OVERVIEW ON METHODOLOGIES


THEORY/MODEL
HYPOTHESIS
4 FUNCTIONS OF THEORIES

  1. Organize data – reductionists explain variables
  2. Epistemic
  3. Heuristic
  4. Predict & control

THEORY TESTING
Disconfirm/confirm
Reliability (repeatability)
Validity (measures accuracy)

CRITERIA FOR COMPARING THEORIES

STEPHEN TOULMIN – Field dependant, Field independent.
THOMAS KUHN – scientific revolutions, normal science, paradigm shift
M. POLANYI – personal knowledge, intersubjectivity
F.X. DANCE – general theories, thematic (persuasion), context
KARL POPPER – falsification

METHODOLOGY

  1. SCIENTIFIC METHOD  (Natural & Behavioral Science)

Experimental
Inductive – Francis Bacon
John Dewey – steps

  1. id and define problem
  2. construct
  3. operational definition
  4. hypothesis
  5. collect, organize, analyze
  6. conclusions
  7. verify, reject, modify

CONTROL GROUPS
EXPERIMENTAL GRUP
PREDICT & CONTROL
PRETEST/POSTTEST
DESIGN

  1. observation
  2. independent variable (causes)
  3. dependant variables
  4. experimental design
  5. 2 x 2 design

SELECTION – (sample)

  1. Random
  2. Stratified
  3. Convenient

VALIDITY OF DESIGN

  1. Internal threats: history, maturation, measurement, selection bias
  2. External threats: pretest, experimenter effects, multiple treatment effects
  1. DESCRIPTIVE
  2. What is?; compare & contrast; relationship
  3. Observation
  4. Non obtrusive measures
  5. Survey
  6. Focus group
  7. Content analysis
  8. Trend analysis
  9. Time &motion studies
  10. Case study
  11. Network analysis
  12. Population
  13. Sample
  14. Measurement
  15. Interaction analysis
  16. Likert scales

 

MEASUREMENT

  1. Nominal – name
  2. Ordinal – rank
  3. Interval – equal units, an absolute zero, cannot measure complete absence of a trait
  4. Ratio – absolute zero
  5. Usually used for physical qualities

CORRELATION

  1. HISTORICAL – CRITICAL

 

  1. What was?
  2. Did it meet some critical norm or standard?
  3. Investigates and analyzes, possibilities, generalizations
  4. Explain text, events, etc.
  5. Great speaker or event
  6. Movement
  7. Tracing ideas
  8. Case history
  9. Primary sources
  10. External (authentic)
  11. Internal (accuracy, bias, etc)

Rhetorical Criticism, film studies, media analysis
Neo-Aristotelian
Burke
Social Movements
Ideological
Cultural

  1. PARTICIPANT/OBSERVATION

 

Ethnomethodology
Natural setting, field studies
Search for meaning, ritual, taboo