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Methodology and Philosophies of research

Methodology and Philosophies of research. Lecture Outline: Aims of this session – to outline: what is meant by methodology the implication of adopting different methodological stances in research. Reading: Very important for this lecture! Saunders pp 100 - 127. What is methodology?.

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Methodology and Philosophies of research

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  1. Methodology and Philosophies of research • Lecture Outline: • Aims of this session – to outline: • what is meant by methodology • the implication of adopting different methodological stances in research Reading: Very important for this lecture! Saunders pp 100 - 127

  2. What is methodology? • Practical explanation of how research is organised / planned / the ‘recipe’ : research strategy • Theoretical explanation of underlying assumptions that have gone into designing the research strategy: research philosophy

  3. The Research Onion – adapted from Saunders (2006:102) Positivism Theoretical aspect of methodology Deductive experiment survey case study Secondary data Observation Interviews Questionnaires grounded theory Practical aspects of methodology – research strategy ethnography action research Inductive Interpretive

  4. Practical: What are you trying to find out? The research strategy • Exploratory • Description • Explanatory

  5. Practical: What are you trying to find out? • Exploratory (the explorer) • To find out what is happening • To seek now insights • To ask questions • Case studies often used for exploratory research – the questions asked: how / why • Description • Explanatory

  6. Practical: What are you trying to find out? • Exploratory • Description (the detective) • To portray accurate profile • Requires previous knowledge • Surveys are often used for descriptive research. The questions asked often relate to who / what / where • Explanatory

  7. Practical: What are you trying to find out? • Exploratory • Description • Explanatory (the doctor) • Seeks explanation usually in the form or causal relationships Experiments are often used for this form of research. The questions relating to this research often ask how / why

  8. The Theoretical methodology: Research Philosophy • Why Philosophy? • ‘field’ of management comes from many disciplines • More than ‘common sense’ • Research is linked to ‘ways of knowing’ • Research needs to be credible • Need an understanding of philosophy • Convince others • Practical benefit to understand taken for granted assumptions

  9. How we understand the world around us • Ontology: • The basic assumption about the fundamental nature of existence • 2 extreme positions • Scientific rationalism – all aspects of life are subject to fundamental laws that will ultimately be discovered by scientific investigation • Humanist interpretation – human existence has unique properties – human action is rooted in how we understand the world

  10. How do we know it is not a dream?

  11. Research: Knowing • Epistemology – what information ‘counts’ as valid knowledge the two ontological positions point to different epistemological assumptions • Scientific rationalism (often referred to as positivism) – assumes world is characterized by objective facts • Humanist interpretation (often referred to as phenomenology) – assumes facts as socially and historically contingent

  12. Is it hungry?

  13. Positivism • Two assumptions: • Reality is external and objective • Knowledge is based on observation • Implications: • independence • value freedom • causality • hypothetico deductive • operationalisation • reductionism • generalisations

  14. Phenomenology Rejects the notion of absolute facts The world is socially created Focus on meanings .

  15. Theory, RQ’s and process • All work needs theory – an abstract explanation of an event or situation. • If you want to test a theory (ie you are doctor) then you have to use what is already ‘known’ – Deductive process • If you want to try to understand (ie. you are an explorer) then you may develop your own theory from the data – Inductive process

  16. Deduction • Known facts based on prior laws and theories • Theory hypothesis / observations / findings / reject or confirm theory / revise theory

  17. Induction • Facts are not assumed often associated with phenomenology… but… • Observations/ findings / look for patterns / categories / develop theory  theory explains

  18. Choosing a methodology • What sort of researcher are you? • Eg. Explorer, Doctor or Detective? (RQ’s?) • What assumptions about nature of existence do you (or your discipline) hold? Ontology • Eg. Scientific rationalist or humanist interpretive • What information counts as valid ? Epistemology • Eg. Positivist or Phenomenological • What approach to theory are you taking? • Eg. Inductive or Deductive?

  19. The Research Onion – adapted from Saunders Positivism Deductive experiment survey case study Secondary data Observation Interviews Questionnaires grounded theory ethnography action research Inductive Interpretive

  20. Practical Considerations • May influence or determine choices on: • research strategy • design • method • resources & costs • May be influenced or determined by: • nature of the topic • people being investigated • political acceptability

  21. Philosophy is useful! Helps clarify research design Helps recognise when research might work

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