Download - O'Leary and Creswell Ch1
Research MethodsCreswell and O’Leary
Chapter one, both books
O’Leary: Chapter One
Relevance and Need for research that grapples with real-world problems
Problems abound but so do problem solvers and problem solving
What is the role of research in problem solving?
O’Leary: Chapter One
Research is the process of gathering data in order to answer a particular question and the questions asked generally relate to a need for knowledge that can facilitate decision-making, aiding problem resolution.
Research is a key tool in informed decision making
O’Leary: Chapter One
Applied Research: findings, results and conclusions, can lead to practical recommendations, genuine change, great opportunities, and real problem solving.
O’Leary: Chapter One
Culture
PolicyPrograms
Practice
Professional Development
O’Leary: Chapter One
Pyramid advocates that the process of conducting research is a learning journey that impacts researcher through professional development
Second, research can impact practice by allowing individuals, organizations or communities to reflect on and refine what it is they do.
O’Leary: Chapter One
Third, research constitutes a more systemic attempt to change projects, procedures, plans and strategies used within organizations and communities
Fourth, research can make a contribution to broader guiding principles, by setting new directions, policies.
O’Leary: Chapter One
Professional development Engage in problem based learning a) learn
about problem, b)learn how to tackle problem
Engage in action learning a) engagement in real experiences (concrete experiementation, b) thoughtful review and consideration (reflexive observation), c) broader theorizing (abstract conceptualization), d) attempts to improve action (active experimentation)
O’Leary: Chapter One
Professional Development continued… Enhance communication skills: engaging
with people in interviews, observations, focus groups, asking questions…
Develop research skills: real learning comes from the doing
Produce new knowledge: make a contribution. Tell us something we don’t know
Engage in, or facilitate evidence-based decision making
Attain recognition
O’Leary: Chapter One
Practice: research to modify, refine and improve what it is you/your organization do or make recommendations that can influece practices of others within a particular settingAssess a problem situation: (conduct
needs assessment)Assess/trial/evaluation new practices
O’Leary: Chapter One
Programs: more planned, organized, structured, defined approaches to operations, projects, strategies used within an organization. Research targeted at systemic changeNeeds assessmentAssessing potential programsProgram evaluation/review
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Policy: Plan/course of action intended to influence and determine decisions, actions and other matters. Research that attempts to produce knowledge that can impact an organization’s strategic plans, aims and objectives, and/or mission statement.
O’Leary: Chapter One
As you move up the hierarchy of change, your ability to make change happen through research—to have findings that lead to action—becomes ever more challenging.
O’Leary: Chapter One
Culture: research aimed at any level of the hierarchy has the potential to influence an organization’s culture Research can suggest downside of current
culture and/or benefits of an alternative culture
Conduct of research particularly when conducted by organization’s practitioners, can herald and facilitate a cultural shift towards values that include listening, learning, empowerment and dedication to change.
O’Leary: Chapter One
Personal
Social
Political
Cultural
Biophysical
Economic
The Problem
O’Leary Chapter One
Real world problems mean there often is no controlled environment and even “controlled environments” in social research are not like pure science.
Must be flexible, patient, mindful, creative, resourceful and adaptable
O’Leary: Chapter One
Research Teams:Research can be conducted by
practitioners themselves, professional/social or applied science researchers, students, a team that combines all categories
Research can be conducted by insiders/outsiders of an organization, some combination as well.
Examples pp. 13-15
O’Leary: Chapter One
Working on, for, or with othersResearch “on” others: objective,
scientific, CensusResearch “for” others: undertaken for
a client i.e., commissioned research, conducted for the good of the researched. Important to consider whether research agenda arises from, is assigned to, or imposed on the researched.
O’Leary: Chapter One
Research with others: collaborative research by, for and with a range of stakeholders, Conduct of research is not seen as the domain of the expert. Distinction between researched and researcher is minimized; local knowledge, empowerment, ownership emphasized
See Table 1.1 for more info.
Creswell: Chapter One
Ironically, we must return to Crotty Framework:
What epistemology—theory of knowledge embedded in a theoretical perspective—informs the research?
