by
Professor Dan Remenyi
Dan.Remenyi@gmail.com
15 April 2020 1

We all observe the same thing but our perceptions is different. Our experiences, our circumstances and our expectations directly effect our cognitive capacity and thus our ability to understand that which we observe.
Our ability to function in a society depends upon how we find, understand and use the commonality which exists between us.
15 April, 2020 2

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Jemma said...
 Posted on Jan 25 2008 16:18 it was s**t and depressing wouldn't recommend it if u wanted a goodtime
Will Evans said...
 Posted on Jan 25 2008 13:36 this film was really good but is a very sexual film
Maria Bosporos said...
 Posted on Oct 13 2007 14:28 The film is amazing; the actors are great, the plot interesting and there is widespread the message that war influences everybody and make people behave like animals. I believe America and other countries can have serious violence problems because of people who took part in war and invasion missions.

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Research requires a high degree of curiosity
Without a sense of curiosity it is unlikely that anyone will make a competent researcher
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Curious about the subject matter
Curious about how it could be researched
But curiosity needs to be focused remember -
Curiosity killed the cat - being too curious can be counter productive.
If possible stick to your original under-graduate or post-graduate subject --- always try to capitalise on your already established strengths and the strengths of your supervisor!
15 April 2020 4

 Curiosity is focused by establishing medium to long term interests
 The object of the research for a doctoral degree will need to sustain the interest of the degree candidate for 3 years or more.
Ultimately the curiosity needs to be converted into a research question
 It is sometimes harder to focus a research question for qualitative research than quantitative research
 The research question is more likely to change in qualitative research
15 April 2020 5

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In business and management studies qualitative research will address in-depth understanding of the social aspects of the subject
Generally samples (?) will be small but detailed evidence will be required
Data collection will involve close contact between the researcher and the researched
Analysis of the evidence will be open to emergent concepts and will produce descriptions, classification, patterns, topologies and explanations
15 April 2020 6

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 The debate which argues that either quantitative or qualitative research is
“better” is like the Wars of the Roses.
The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval
England from 1455 to 1487 between the House of Lancaster and the
House of York . The name Wars of the Roses is based on the badges used by the two sides, the red rose for the Lancastrians and the white rose for the Yorkists. http://www.warsoftheroses.com/
 The two communities have their own traditions and their own language and need to respect each other.
15 April 2020 7

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Quant
Identify a small number of variable and focus on understanding them in order to predict and control
Use Occam’s Razor and certeris paribus
The research have to finally tell a story
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Qual
Generally there will be a greater number of variables
Understanding will be the key issue and this will be unfolded in the story of the research
Also use Occam’s
Razor and certeris paribus

 Durkheim proposed that sociology should emulate the natural sciences and develop universally applicable laws. His study on
Suicide is the most notable in this respect. He was a quants man.
 Webber believed that the difference between human being and inanimate objects means that they cannot be studied in the same way. His work on
The Protestant Ethic demonstrated this.
Known as a founder of quals.
15 April 2020 9

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The word interpretivist research is sometimes use as a synonym for qualitative research
But all research relies on interpretation – perhaps we should talk about
Interpretivists with a big ‘I’ and interpretivists with a little ‘i’
The key issue is to learn as much about your chosen research tradition and to understand its vocabulary
15 April 2020 10

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“If You Want to Make an Omelet, You Must
Be Willing to Break a
Few Eggs.” —
Vladimir Ilyich
Ulyanov Lenin
“If You Want to Make an Omelet, You Must
Be Willing to Break a
Few Eggs.” — The
Head Chef at the Ritz
15 April 2020 11

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By the term ‘qualitative research’ we mean any type of research that produces findings not arrived at by statistical procedures or other means of quantification
(Strauss and Corbin,
1998 p11)
A key objective of qualitative research is a holistic understanding of the phenomenon
Quantitative research often want to develop knowledge for prediction and control
15 April 2020 12

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Observation
Interviewing (including listening to groups)
Ethnographic fieldwork - urban
Discourse analysis
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Textual analysis
Max Travers , 2001, Qualitative Research Through Case
Studies, Sage, London
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Observation is always present in research. However sometimes it can be central to the research design.
Observation underpins participant/observer, ethnography and plays an important role in action research.
Observation may be categorised as covert or overt.
15 April 2020 14

 Observing - many issues including
 The premises and the grounds - parking
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Entry procedures
The office décor and other accommodation and equipment
Dress codes, tone of voice
Means of address between staff formal Vs informal
Eating arrangements
Body language
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 Age/seniority of informants
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Outlook of informants
Observation is not a passive inbibition of sensory information, and mere transcription of the evidence of the senses.
Medawar P, (1979),
Advice to a young scientist, p 82, Harper and Row publishers, New
York
 The observations of one researcher alone can be problematic. The kid in the car in the game part is an interesting angle on this.
15 April 2020 16

Six Wise Men of Hindustan http://homepage.usask.ca/~wae123/misc/pr ose/hinustan.htm
by John Godfrey Saxe
There were six men of Hindustan, to learning much inclined,
Who went to see an elephant, though all of them were blind,
That each by observation might satisfy his mind.
The fourth reached out an eager hand, and felt above the knee,
"What this most wondrous beast is like is very plain" said he,
"'Tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree."
The first approached the elephant, and happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl,
"This mystery of an elephant is very like a wall."
The second, feeling of the tusk, cried, "Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear,
This wonder of an elephant is very like a spear."
The fifth who chanced to touch the ear said, "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most; deny the fact who can;
This marvel of an elephant is very like a fan."
The sixth no sooner had begun about the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail that fell within his scope;
"I see," said he, "the elephant is very like a rope."
The third approached the elephant, and happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands, thus boldly up and spake,
"I see," quoth he,
"the elephant is very like a snake."
So six blind men of Hindustan disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion exceeding stiff and strong;
Though each was partly in the right, they all were in the wrong!

