanted, but not gained in this process
is than gathered with the other method[1].
Both these methods are research
approaches on themselves in which qualitative research is more explanatory while
quantitative research offers descriptions, but both can also be used in in
different researches. Such as in a case study, where both methods are often
combined to study a specific group during a certain, time, event or setting to
analyze a certain context.
Or in Design research where
research is done to gather data that can be of interest in design processes,
for instance by doing an experiment.
As a researcher it’s important to
know in advance what the purpose of your research is, as the different methods
and approaches are build around them and gives different possibilities. It is
also important to look around first, what has already been done? As earlier
researchers in your subject area have already gathered results that you can use
to strengthen your methodology. Except from gaining the data, the process in
itself is also a matter of importance. So for instance having a pilot study,
this is a way to strengthen your method, to increase the reliability of the
research and to avoid certain mistakes in the ‘real’ research, as you were able
to filter them out in advance.
To conclude, These lectures and
seminars have been very helpful and offered a different perspective on the
different approaches that one might use to answer different research questions
and what should be considered first. Knowing all these methods will definitely
benefit me in the process of deciding which method to choose for my Master
thesis. And whenever I read a paper now I will analyze it with a different
angle, as I know more of the different methods used and how to interpret them.
Below you’ll find the comments and the link of the posts I commented on
the past few weeks.
Theme 1: Theory of knowledge and theory of science
(10 comments)
https://omg-dm2572.blogspot.se/2016/09/after-theme-1.html?showComment=1474017007413#c764322410076293357
I found the way you reflect on the
first theme very interesting. I share the same view on the fact that we all
have different backgrounds and that we should keep this in mind while
discussing certain topics as we all have different opinions.
It seems that even tough you say that
the field is pretty new to you, you have been able to apply the given theory
into practice during the discussions. Your example on linking hard noise to big
objects is a good way to explain the theory in a way that is better to
understand and it helps to start a discussion as others can recognize
themselves in this.
I think you did a good job on
explaining how you had not much knowledge on this subject and how this has changed
by giving examples to show that you have a better understanding now.
Hi! I can recognize myself in
the different stages that you went true. I also found it quite hard to
understand the text, but after the lecture it became clearer. After reading
your first post I found you did a good job on your blog and it seems you had a
better understanding of the text than you taught.
I think that the fact that you
didn't have strict questions is also good as you said, the discussion can take
different directions and different point of views can be shared what helps to
get a better understanding.
Hi!
Nice summary on how the lecture and the seminar gave you a clearer view on how
Kant's text should be interpret. You can see that you understand the text and
the examples that you use to explain the theories are interesting. The
conclusions that you draw are exactly what Kant wants us too understand.
I
agree with you on the fact that it is hard is to be objective, because of the
different factors from our background influencing the way we perceive things.
http://theaeaetetus.blogspot.se/2016/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory.html?m=1
I think
that you understand the essence of the text very well. The way you explain the
theories and with the given the examples, you applied the theory into our daily
life. I agree with you on how we haven't been able to see the true self of an
object since our perception of it is subjective. Your drawn conclusion on how
the theory of the text should be seen as reality vs. perception is also very
interesting. It explained the bases of what Kant and Socrates mean.
It seems you really understood the theme of this week. You give relevant
and understandable examples to explain Kant's theory. I agree with you on your
statement that the empiricism theory can't be seen as wrong or not true as we
do get a lot of knowledge from experience, but I don't think that all our
knowledge is based on experience. The mathematical example that you gave for
instance, I don't think that it is based on experience, as you wrote yourself,
you don't need to experience that number to understand it. I think that your
point of view and your blog are very interesting!
It seems like you had a good discussion during the seminar and that you
were well prepared. Your taught on the different ways we see the world makes me
think of how according to Kant we all were glasses (metaphorically) while we
perceive the world and how this affect our perception. I liked your example of
how there are probably 7 billion worlds because we all perceive it in our own
way.