What theoretical perspective—philosophical stance—lies behind the methodology in questions?
What methodology—strategy or plan of action that links methods to outcomes—governs our choice and use of methods?
What methods—techniques and procedures—do we propose to use?
Creswell: Chapter One
Creswell adjusts Crotty to read:What knowledge claims are being
made by the researcher? (Combine epistemology and theory)
What strategies of inquiry will inform the procedures?
What methods of data collection and analysis will be used?
See figure 1.1 p. 5
Creswell: Chapter One
Elements of InquiryApproaches to Research
Design Process of Research
Alternative knowledge claims
Strategies of Inquiry
Methods
Qualitative
Quantitative
Mixed Methods
Conceptualized by the researcher
Translated into Practice
Questions
Theoretical Lens
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Write-Up
Validation
Creswell: Chapter One
Preliminary steps in designing a research proposalAssess the knowledge claims brought
to the studyConsider the strategy of inquiry that
will be usedIdentify specific methods.
Creswell: Chapter One
Knowledge claim: researchers start a project with certain assumptions about how they will learn and what they will learn during their inquiry
These claims might be called paradigms, philosophical assumptions, epistemologies, and ontologies, broadly conceived research methodologies
Creswell: Chapter One
Philosophically, researchers makes claims about:What is knowledge (ontology)How we know it (epistemology)What values go into it (axiology)How we write about it
(rhetoric/discourse)Processes of studying it
(methodology)
Creswell: Chapter One
Four Schools of thought about knowledge claimsPost-positivism p. 6, 7, 8Constructivism p. 8, 9Advocacy/participatory p. 9, 10, 11Pragmatism p. 11, 12
Review from Crotty
Creswell: Chapter One
Strategies of Inquiry Quantitative Approach: invoke post-
positivist perspectives; true experiments/quasi-experiments of social science, correlational studies, single-subject experiments, multi-variate analysis
Experiments: true experiment-random assignment of subjects to treatment conditions, quasi-experiment-non-random design and single-subject design
Surveys: cross-sectional/longitudinal studies using questionnaires, structured interviews; to generalize from a sample to a population.
Creswell: Chapter One
Strategies of Inquiry Qualitative Approach: ethnographies (within
that is participant observation), grounded theory-constant comparison, emerging categories, theorizing directly from the data, case studies-explore one specific subject in depth through an example, phenomenological research-lived experiences of participants, narrative research-criticism and analysis of stories and their relationship to identity and culture and practices
Creswell: Chapter One
Strategies of Inquiry Mixed Methods: combining observations
and interviews with traditional surveys, triangulating data sources—a means for seeking convergence across qualitative and quantitative methods, sequential procedures-qualitative and quantitative phases, concurrent procedures-qualitative and quantitative data collection at the same time, transformative procedures-overarching theoretical lens
Creswell: Chapter One
Research MethodsPre-determined, pre-designed vs.
emergingClose-ended vs. open-endedNumeric/statisticalTextual/symbolic data
Creswell: Chapter One
Definitions of three methods p. 18Chart p. 19Figure 1.2 p. 20
Given these three approaches, what factors affect the choice of one approach over another for a design of a proposal?
Creswell: Chapter One
The Research Problem, the personal experiences of the researcher, and the audience for whom the report will be written all play a role in deciding on an approach…
I always say, let the question drive the method, not the other way around.
Creswell: Chapter One
Match between problem and approach Certain types of problems call for certain
types of approaches Identifying factors that influence an
outcome, utility of an intervention, best predictors of outcomes, test theory or explanation = quantitative
Concept/phenomenon with little understanding=qualitative
When researcher wants to both generalize findings and understand a phenomenon in depth=mixed
Creswell: Chapter One
Personal ExperiencesTrainingPersonalityTopics of personal interest
Creswell: Chapter One
AudienceWho is the research for? Who will
evaluate the research? Who has a stake in the research?
Assignment: Question #2 p. 24Chart it out.
O’Leary: Chapter One