2017
GE4 - Research
SUMMARY BOOK & LECTURES
DYLAN BOET
,Table of Contents
Book A1 3
Book A2 4
Book A3 7
Book A4 8
Book A5 9
Lecture week 2 9
Lecture week 4 12
Book B1 17
Book B2 17
Lecture week 5 18
Book B3 23
Book B4 25
Book B5 26
Book B6 28
Lecture week 6 28
Book C1 31
Book C3 31
Lecture week 7 32
2
,Book A1
Research Quality: The reliability, validity, credibility and ethical practice of a piece of
research.
Process: An on-going, often continuous series of actions intended to achieve a specific
result. This often requires the researcher to follow an established set of (usually) routine
procedures. At the most basic level, research is the process we undertake when:
We have a question to answer
We need to acquire knowledge
We want to extend our understanding of the social world
In many ways, the process of research is quite simple. In its simplest form it can be thought
of as having only three components:
(1) The question
(2) The research process
(3) The answer
The nature of research is:
Structured and purposeful (both in gathering and interpreting data)
Rigorous
Robust and defensible
Systematic
The nature of research is not:
Simply gathering information or facts (thought this may be an important component
of the process)
Divorced from practical life: Some research deals with abstract ideas or theoretical
development; other types change the ‘real’ world and our experience of it, often for
the better.
Quality Criteria in Research
(1) Research written in ways that are accessible to appropriate audiences
(2) Research design that clearly addresses the research question(s).
(3) Transparency in data collection and analysis
(4) A clear statement of how the research process was conducted
(5) That the research makes a contribution to knowledge
Dependability: A measure of research quality, meaning, for example, that all data is included
and that no data is lost through unreliable audio recorders or inaccurate transcribers.
The concept of dependability is related and is often referred to in relation to qualitative
research methods, but is applicable to most research approaches.
Transparent: In a research context, this means that the research process and the decisions
made by the researcher are recorded and available to others for scrutiny.
3
, Credibility: The credibility (or believability) of the researcher’s interpretations of the data
she has gathered is tested by the analysis and interpretation of data being transparent, for
example, by testing out the interpretation of the data with the research participants or by
setting the interpretations alongside existing history.
Generalisability/transferability: Measures of research quality in which the researcher asks
‘How far am I able to claim that the results or findings from my research are true for or
relevant to the wider population or a different context?’
Things to remember about A1:
Research is a process
Research has to be planned. It does not happen by accident
Facts and data are not necessarily the same as knowledge.
Description is not the same as explanation.
Research must be robust and rigorous. It must be capable of withstanding criticism
and challenge from individuals and organisations who may not agree with the
methods used or the findings produced.
Book A2
Information: Knowledge gained through study, experience or instruction: what we are told.
Understanding: Grasping the meaning of information.
Social world: The setting or cultural surroundings in which social research takes place.
Ontology: The ‘science or study of being’; in social research, ontology refers to the way the
social world is seen to be and what can be assumed about the nature and reality of the
social phenomena that make up the social world.
Epistemology: is the theory of knowledge and how we know things.
Natural Sciences: The study of the physical world and associated phenomena, including such
disciplines as chemistry, physics, etcetera.
Social phenomenon: Anything that influences or is influenced by human beings who interact
with and are responsive to each other.
Knowledge: Information about or awareness of something, an issue, a fact / an
understanding of a matter, a fact, an issue.
Five ways of knowing
(1) Belief: Sometimes we hold on to what we know because we believe it is true. Strong
evidence may not be changed even when there is contrary evidence.
4
GE4 - Research
SUMMARY BOOK & LECTURES
DYLAN BOET
,Table of Contents
Book A1 3
Book A2 4
Book A3 7
Book A4 8
Book A5 9
Lecture week 2 9
Lecture week 4 12
Book B1 17
Book B2 17
Lecture week 5 18
Book B3 23
Book B4 25
Book B5 26
Book B6 28
Lecture week 6 28
Book C1 31
Book C3 31
Lecture week 7 32
2
,Book A1
Research Quality: The reliability, validity, credibility and ethical practice of a piece of
research.
Process: An on-going, often continuous series of actions intended to achieve a specific
result. This often requires the researcher to follow an established set of (usually) routine
procedures. At the most basic level, research is the process we undertake when:
We have a question to answer
We need to acquire knowledge
We want to extend our understanding of the social world
In many ways, the process of research is quite simple. In its simplest form it can be thought
of as having only three components:
(1) The question
(2) The research process
(3) The answer
The nature of research is:
Structured and purposeful (both in gathering and interpreting data)
Rigorous
Robust and defensible
Systematic
The nature of research is not:
Simply gathering information or facts (thought this may be an important component
of the process)
Divorced from practical life: Some research deals with abstract ideas or theoretical
development; other types change the ‘real’ world and our experience of it, often for
the better.
Quality Criteria in Research
(1) Research written in ways that are accessible to appropriate audiences
(2) Research design that clearly addresses the research question(s).
(3) Transparency in data collection and analysis
(4) A clear statement of how the research process was conducted
(5) That the research makes a contribution to knowledge
Dependability: A measure of research quality, meaning, for example, that all data is included
and that no data is lost through unreliable audio recorders or inaccurate transcribers.
The concept of dependability is related and is often referred to in relation to qualitative
research methods, but is applicable to most research approaches.
Transparent: In a research context, this means that the research process and the decisions
made by the researcher are recorded and available to others for scrutiny.
3
, Credibility: The credibility (or believability) of the researcher’s interpretations of the data
she has gathered is tested by the analysis and interpretation of data being transparent, for
example, by testing out the interpretation of the data with the research participants or by
setting the interpretations alongside existing history.
Generalisability/transferability: Measures of research quality in which the researcher asks
‘How far am I able to claim that the results or findings from my research are true for or
relevant to the wider population or a different context?’
Things to remember about A1:
Research is a process
Research has to be planned. It does not happen by accident
Facts and data are not necessarily the same as knowledge.
Description is not the same as explanation.
Research must be robust and rigorous. It must be capable of withstanding criticism
and challenge from individuals and organisations who may not agree with the
methods used or the findings produced.
Book A2
Information: Knowledge gained through study, experience or instruction: what we are told.
Understanding: Grasping the meaning of information.
Social world: The setting or cultural surroundings in which social research takes place.
Ontology: The ‘science or study of being’; in social research, ontology refers to the way the
social world is seen to be and what can be assumed about the nature and reality of the
social phenomena that make up the social world.
Epistemology: is the theory of knowledge and how we know things.
Natural Sciences: The study of the physical world and associated phenomena, including such
disciplines as chemistry, physics, etcetera.
Social phenomenon: Anything that influences or is influenced by human beings who interact
with and are responsive to each other.
Knowledge: Information about or awareness of something, an issue, a fact / an
understanding of a matter, a fact, an issue.
Five ways of knowing
(1) Belief: Sometimes we hold on to what we know because we believe it is true. Strong
evidence may not be changed even when there is contrary evidence.
4
