Week 1 : knowledge, theories, and methods
‘Ways of knowing’, or: how one acquires knowledge
→ belief: based on cultural or personal beliefs
→ authoritative knowledge: based on trusted sources
→ experiential knowing: based on lived experiences
→ theoretical knowing: based on abstract models / frameworks
→ empirical knowledge: based on observable / measurable data
Ontology, the ‘nature of reality’, examines the essence of occurrences
→ objectivism: reality exists whether humans interact with it or not
→ constructivism: reality is created / redefined through social interaction
→ realism: reality can be observed through phenomena / hidden mechanisms
Epistemology; how we understand knowledge
→ positivism: through measurable, objective data
→ interpretivism: through subjective interpretations
→ realism: through observable data and the practical workings of these components
Research questions
→ descriptive: who, what, where, or when
→ exploratory: how or what
→ explanatory: why
→ evaluation: how effective is …
Methodologies
→ quantitative: structured methods ( surveys / experiments )
- to test hypotheses
→ qualitative: exploratory techniques ( interviews / ethnography )
- to understand perspectives
→ mixed-methods: combination qualitative and quantitative approaches
- to provide comprehensive / thorough insights
Choice of research method depends on
→ research questions: nature of question ( objective testing vs. subjective exploration )
- research goals ( does the method answer the questions )
→ data type: structured ( quantitative ) vs. unstructured ( qualitative )
- limitations ( what can or can’t certain methods achieve )
→ resources: access to participants, tools, and time constraints
- feasibility ( can method be used with available resources / access )
differences:
→ quantitative collects measurable, numerical data; objective
→ qualitative gathers descriptive, narrative data; context / meaning
→ mixed-methods integrates both to address more complex questions
Triangulation ensures credibility by cross-verifying data through
→ multiple methods ( surveys, interviews, and observations )
→ mixed data sources ( combination primary and secondary data )
→ multiple perspectives ( exploration varying interpretations of occurrences )
, Theoretical frameworks
→ macro theories: broad societal insights ( like feminism )
→ meso theories: intermediate level ( like organizational / community studies )
→ micro theories: very focussed ( like individual / small-group dynamics )
Paradigms use theory, ontology, and epistemology to guide data collection / interpretation
thereof ( like how feminism focuses on power dynamics and gendered experiences or how
critical realism investigates hidden mechanisms to address social inequities )
High-quality research is
→ reliable ( so: it produces consistent findings )
→ valid ( so: it measures what it intends to)
→ ethical ( so: it respects participants and transparency )
‘Ways of knowing’, or: how one acquires knowledge
→ belief: based on cultural or personal beliefs
→ authoritative knowledge: based on trusted sources
→ experiential knowing: based on lived experiences
→ theoretical knowing: based on abstract models / frameworks
→ empirical knowledge: based on observable / measurable data
Ontology, the ‘nature of reality’, examines the essence of occurrences
→ objectivism: reality exists whether humans interact with it or not
→ constructivism: reality is created / redefined through social interaction
→ realism: reality can be observed through phenomena / hidden mechanisms
Epistemology; how we understand knowledge
→ positivism: through measurable, objective data
→ interpretivism: through subjective interpretations
→ realism: through observable data and the practical workings of these components
Research questions
→ descriptive: who, what, where, or when
→ exploratory: how or what
→ explanatory: why
→ evaluation: how effective is …
Methodologies
→ quantitative: structured methods ( surveys / experiments )
- to test hypotheses
→ qualitative: exploratory techniques ( interviews / ethnography )
- to understand perspectives
→ mixed-methods: combination qualitative and quantitative approaches
- to provide comprehensive / thorough insights
Choice of research method depends on
→ research questions: nature of question ( objective testing vs. subjective exploration )
- research goals ( does the method answer the questions )
→ data type: structured ( quantitative ) vs. unstructured ( qualitative )
- limitations ( what can or can’t certain methods achieve )
→ resources: access to participants, tools, and time constraints
- feasibility ( can method be used with available resources / access )
differences:
→ quantitative collects measurable, numerical data; objective
→ qualitative gathers descriptive, narrative data; context / meaning
→ mixed-methods integrates both to address more complex questions
Triangulation ensures credibility by cross-verifying data through
→ multiple methods ( surveys, interviews, and observations )
→ mixed data sources ( combination primary and secondary data )
→ multiple perspectives ( exploration varying interpretations of occurrences )
, Theoretical frameworks
→ macro theories: broad societal insights ( like feminism )
→ meso theories: intermediate level ( like organizational / community studies )
→ micro theories: very focussed ( like individual / small-group dynamics )
Paradigms use theory, ontology, and epistemology to guide data collection / interpretation
thereof ( like how feminism focuses on power dynamics and gendered experiences or how
critical realism investigates hidden mechanisms to address social inequities )
High-quality research is
→ reliable ( so: it produces consistent findings )
→ valid ( so: it measures what it intends to)
→ ethical ( so: it respects participants and transparency )
