The purpose of this blog is to discuss topics including research ethics, communities of practices, theoretical frameworks, choice of cultures of inquiry and research methodologies. I will be commenting on these specific areas in the following categories;
- Unit #1 - Cultures of Inquiry
- Unit #2 - Situating Research
- Unit #3 - Scholarly Communities
- Unit #4 - Critical Analysis
- Unit #5 - Mobilizing Knowledge
Cultures of Inquiry - Orientation
Exposure to the various cultures of inquiry has provided a basis for understanding the toolset, mindset, considerations, context as well as some of the strengths and weaknesses of each research method. The more in-depth the investigation into the individual components that make up the inquiry framework the clearer it became that a powerful inquiry synergy could be formed by using multiple research methods in tandem.
When I say “inquiry synergy”, I am referring to the synergy that is formed when more than one appropriate inquiry method is leveraged to isolate, detail and document a specific research question or set of questions. From my perspective, each method of inquiry is a specialized set of tools (modular framework) that can be used in concert with other cultures of inquiry to add structure and techniques in the never-ending search for knowledge and understanding.
Mindful inquiry in social research (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998) commented on the fact that modern day researchers now have access to a larger set of techniques and research methods. The increased availability of these diverse techniques and methods provide the framework to define what objective and valid knowledge is. This becomes an important point when you consider the large amounts of data we now generate and need to make sense of.
References:
Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
When I say “inquiry synergy”, I am referring to the synergy that is formed when more than one appropriate inquiry method is leveraged to isolate, detail and document a specific research question or set of questions. From my perspective, each method of inquiry is a specialized set of tools (modular framework) that can be used in concert with other cultures of inquiry to add structure and techniques in the never-ending search for knowledge and understanding.
Mindful inquiry in social research (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998) commented on the fact that modern day researchers now have access to a larger set of techniques and research methods. The increased availability of these diverse techniques and methods provide the framework to define what objective and valid knowledge is. This becomes an important point when you consider the large amounts of data we now generate and need to make sense of.
References:
Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Cultures of Inquiry - Researcher Considerations
Researchers must approach their research with a total awareness of the constantly evolving cultural, societal, religious, monetary and political biases that are inherent in all of us. Each of these influences affect the way we act, think, behave, and interact with the rest of the world (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998). Without a solid and truthful understanding of one’s own biases you do not put yourself in a legitimate position to be objective in your quest for the creation of new knowledge.
Currency of inquiry methods must also remain a constant priority for researchers. Involvement and interaction with the research community provides an awareness of the latest techniques and current controversies (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998). The modern research communities are found online as the Internet provides the dynamic infrastructure to communicate the latest information to largest population (i.e. -Academia.edu, blogs etc.).
The researchers approach to conducting research should be one of preparation, organization, awareness of internal/external influences and selection of appropriate and current research methods. I believe the “Magic Formulae” captured in Mindful inquiry in social research (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998) provides valuable insight into a positive research mindset;
· Intent to learn – remain open to exploration and discovery
· Surrender and catch – abandon one's self (biases) to what is being studied
· Conjecture and refute – focus on challenging current beliefs
· To the things themselves – concentrate on what you experience not preconceived ideas
· Let everything human be spoken to you – be open to interpreting human expression (language, symbolism)
· Regard all things as they present themselves from the standpoint of redemption – see things in terms of their potential and of their undistorted nature
· Cultivate a boundless heart toward all beings – approach with an attitude of love, compassion and empathy
· Look diligently at your own mind – be aware of your own mind when you are feeling moments of confusion, doubt, disappointment or despair.
References:
Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Currency of inquiry methods must also remain a constant priority for researchers. Involvement and interaction with the research community provides an awareness of the latest techniques and current controversies (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998). The modern research communities are found online as the Internet provides the dynamic infrastructure to communicate the latest information to largest population (i.e. -Academia.edu, blogs etc.).