In the way you reflect on this theme it seems that your determination
and the discussions helped, and that you understand this theme.
http://u1h02pv3.blogspot.se/2016/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory.html?m=1
Your
giving examples of 'students are people' and 'students are happy people' are
both good examples of what Kant calls analytic and synthetic judgment. These
examples make you understand what Kant means easier. You post some important
questions on our ability to reason and if we can learn about a subject in a
scientific manner. I think that that is what Kant means with 'that we should
try to find out by experiment' or how you explained it by changing our
perspective and then we might obtain the knowledge that we are looking for. I
really liked reading your post!
Hi! After reading the two texts I felt the same way, I needed to read
the same sentence a couple of times before I could make some sense out of it. I
found the way you managed to explain Kant's idea really interesting and I think
that you understood the text quite good before the lecture. With this sentence
'In that case, Socrates says that to each individual the same truth will be
different as they understand it through their own cognitive prism', you
captured an important part of the concept- as everybody perceive things in
there own way and this affects our judgment- and I think that this is one of
the conclusions that should be drawn out of the texts.
http://u1h4muxc.blogspot.se/?m=1
I found your examples and the links that you make to familiar subjects
very interesting. The link with Journalism is a nice one, as you describe a
journalist is supposed to report as objective as possible to avoid that the
message will become biased or as you describe it manipulative. But even then
there is still subjectivity, because the sources that are used are also not
objective. This makes it hard to believe what read or hear in the media.
I really liked reading your reflection and it really made me put more
taught in the things you pointed out.
This comment is meant for her reflection, but her
comment button didn’t work so I posted it on her first blog
I agree with you on the difficulty of the text, my understanding also
became better after the lecture. Even tough you write that you did not really
understand the texts I think you did a good job answering the questions. The
background information that you added shows that you put effort into the
answers. And in your reflection you show how you understand the text now after
the lecture and seminar and you put it in a clear perspective.
Theme 2: Critical media studies (10
comments)
Hi! Good reflection! I
struggled with the same questions as you did; especially nominalism was a
concept that became a bit clearer to me during the seminar.
To elaborate further on your
explanation of nominalism: I also understood that Adorno and Horkheimer's
opinion was that the society doesn't change because we keep categorizing
everything 'our society is build on necessities and regularities'. This was one
if the reasons why they became sceptic about nominalism and the Enlightenment.
I enjoyed reading your reflection and it seems that you learned a lot.
http://u1h4muxc.blogspot.se/2016/09/theme-22-reflection.html
Hi! I enjoyed reading your
reflection and your point of view on the different concepts. Your link to
the presence is interesting. I agree with you on how technology has changed a
lot of our habits for instance how people can't go an hour without looking on
their phone anymore, because they might miss something important on social
media. And instead of using the media to contribute in a positive way it is
also used to spread content that has a negative impact. This is not what social
media was meant for, but as it was with the Enlightenment, it started positive
and now it is backfiring on us. The tool is misused.
http://u1bauz11.blogspot.se/2016/09/theme-2-reflection.html?m=1
Hi! I found your examples interesting and I
enjoyed reading your blog. Your example on substructure and
superstructure is a good way to describe the concept by involving the
present into it. We expect much more from a phone, we don't only want to be
able to call and text with it, it also needs to be able to take sharp pictures
and have a big memory for all our app's and everything else we want to save.
Hi! I enjoyed reading your post,
you share some interesting facts to explain the different concepts. Especially
the one you use to explain the Enlightenment concept explains the process in a
good way. It gives us a clear view on how our own perception can deceive us and
can make us believe or see things different then that they actually are. The
link that you make between superstructure and religion is a good way to link
the concept to the presence, as religion has become an important issue nowadays
as we see how changes is influencing our society.
http://u1gixy4z.blogspot.se/2016/09/after-theme-2-critical-media-studies.html
Hi! I enjoyed reading your post and you explain
the concepts with good examples.
I do think that change in society is possible,
but only if we don’t just accept things for what they are, but instead ask
critical question about. Just like is done now with Social media, different
researchers raise different questions about the impact that it is having on our
society. I think that we shouldn’t let the critical question only be asked by
‘researchers’ but we as users should ask those questions to and discuss this.
