Questionary week 5

• What are the characteristic features of quantitative research methodology?

Some of the characteristics of the quantitative research methodology include:

• The data is gathered using the structured instruments for research.
• Research results are defined on the basis of the larger sizes of samples.
• Every aspect of the study is carefully designed even before the data is collected
• Projects can also be used in generalizing the concepts widely (Neuman & Robson, 2014)
• Tools such as computer software and questionnaires are used in the collection of numerical data

What are some main types of quantitative methods?  
Basically, there are four types of the quantitative designs:

Quasi-experimental, descriptive, experimental and correlational

2. What are the main strengths and weaknesses of quantitative research? 

Strengths include:

• Validating and testing of the already constructed theories on why and how a phenomenon occurs
• Hypotheses testing occur before the collection of the data
• There is the possibility of generalizing the findings of the research when data is based on the randomized samples of quality size (Neuman & Robson, 2014)
• There is also the possibility of generalizing the findings of the research when the data has been used on many different subpopulations and populations
• Data collection using the method is very efficient and quick
• The results of the research are independent of the party conducting the research
• It is very useful when it comes to the study of huge number of individuals

Weakness

• The categories of the researchers which are used may not have a reflection on the understanding of the local constituencies
• The theories of the researchers which are used may not have a reflection on the understanding of the local constituencies (Neuman & Robson, 2014)
• Researchers can also miss out on the phenomena which are occurring due to the focus on the supposition testing instead of the assumption and theory generation
• The kind of knowledge obtained can be too universal and conceptual for direct application to the specific contexts and local situations (Choy, 2014)

3. How could a quantitative research method be used to conduct research on the topic you have selected for your literature review? If it can't, explain why

The quantitative method could be used for the use of the highly structured methods such as gathering the data through the questionnaires and computer developed applications. The questions required are supposed to be closed-ended which will provide the quantifiable answers.

4)  Provide a definition of survey research as understood by De Vaus 2014

Survey research is a method which is used by the researchers and students who are working on surveys and it assumes the nonexistence of background in the statistical analysis. The tools for research are readily provided in order to understand the challenging facts about the research (Lewis, 2015).

5) With reference to this week's readings would you define content analysis as a quantitative or qualitative method? Why?

Content analysis has been used in both the qualitative and quantitative analysis. For example, in the Second World War content analysis was used in analyzing the propaganda which is quantitative in nature. This indicates that it can also be used in analyzing interviews in the qualitative method.

Week 6

1. What are the advantages anddisadvantages of qualitative research?

Advantages

• Evaluation in an in-depth and detailed methodology can be used in the subject and the issues
• The interviews conducted are not restricted to particular inquiry and they can be guided or redirected in real time
• The structure and course of the exploration can be re-edited when new details come to light (Lewis, 2015)
• Data in the qualitative research depends on the experience of the human and this is powerful and more compelling than the data gathered with the use of quantitative research method

Disadvantages

• Rigidity of the data is very hard to preserve, evaluate or display
• Data quantity makes study and understanding time consuming
• Qualitative research in many cases is not allowed and understood especially in some communities
• Findings can be difficult and time-consuming in presentation of visual ways (Lewis, 2015)
• Issues to do with the anonymity and confidentiality can cause problems during the presentations and findings

2. What types of data/information are yielded by qualitative and quantitative research approaches?

The type of information gathered in the qualitative method is exploratory meaning it provides reasons for problems while the information gathered in the quantitative method is used in generating data or numerical data which can be transformed to usable statistics (Lampard & Pole, 2015).

Week 7

1) What is the difference between researching your family history and what a historian does?

Researching a family does not require implementation of vivid data but the rather simple application of sense to come up with conclusive choices. A historian uses facts figures and other statistics in gathering crucial data which can have been saved in archives and other historical places.

2) What is social memory?

Social memory can be described as the environment or group which humanity defines it and the history is shared among the people of the same group.

3) Identify a ‘foundation myth’ of Australia (or if you are not Australian, an identity myth of your home nation). What is this myth’s purpose? 

Heroes in Australia are not as recognized as they are in other parts of the world. This can be equated to the facts such as Australia never experienced any kind of civil war to define what a hero is in their perception. The fighters in world war 1 are not recognized either perhaps due to their names not being in any writings. The need of this myth is to indicate the most influential figures in history and who encourage the relationship to having the Australian identity (Cooke & Cofaigh, 2017).

4a) why do historians need to be wary of popular versions of history? 

This is because some of the historical data vary according to the setting, time and knowledge of the previous historian. In many cases, history can be defined the wrong way if historians do not take into consideration the popular versions of the same.

1. b) What are some of the other popular ways that people invoke history that can be problematic?
   Common sense is one of the few ways in which history is invoked and in some ways it becomes problematic. Historians should learn to reduce the conflicts created through the use of incompetence and outright corruptions (Singh et al., 2016). These ideologies can be problematic to the definitions and relations in history.