The researchers approach to conducting research should be one of preparation, organization, awareness of internal/external influences and selection of appropriate and current research methods. I believe the “Magic Formulae” captured in Mindful inquiry in social research (Bentz & Shapiro, 1998) provides valuable insight into a positive research mindset;
· Intent to learn – remain open to exploration and discovery
· Surrender and catch – abandon one's self (biases) to what is being studied
· Conjecture and refute – focus on challenging current beliefs
· To the things themselves – concentrate on what you experience not preconceived ideas
· Let everything human be spoken to you – be open to interpreting human expression (language, symbolism)
· Regard all things as they present themselves from the standpoint of redemption – see things in terms of their potential and of their undistorted nature
· Cultivate a boundless heart toward all beings – approach with an attitude of love, compassion and empathy
· Look diligently at your own mind – be aware of your own mind when you are feeling moments of confusion, doubt, disappointment or despair.
References:
Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Situating Research - Triangulation
Using multiple complimentary research methods is an idea that resonates strongly with me. Coming from a traditional science background, the thought of designing and layering multiple traditions of inquiry to provide a more complete view makes sense. Wikipedia defines triangulation in the context of social science as “a powerful technique that facilitates validation of data cross-verification from two or more sources. In particular, it refers to the application and combination of several research methods in the study of the same phenomenon.” Campbell and Fiske in the late 1950’s argued that “more than one method should be used in the validation process to ensure that the variance reflected that of the trait and not of the method”. (Jick, 2006).
Multi-method techniques may not be applicable to each situation and do have some caveats that need to be acknowledged. Repeatability of a mixed method research undertaking may be a very difficult undertaking (Jick, 2006). When designing a research undertaking, specific attention must be given to highlighting each of the multiple methods to avoid any individual method bias.
The qualitative and quantitative methods, in a well-designed and planned research project, will compliment each other and provide additional insight and cross confirmation. This complimentary technique obviously is a complex process to design, implement as well as interpret the resulting dataset. I look forward to learning more about the triangulation design process and how the individual components actually work together. No doubt a challenge!
References:
Jick, T. (2006). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action. In A. Bryman (Ed.), SAGE Benchmarks in Social Research Methods: Mixed methods.(pp. II217-II229). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446262566.n25
Multi-method techniques may not be applicable to each situation and do have some caveats that need to be acknowledged. Repeatability of a mixed method research undertaking may be a very difficult undertaking (Jick, 2006). When designing a research undertaking, specific attention must be given to highlighting each of the multiple methods to avoid any individual method bias.
The qualitative and quantitative methods, in a well-designed and planned research project, will compliment each other and provide additional insight and cross confirmation. This complimentary technique obviously is a complex process to design, implement as well as interpret the resulting dataset. I look forward to learning more about the triangulation design process and how the individual components actually work together. No doubt a challenge!
References:
Jick, T. (2006). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action. In A. Bryman (Ed.), SAGE Benchmarks in Social Research Methods: Mixed methods.(pp. II217-II229). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446262566.n25
Scholarly Communities
Through a number of team discussions and some independent research, I have arrived at my current definition of what a scholarly community actually is. Scholarly communities are groups of individuals that share a common interest. These relationships can be formal or informal and range from a few participants to many. Scholarly communities have the ability and objective of driving, supporting, substantiating, communicating and initiating research through collaboration.
Scholarly communication to these communities can be transmitted through formal methods such as peer-reviewed journals, online communities like academia.edu or informal methods like blogs. These different modes or models of communication are dynamic with the goal of removing obstacles that will ultimately allow the wider (global) audience access to quality information.
The move of many mainstream magazines to online versions in order to remain economically viable seems to also be a trend within the scholar journal communities. The cost of maintaining the printed version is a challenging undertaking no matter what your content/demographic is but would be a particular concern with scholarly journals having a limited audience. This migration to the digital realm highlights another potential issue, preserving/converting the knowledge captured in print to ensure that this vast data set is not lost.
Scholarly communication to these communities can be transmitted through formal methods such as peer-reviewed journals, online communities like academia.edu or informal methods like blogs. These different modes or models of communication are dynamic with the goal of removing obstacles that will ultimately allow the wider (global) audience access to quality information.
The move of many mainstream magazines to online versions in order to remain economically viable seems to also be a trend within the scholar journal communities. The cost of maintaining the printed version is a challenging undertaking no matter what your content/demographic is but would be a particular concern with scholarly journals having a limited audience. This migration to the digital realm highlights another potential issue, preserving/converting the knowledge captured in print to ensure that this vast data set is not lost.