I like the example of the movie ‘Loving Vincent’,
I agree with you on that reproductivity is essential in the society that we
live in now, as it is needed to make sure that everybody has access to
information.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection and
it seems that you learned a lot!
I like the link that you make with the refugees
crisis, as by calling them refugees we are already categorizing them as being
different from the citizens of that country. I also wonder how the world would
look like if we didn’t categorize everything, but would just leave it as it is,
but I don’t see that happening. As categorizing is a way for people to
understand the world around us, just like we categorize certain habits as
‘good’ or ‘bad’, if this distinction would not have been made, we might not
have known this, as we don’t understand this.
http://u11zdo9t.blogspot.se/2016/09/theme-2-critical-media-studies-2.html
Hi! I liked reading your reflection and your
point of view of the different theories, it seems like you learned a lot!
To elaborate on Nominalism I also think that
categorizing is not necessary a good thing, but also not a bad thing. As it
helps is to understand certain basics as the distinction between good and bad.
This helps us to understand the world around us. However I think that in the
process of making the world better understandable or easier for everybody, the
negative sides of categorizing was not considered. Not everything around us
needs to be ranked, I think that if we would put more taught into the
generalizations that sorting by type has brought to our society; we would
consider letting go of certain categorizations.
Hi! Interesting reflection and I enjoyed reading
it! I seems you were well prepared for the class and that the other resources
that you used helped to get a better understanding. I think that dialectic
should be a more often method in our society. Especially when it comes to Law
and Politics. This would help to have a more structured debate that would lead
to a conclusion that is based on the truth that both parties should agree on.
This would make our regulations stronger as it isn’t based on what one party
thinks is the best, but on what both parties agreed on is the best for all of
us.
Hi! I enjoyed reading you reflection, it is good
structured and you make interesting links to the presence and your personal
point of view. I agree with you on the fact the nominalism has positive and
negative sides. As it helps to gain knowledge and to know what to do, for an
example knowing that an apple is food- so you can eat it, but it is also the
reason why there are so many stereotypes- a woman is supposed to clean and
cook. We can’t take things just as the way they are, but I also think that our
way of categorizing now, is not the way it should be when it comes to
individuals.
However, I liked reading how your perspective on
myth have changed and the example you used is clear.
http://u1818rgq.blogspot.se/2016/09/theme-2-critical-media-studies-post-2.html
Hi! I enjoyed reading your reflection and the
perspectives that you discuss in your blog. I don’t think that it is possible
to take things as they just are, as you mention Human Right’s can’t be found in
nature, but these morals and values are important for us. I think that
Nominalism is neither wrong nor right. We should find a balance in how we
categorise and what we are categorising to avoid certain generalizations, but
still have certain boundaries. But I agree that Nominalism isn’t the way to get
this balance either.
Theme
3: Research and theory (10 comments)
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection, it
is well written and easy to understand.
To elaborate on your explanation of a theory, I
also think that there is a link between a 'hypotheses' and ‘theory’, it
was confusing for me too to find out what the exact difference was, but as
I understand it now- a hypotheses becomes a theory after it has been tested
several times to be true. So first a hypothesis is an explanation of a certain
phenomena, and after experiments observations etc. and the same explanation is
given, then it can be called a theory. So I don't think that a theory is the
same as a hypotheses, it's rather something that theory is build on.
Your explanation and given examples are very
interesting!
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection,
well written!
I agree with you on how the meaning of theory
differs per research field. Even the way 'theory ' is used in general has a
different meaning then the definition of the different research fields. As I
understand it now the meaning of theory in civil society- is rather 'a hunch or
idea that a person has' while in science it is 'the way thing are interpret'. I
also think that it is hard to come up with one definition for theory, if not
even impossible.
Hi! Good reflection!
The link between Kant and research is very
interesting.
I agree with you on that theory is a way for us
to explain the world around us. After experimenting, exploring (our
explanation) etc. if this is true or false.