5a) Your job is to provide a historical account of how the Australian political system emerged. What research methods would you use?
The qualitative methodology could be used in defining the political system in Australia through the theoretical meaning and understanding of revolution and the definitions for revolutions. The qualitative method will allow the statistical analysis of the previous governments and ways of the ruling which could define the political system (Singh et al., 2016).

Week 8

1. What are the main characteristics of ethnographic research? 

• Researcher engagements
• Researcher as the instrument
• Multiple methods
• Study of culture

2. What does it mean to say that an ethnographic account is a "construction"? What are some of the things that may influence this construction?

Ethnographic can be termed as construction since it involves the interpretations and descriptions of the cultural behaviors. Researcher uses the meaning of language, interactions, and behavior in constructing a possible outcome (Hammersley, 2016). This can be influenced by the way of life, worldview, data collection, and analysis.

3. What is the distinction between "idiographic" and "nomothetic" approaches? What does Denscombe mean by the "middle position"? 
   Idiographic and nomothetic terms are used by the philosopher in the description of two distinct viewpoints to knowledge with each having a different meaning in terms of the intellectual tendency. Nomothetic is a tendency to have a generalization and very typical for the sciences while idiographic is based on being specific and this is inclined to humanity (Fowler, 2013). The middle position is a situation where the researcher uses quality data in the formulation of hypotheses to develop good results according to the expectations.
4. What are the three main "avenues" through which Malinowski says ethnographic fieldwork should be approached? Explain each briefly.

The organization of tribe and the anatomy of the culture have to be recorded while in the firm. The method of statistical, concrete documentation is basically the means through which an outline must be provided.

Within the particular frame, the type of behavior and the actual life has to be detailed. These have to be corrected within the shortest time possible through a detailed observation using the form of an ethnographic diary which is made possible by the contact by the native life (Sloan & Bowe, 2014).

Collection of the ethnographic statement, typical utterances, magical formulae, characteristic narratives and items of folklore has to be provided as a corpus inscription or a document of the native mentality.

5. What methods are involved in ethnographic research? State 2 methods used and outline what kinds of data each method gathers. 

Key information interviewing and the participant observation method

The participation strategy is based on having lived with the people who are under study for a long period of time specifically 1 year and the data is gathered using the continuous involvement with the activities and lives of these people. A key information interview is important for the qualitative research which characterizes the ethnography.

Week 9

1) Define and describe what hermeneutics is.

Hermeneutics is a methodology and theory used for interpretation especially with the wisdom literature, philosophical texts and biblical texts (Sloan & Bowe, 2014). The modern hermeneutics applies the nonverbal and verbal communication and also the presuppositions, pre-understanding, and semiotics. It is also applied in history, theology, and law.

2a) Explain what the hermeneutic circle is.
Hermeneutics circle is used to describe the processes of understanding a text in hermeneutics. It refers to the ideology which an individuals’ understanding of a particular text as being whole is established by the reference to the personal parts of that understanding.

2b)  how does the concept of a hermeneutic helix change the notion of the hermeneutic circle?

According to the hermeneutic helix, the understanding and the interpretation is captured as a process, unlike the circle which is in reference to the hermeneutics. This causes the change in meaning in terms of the concepts and the notion known (Sloan & Bowe, 2014).

• Where does hermeneutics sit in regards to methodology and epistemology? Why?

Hermeneutics with regards to methodology has the goal of exploring and analyzing the life of people with the use of the qualitative method and the nondirective interviewing techniques in order to collect some information. With regards to epistemology, hermeneutics is a phenomenology and a constructivism which could be used as the main philosophical and epistemological perspective of the qualitative methods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Beltz, A. M., Wright, A. G., Sprague, B. N., & Molenaar, P. C. (2016). Bridging the nomothetic and idiographic approaches to the analysis of clinical data. Assessment, 23(4), 447-458.

Choy, L. T. (2014). The strengths and weaknesses of research methodology: Comparison and complimentary between qualitative and quantitative approaches. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(4), 99-104.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2013). Research methods in education. Routledge.

Cooke, R., & Ó Cofaigh, É. (2017). IRF Off: Connacht’s Fight for Survival and the Foundation Myth of a Rugby Identity. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 1-16.      

Fowler Jr, F. J. (2013). Survey research methods. Sage publications.

Hammersley, M. (2016). Reading ethnographic research. Routledge.

Lampard, R., & Pole, C. (2015). Practical social investigation: Qualitative and quantitative methods in social research. Routledge.

Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), 473-475.

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2014). Basics of social research. Pearson Canada.   

Pennebaker, J. W., Páez, D., & Rim, B. (Eds.). (2013). Collective memory of political events: Social psychological perspectives. Psychology Press.

Singh, J., Nejdl, W., & Anand, A. (2016, March). History by diversity: Helping historians search news archives. In Proceedings of the 2016 ACM on Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval (pp. 183-192). ACM.

Sloan, A., & Bowe, B. (2014). Phenomenology and hermeneutic phenomenology: the philosophy, the methodologies, and using hermeneutic phenomenology to investigate lecturers’ experiences of curriculum design. Quality & Quantity, 48(3), 1291-1303.