Practical Research

• Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

  • Qualitative – often referred to as inductive research; aims to understand or make sense of the world based on the experiences and perceptions of individuals.
  • Quantitative – often referred to as deductive research; aims to understand the world by generalizability using controlled, value-neutral processes
  • Although these two (2) research types can be conducted separately, or done alongside each other in higher education.
• Scientific Knowledge

  • Scientific – a generalized body of laws and theories that explains a phenomenon acquired using the scientific method; can be imperfect or far from the truth since it is based on the various theories currently accepted at the time.
• Nonscientific Knowledge

  • Non-scientific - also known as nonscientific or unscientific knowledge, refers to knowledge that is based on personal beliefs, opinions, or traditions. Non-scientific knowledge may not have undergone rigorous testing or validation and is not necessarily open to challenge or revision.
• Empirical Knowledge

  • Empirical – information gathered through experience and direct data collection
• Nonempirical Knowledge

  • Nonempirical – roots from introspection, vicarious experiences, and people’s analysis of events
• Qualitative

  • Understand
  • Non-numerical
  • Generate
• Quantitative

  • Measure
  • Numerical
  • Statistics
• 1.Phenomenology

  • Both an approach to and a method of understanding the behavioral, emotive, and social meanings of lived experiences of individuals
  • Emphasizes the individual’s experiences, beliefs, and perceptions
• 2.Ethnography

  • Focuses on studying shared practices and belief systems (i.e., culture) of a group of people in their natural context over a prolonged period
• 3.Case Study

  • Allows in-depth investigation of complex issues within a specific context based on a small geographical area or a very limited number of individuals as the subjects of the study
• 4.Discourse/Conversation Analysis

  • Studies naturally occurring discourse and extract shared meanings from such discourse; text is the object of analysis
  • It is divided into four (4) themes: discourse as a topic, discourse as a form of action, discourse is rhetorically organized, and language is constructive.
• 5.Inductive Thematic Theory

  • Primarily concerned with presenting the stories and experiences voiced by study participants as accurately and comprehensively as possible
  • Most common qualitative data analysis used in social, behavioral, and health sciences
• 6.Grounded Theory

  • A set of inductive data collection and analytic methods to construct theories grounded in the data themselves
• 7.Narrative Analysis

  • Focuses on narratives (storytelling) as the source of data
  • Research  focus  shifts  from “what actually happened” to “tell me what happened”; relates not just lifespans, but       also     accounts episodes       and interconnections among them
• Ethical Goals of a Researcher

  • Ensure that people participate voluntarily in the study
  • Keep    people’s          comments       and      behavior confidential
  • Protect people from harm
  • Ensure mutual trust between researcher and participants
• Beneficence

  • Researchers are ethically obligated to maximize benefit and minimize harm. The study puts emphasis on the research design being sound and the researchers having the appropriate competencies.
• Veracity or Justice

  • The truth must always be stated, and all agreements or promises must be met. Researchers are morally obligated to treat each person what is morally proper and due to him/her. Additionally, both benefits and burdens must be equally distributed to all participants.
  • Vulnerability may provide an exception to the equal distribution of benefits and burdens of the study. This is defined as a substantial incapacity to protect one’s own interest, identity, consent, and well-being.
• Voluntary Participation/Respect for Persons

  • Participants must be aware that their participation in the study is voluntary and that they are free to withdraw at any time without unfavorable repercussions. Respect for persons is based on the respect for autonomy and protection of said persons.
• Anonymity and Confidentiality

  • Researchers seek to protect subjects’ identity, interests, and future well-being. Researchers must be able to identify their responses, but not their identities. Individuals should have the right to limit access to information about themselves and control the use of this information.
• Disclosure

  • This sets a boundary on what to disclose to the participant regarding the study. It is important to note that although it is required for researchers to disclose information about the study, this must be carefully considered so that the respondents’ opinions and responses will not be affected or influenced (e.g., if the research is focused on collecting negative reviews about a certain product, stating this specific objective to the participant may sway their responses and result in bias).
• Consent

  • Informed consent is an operational principle that allows participants to know that they are being researched, the nature of this research, and that they have the right to withdraw. This addresses four (4) areas of concern in research
• 6 Ethical Principles in Research

  • Beneficence
  • Veracity or Justice
  • Voluntary Participation/Respect for Persons
  • Anonymity and Confidentiality
  • Disclosure
  • Consent
• Three Basic Components of a Good Qualitative

  1.The ideal situation – this is where you provide the history of the issue and the ideal scenario that can exist.

  2.The main problem – this is where you not only inform what the problem is, but also answer what the problem is, and where, why, and when it occurs.

  3.The scope of the problem – this is where you define the extent of your study and give a brief overview of the kind of methodology you would be using to work out for the solution and provide justifications for the selection of this study and consequences that may be entailed.
• Research Problem

  1. The ideal situation

  2. The main problem

  3. The scope of the problem
• Steps in developing a research problem

  1. Selection of the research topic

  2. Contemplating the ideas

  3. Narrowing the topic

  4. Reviewing the related literature

  5. Writing the statement of the research problem
• Six Elements in qualitative research statement

  • LITERATURE on the research topic that can provoke the research
  • SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
  • Importance and relevance of the problem
  • General characteristics or profile of the participants of the study
  • Overall goal or AIM OF THE STUDY or the question to be answered
  • Discipline that can be influenced by the study

   
• Ethics of writing Literature

  • Fabrication
  • Falsification
  • Plagiarism
  • Redundant publication
  • Unauthorized authorship
• Fabrication – is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
• Falsification – is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that their search is not accurately represented in the research record.
• Plagiarism – is using another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving proper credit.
• Redundant publication – is a special type of plagiarism that invokes copyright infringement. It is defined as a duplicate publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published.
• Unauthorized authorship – is another nagging issue, especially in student researches, where advising is the usual contribution of the research adviser.