Your example with the white and brown bear is a
good way to explain how we construct our world based on theories. Even if we
know that a theory is proven not to be true (anymore) it still exists, as just
because something (probably) isn't true doesn't mean we need to true it away.
Interesting summary of the different sides of
theory!
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection and
it looks like you have a good understanding of the concept.
I agree with you on that a theory is built on
hypotheses, when a hypothesis is proven to be correct the next step is theory.
But your example of the bears is a great way to contradict this idea, as you
said it is 'the' theory until it is proven wrong. And as almost our whole world
is construct by theories, this does give me something to think about.
Nice summary and you used good examples to
explain what you mean!
Hi! Nice reflection I enjoyed reading the
different links that you make with theory. Your comparison of how the power of
theory is an argument that is build on data from different perspectives and
journalism also using multilevel of sources is interesting. I didn’t think
about it in that way. Just like journalists have a gatekeeper, in research the
peer-to-peer review is a way to check if the used theory is valid and to
improve the objectivity.
Very interesting perspective!
Hi! I enjoyed reading your reflection, it is
well written and structured!
I agree with you on the fact that finding one
definition for 'theory' is not easy. After the class I searched for the meaning
and came to the realization that this differs per research field and the
meaning of the common use of the word is also different, but it did helped to
set it straight for myself. As I understand it now when we in general speak
about theory 'my theory is X' then we mean 'a hunch or an idea' while if in
social science they speak of a theory they mean 'logical propositions about
empirical reality'. And in science it also refers to something else, so
depending on which field it is the meaning differs
Hi! Good reflection and you use interesting
examples to explain what you mean.
I did realize that a theory is correct until it
is proven to be wrong, but I didn't put much taught into that theory can't
actually be proven. It does makes sense as the only thing that comes close to
prove that we have is the evidence that is conducted during experience,
observations etc. this is the reason why we are confident about a certain
theory, but that's all we have.
Nice perspective!
Hi! Good reflection, you discuss some very
interesting issues.
I would like to elaborate on your question 'if
there is room for new theory?' I do think that there is room for new theory as
a theory is not (really) proven, all we have is evidence that it is build on
and that is why we are secure about it. And for this reason new evidence can be
gathered and then we will have a new theory, as this is what a theory is build
on.
Thanks for your interesting perspectives!
Hi, I like how you explain theory and hypothesis
and what the distinction is between these two. I also wanted to know what the
difference was, so I searched for the meaning and made a distinction to make it
clear for myself. I also found out that depending on the field, the meaning of
theory differs.
Your example of the reasons why people watch cat
videos, explains in a good way how a hypothesis after exploration and
observations etc. becomes ‘the theory’, at least until it is proven to be
wrong.
I think you give a good explanation of the
concept.
https://u1818rgq.blogspot.se/2016/09/research-and-theory-post-2.html
Hi, interesting reflection and it seems like you
have learned a lot and that you have a good understanding. To elaborate on the
coming and going of new theories, I think that it is a good thing that this
shifts in time as it provides us with knew knowledge, but it also means that we
can be critical about the given information. I think that this is the way it
should be, as we often use theory to explain the world around us, so if the
information that we use is as current and correct as possible, this also helps
us to reflect on it.
Theme
4: Quantitative research (10 comments)
Hi! Thanks for your detailed reflection. I
really enjoyed reading your examples and your explanation of the ANOVA test and
the data.
I agree with you on that the data that is gained
doesn't answer the research question, but it's rather the researcher that
answers with arguments that are based on the data. However, this doesn't always
happen, as there are researches that use the collected data rather as answers
then as purely results that needs to be analyzed.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I
agree with you on the importance of researchers having the opportunity to
replicate researches to test theory. Especially because the integrity of these
findings are important as they form the base for future studies. The fact that
these findings haven't been replicated enough also affect these future studies,
as the bases went through a peer-to-peer review, but might actually not be
solid enough. Or there might have been new or more findings, but the future
researcher doesn't know about this because it wasn't reproduced and therefor
never brought to public.
