Hmpyc80: Research Methodology

HMPYC80: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2014 TIMETABLE: Sundays 12:30 till 2pm / R150.00 per lesson OR R120.00 if paid upfront SESSION 1: STATISTICS – 2 nd Feb till 23rd March Tut 1 - Hypothesis testing / Variables (Tut 104 p 165) - Sampling Distribution of the mean - GROUPS DESIGN :T Test- difference between the means of 2 groups (BG p.147): Independent groups Tc and Dependent groups Td Tut 2 - One-way analysis of variance (The F test uses variance as an index for the difference between two or more means.) (BG p. 174) - Factorial Analysis of Variance (BG p.180) Tut 3 CORRELATIONAL DESIGN - Correlation coefficient (BG p. 208) - Regression analysis, testing Beta (BG p.221) Tut 4 - Prediction and regression analysis (BG p. 235) - Multiple regression analysis (BG p.245) Tut 5 FACTOR ANALYISIS (BG p. 268) Latent and manifest variables Tut 6 RESEARCH PROPOSAL REVIEW Qualitative analysis (Tut 104 p101) and Paradigms (p.86)- Positivism Triangulation /Observation / Interviews / Bracketing Ethics SESSION 2: PAST PAPERS EXAM PAPER- OCT NOV 2011 (4 – 5 SESSIONS TO COVER) – 10 Aug till 7th Sep SESSION 3: REVISION Revision- 1-2 sessions in October – Saturdays at 11am 2 Paradigms Positivist, interpretive and constructionist paradigm Positivist: numerical, quantitative data Interpretive: insight into subjective world , identify common themes Constructionist: how is the social world constructed, discourse analysis Ontology, epistemology and methodology Each research paradigm has a particular ontology, epistemology and methodology. Ontology refers to researchers’ assumptions about the nature of the social world, for example, positivist researchers tend to assume that the social world operates in a predictable, law-like manner analogous to the physical world. Epistemology refers to researchers’ assumptions about how to gain knowledge about the social world, for example positivist researchers assume that one should measure social phenomena objectively. Methodology refers to the actual procedures used by researchers, for example positivist researchers frequently collect data by means of objective tests and questionnaires and analyse these using statistical techniques. The table summarises the ontological, epistemological and methodological characteristics of the three research paradigms. Extract 1 (positivist research) To determine which factors from a range of demographic, perinatal, psychosocial and hormonal factors were related to postpartum depression, a sample of 81 women between two weeks and six months postpartum was divided into a depressed group (n=22) and a nondepressed group (n=59) by means of the Beck Depression Inventory as the main measure and the Visual Analogue Scale as an additional measure. (Spangenberg & Pieters, 1991) Extract 2 (interpretive research) The aim of this investigation was to gain an understanding of the life-world of people with diabetes and to acquire insight into the demanding aspects of their lives. (Cleaver & Pallourios, 1994) Extract 3 (constructionist research) Groups of male ex-university students' discourse about drinking was examined to identify the interpretative repertoires that they used to construct real-seeming versions o