Hi! Thanks for your reflection I enjoyed reading
your different explanations and taught. In quantitative research, researchers
tend to be more objective than the qualitative one, but I think that this
objectivity can only be found in its approach as the researcher is less
involved (in the sense of not directly interviewing, but rather using tools)
However, the data that is gained is subjective as it is based on opinions of
people, which is not a bad thing as this is what we want, opinions, but this is
the reason why it is always subjective.
Hi! Thanks for your reflection, I really enjoyed
reading it.
To elaborate on the qualitative method not being
that objective. I think that in comparison to the quantitative method, the
approach of the qualitative method is the most subjective as the researcher is
more involved in comparison to the quantitative research. Because the
researcher is more involved, data from the qualitative method is mainly verbal
(semi-structured interview), while the quantitative method is often measurable
data (survey).
Hi! Thanks for your reflection I really enjoyed
reading it. I agree with you on that gaining objective data is almost not
possible. I also agree with you on combining both qualitative and quantitative
method as both can enhance the each other’s strength and weaknesses. This
also influences the reliability of the data as more of the limitations have
already been taken away by choosing two methods. By using both methods to
complement each other, you can also get a more complete and detailed picture of
certain situations.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection,
you gave a good overview of the topics that we discussed. I agree with you that
the combination of both the quantitative as the qualitative method would be
better for research method as they both have their strength and weaknesses and
by combining, these can be balanced.
Depending on if it’s a well-known field or not
qualitative method can also be used to explore the subject and then the
quantitative method can be used to measure. Or both methods can also be used to
mutual validate and converge data.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your interesting
reflection and you make some good points. I agree with you on that using
already existing theory is a good way to make new theories and that this can be
seen as knowledge production. This also shows the importance of older research
papers as they form the base for new findings.
I like the link that you make with our
previously discussed themes. I also think that all themes are somehow connected
and that we started broad and that we are narrowing it.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection I
enjoyed reading it. I also think that it is important to treat the participants
in the same way to get data that can be compared with each other, especially in
an experiment. However, I also think that in other methods for an example in a
face-to-face interview it is also important to have that same attitude as
social cues also influences the given answers. It might be in a different way
then that of an experiment, but it is still important and affecting.
Hi! I enjoyed reading your reflection, very interesting!
I agree with you on the lack of use of both
quantitative and qualitative method in research papers. Researchers should do
this more often as it balances the advantages and the disadvantages of both
methods.
Except from that it is a lot of work to analyze
all the data, I also think that it also has to do with them not having the
opportunity to use both methods, for an example using the qualitative method to
explore and then using the quantitative to measure in separate researches. As
it was explained during the lecture there is lack of interest in follow-up
researches and a lot of pressure towards the researchers to publish as much as
possible.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection,
your explanation of the different topics that we discussed is interesting.
To elaborate on the questionnaire, as I
understand it, you are allowed to create your own, but for an example in
medicine studies standard ones are used because it is important that they are
valid. In other fields it is also important that the questionnaire is valid,
but there it more often happens that they are created by the researchers and
then tested.
I agree with you on that data don't answer the
question but that the arguments of the researcher are the answers. It often
happens that the results of a paper are entirely built on data, without a
concrete explanation of them.
Theme
5: Design research (10 comments)
Hi, thanks for your interesting reflection and taught!
I like the way you explain replicability from different perspectives.
I agree with you on that replicability can have different aims and that
in certain research fields replicating a study and coming with the same results
is more difficult as certain elements, for instance time and settings aren’t
replicable. And if the study is replicable it doesn’t necessary contribute to
new knowledge. But it does show that the earlier research has achieved
consistency and I think that this is the underlying aim of being replicable.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection. I enjoyed reading it.
To elaborate on your thought of replicability being more important in
“hard science” than in other researches. I don’t agree with this statement, I
think that a study being replicable is important for the all research fields. I
only think that because technology keeps evolving and the environment keeps
changing, replicabily in for instance design research is much harder to
achieve, but it doesn’t make it less important. As Ylva during the lecture
said, there are often questions raised of design research over time, as the
attempt to copy doesn’t necessary yield the same results.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection. I enjoyed reading it!
To elaborate on the process of design research, in comparison to other
researches, the process of design research is a significant part of the study.
As I understood it during the seminar, this is one of the main differences
between design research and other researches. There are constant adjustments
made after the results that eventually contribute to the empirical data. This
is also what makes the process of this research so messy and long.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection.
To elaborate on that “empirical data is just data” I agree with you in
that, the data itself doesn’t mean anything until the researcher analyses it
and strengthens it with arguments.
The design artefact in design research shouldn’t be seen as the results
of results of the research either, but as you said as part of the research, but
rather as a tool that you use to get the eventual results.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection!
I agree on your interpretation of how the results of design research are
only valid today and might not be valid in a later stadium. As the Environment
keeps changing we can’t expect the results to be valid for a longer time and I
don’t think that that is the aim of design research. But the results can
inspire other researchers to come with new designs and this is also a
contribution.
Hi! I enjoyed reading your interesting reflection!
The metaphor that you use to explain the difference between design
intentions and design in general is interesting.
I agree with you that design
research can contribute to new knowledge as the research question can be based
on an observation that was made, but there wasn’t necessary a solution for. By
doing research and coming with a solution, this solution can be seen as a
contribution to knowledge as there might not have been a solution for it or if
their was you weren’t aware f it/ it wasn’t brought to your attention and now
it is.
Hi! Well written reflection I really enjoyed reading it!
To elaborate on the necessity of explaining the observation, I think
that in the case of design research it’s actually significant to explain this,
as it is part of the process and the process is a very important part in design
research. But this isn’t always done in detail, as the process is long and
messy.
About the replication, I do think that it is important that a study can
be replicated, because this places more faith in the validity of the findings.
This is important for both the study as for the researcher.
Hi! I enjoyed reading your reflection!
To elaborate on your thoughts on replicability, just as you wrote,
replicability is important to test the validity of a study. I also think that
it is a matter of importance in the case of design research, during the lecture
I understood that the lack of replicability is one of the questions that is
raised towards the knowledge that is gained through design research. Especially
because it can contribute to new knowledge testing if this knowledge is
reliable is also a matter of importance. But the fact remains that in design
research this is rather difficult as the environment keeps evolving and this
affects the results of older studies.
Hi! Thanks for an interesting reflection.
I agree with you on that design research is a contribution to knowledge,
but I don’t think that this contribution won’t mean much in a couple of years.
I think it’s like what we discussed in theme 3, as a theory is valid until
somebody else proves it to be wrong. I think that in the case of design
research it is the same process, the knowledge contribution is valid until it
is proven to be wrong. But it doesn’t necessary makes the contribution useless.
Hi! I enjoyed reading your reflection, you point out some very
interesting questions.
I agree with you on that theories or knowledge that was gained more then
50 years might not be suited to us now. And just as you wrote because of the
changes in our environment and the evolving technology, replication in social
sciences is more difficult. But I do think that replicability to a certain
extent is still possible, but that it depends on the aim of the study.
Theme 6: Qualitative and case
study research (10 comments)
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection!
To elaborate on the aims of a case study, except
from testing theory and then coming up with new ones. A case study is also
often used to explore a field that is not well known, so it's common to use a
case study as the first step of a research process and use those findings or
somebody else can use the results for further research.
All in all it seems that you have a good
understanding of the methods. Good work!
Hi! Thanks for sharing these interesting
thoughts!
As I understand it even if a study is created,
so it is artificial, just like the study they did in ‘a car free year’ the
study can still be a case study. Just as you said this might be similar to an
experiment, but I think that a difference is that a case study is often
descriptive or to test theory (as it is limited to a certain case), while an
experimental research can also describe and test (for instance a new variable)
it can also predict. Another way an experiment is different from a case study
is also that an experiment tests hypothesis.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection and
it seems lie you have a better understanding of the topic!
I found it interesting that you mention that the
researcher of the paper that you chose had already some assumptions before
studying the case, did this affect the data conducted, in your opinion?
In the case study that I analyzed the researcher
also had a lot of assumptions, especially biases, and in the end this had a
high impact on the results as he used the observation method and interviews.
During this process he only interviewed and observed the group that confirmed
to his assumptions and left the rest out. What I am trying to say is in the
case of a case study one of the elements is that you don’t need prior
knowledge. I think that this is good, as it contributes to the researcher
needing to be open-minded.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting summary of the
lecture!
To elaborate on whether the study is qualitative
or quantitative, as I understand it the study is mainly qualitative as you
mention the interviews, the observations etc. But it also had a quantitative
aspect as they also analyzed how much the participants saved during the car
free year. One of the benefits of a case study is that you can use a
quantitative or a qualitative method, in this case they used both methods to
cover the aspects of the research that people would wonder about, in a good
way. As the question if there is money saved in the period the car isn’t used,
is logic to answer in this study.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting thought!
I agree with you on how rewards can have an
influence on the answers that you get, but I think that this counts for all the
research methods. In the case of your study I also think that a reward of 20
dollar is rather high, especially for a topic as Cyberbullying what is highly
sensitive. However, according to studies a high reward doesn’t obviously mean
that participants will participate better. And depending on whether the reward
is given before or after the study, this idea of giving a reward can actually
have a negative impact on the researcher as (s)he can be taken less serious,
depending on the research field.
I think that per topic their should be thought
of if it is necessary to reward the participants or not and what kind of reward
this should be.
Hi! Very interesting refection, it seems that you have good understanding
of this theme!
As you, I also think that a case study is a good way to explore a field
that you don’t know that much about and then use the results for further
research. A case study doesn’t need to answer questions, as often the research
question is formed during the research, but a follow-up research can be used to
answer specific questions when needed.
Just as you mention a case study isn’t about the method and I think that
that is the reason why both the qualitative and the quantitative method can be
used to study that certain phenomena you want to know more about.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting thought and well written reflection!
I also think that depending on the aim of the study there should be
decided which method is relevant, qualitative or quantitative. As you mention,
the semi-structured interview method offers flexibility as in the interviewee
also has space to discuss topics that aren’t directly related to the study, but
those offer a contribution. In the qualitative research paper that I choose,
this method was used to gain data, the only problem here is that the
interviewer asked very steering questions, and I think this is where it often
goes wrong with the flexibility of this method. As if there was a (good) strict
list with questions, these misinterpretations could have been avoided.
Hi! Interesting reflection, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this
week’s theme!
As you, I also think that a case study is a good way to understand why
people behave in a certain way, this makes me think of the generalizability of
the results. The data that is gained with a case study isn’t generalizable, at
least not on a big scale (except from in
similar situations). I guess that is one of the reasons why other methods are
often used when it comes to measuring human behavior etc. However, except from
giving a description (by exploring) the case study also test theories to
eventually create new ones.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting reflection!
I would like to add to the generalizability of the results. Just as you
mention the purpose of a case study is probably not to generalize as it is
often with a small group and in a certain setting, this gives the opportunity
to gain rich data but not necessarily a lot of data. However I do think that in
certain situations, as in the paper that I chose it is necessary to gain more
to get good results. For instance in my paper there was a class observed and in
the end only two were interviewed. This lead to the results confirming to the
assumptions that the researcher had already made and that shouldn’t be the aim
of the research.
Hi! Thanks for your interesting explanation of the case study it seems
that you have a good understanding of the theme!
I would like to add some to the semi-structured interview. During the
seminar my group also discussed this, as it was one of the methods used in the
chosen paper. And I also came to the understanding that the amount of
flexibility also means that the questions that are asked should be well thought
of as this can influence the result. We discussed how certain words as ‘never’
and ‘ever’ in a question influences the answer that the participants give, as
they often end up replying in the same manner ‘no, never’. While if the
interview was held what strict and good formulated questions this phenomena
could have been avoided.
[1]
Bamberger, Michael. (2012) Introduction
to mixed methods in impact evaluation. Impact evaluation notes