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Interviews represent opportunities to hold conversations with knowledgeable informants
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One-to-one interviews
 Structured and semi-structured interviews
Group interviews
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Structured and semi-structured interviews
Focus Groups
On-Line Interview
Private conversations
Interviews always need to be carefully planned and meticulously recorded
15 April 2020 18

 The researcher attempts to learn about the subject of the research question and understand the situation by acquiring ‘an intimate familiarity with that experience and the scene of its operation’ . Ethnography requires a long time to develop this ‘intimate familiarity’ with the situation. What is required is a ‘human lived experience’. The quality and the precision of the account of the experience is a central issue.
Max Travers , Qualitative Research
Through Case Studies, Sage, London, 2001
15 April 2020 19

 There is no simple definition of discourse analysis. It is used to refer to the linguistic analysis of naturally occurring connected speech or written exchanges. It refers to the study of the organisation of language above the simple sentence level and thus to understand larger linguistic units. This applies to both conversational exchanges and written texts. Thus discourse analysis addresses language use in social contexts, and in particular with interaction or dialogue between speakers.
15 April 2020 20

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In summary Discourse Analysis may be defined as an approach which is concerned with
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 language use, mostly verbal, beyond the boundaries of a sentence or utterance; the interrelationships between language and society and: the interactive or dialogic properties of everyday communication.
Conversation analysis pioneered by Harvey Sack at
Irvine has grown from a subfield of ethnomethodology to a large and growing field in its own right
The mixing of methods is a controversial issue
15 April 2020 21

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The review of any type of document
There are two main approaches
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Holistic approaches referred to as hermeneutics
Detailed approaches involving categories and tabulations
Meaning at document level, chapter level etc
Categories, codes, indexes and counting characterise the detailed approaches
15 April 2020 22

 What is being read?
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Who wrote it?
What was the intended audience?
Why was it written?
Does it have an unambiguous message?
 Does it contribute to your being able to answer your research question? If so how?
 Is it credible?
15 April 2020 23

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Evidence collection and analysis will depend on a number of variables including the researcher’s ability to access knowledgeable informants
The researcher is always responsible for the integrity of the data.
15 April 2020 24

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Action research
Case studies
Ethnographic
Focus groups
Game or role playing
In-depth surveys
Participant –observer
Scenario discussions
15 April 2020 25

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It is possible to use multiply tactics and to employ the results of this in triangulating the findings
Care has to be taken if multiply tactics are used as there are opponents to this approach
15 April 2020 26

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…. the importance of ‘situating’ the perspective of the researcher was being emphasised. This was to encourage a more reflexive approach to research findings rather than the traditional approach in which the researcher takes an authoritative,
‘neutral’ stance.
Ritchie and Lewis, Qualitative Research
Practice, 2003, p10, Sage, London
15 April 2020 27

 There are three levels at which the interest needs to be focused
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Field of study
Research Topic
Research Question
 There is also the question of having to focus on a research method
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Field of
Study
Research
Topic
Research
Question
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 Traditionally this was known as the
‘discipline’ but increasingly this is problematic as research now tends to transcend traditional academic disciplines.
In general there is a blurring of the boundaries between traditional academic disciplines. Field of study is therefore often thought to be a more useful was of describing academic research.
15 April 2020 30

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What has made this field of study interesting to the researcher?
What is the perspective of the researcher with regards to the importance of this field of study in general and to his or her own career?
15 April 2020 31

 The research topic is a well defined area within the field of study. Defining the research topic requires the research degree candidate to identify a specific and well bounded niche within the field of study.
15 April 2020 32

 What is the perspective of the researcher with regards to the importance of this research topic in general and to his or her own career?
15 April 2020 33

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Traditionally the research question came from the literature
Today the research question may come from practice
15 April 2020 34

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The research question needs to be quite specific and may be subdivided into sub-questions
It is important not to have to may subquestions
It is difficult to give specific guidelines as to how many sub-questions might be appropriate but not too many
15 April 2020 35

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The question should not be answerable by a
“YES” or a “NO”
The question should not be answerable by a number
The question should lead to an answer that has a directly useable function in as broad a context as possible – it should have some impact on theory
15 April 2020 36

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The question needs to answerable by one researcher in 3 years
The question needs to not require too much funding
You need to have a supervisor who is able to help you with your research question
15 April 2020 37

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Some considerable interest to the researcher
Clear and Intelligible and Unambiguous
Of Academic and Practitioner interest
Focused but not too narrow and operationalisable
Answerable i.e. not too abstract and something for which data can be collected within the resources of the researcher
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 http://murl.microsoft.com/videos/xerox/Forum2004/Yim_OnDemand_100
_100K_320x240.htm
http://murl.microsoft.com/videos/msr/MSR_SCS2004/Sack_Session1_O nDemand_100_100K_320x240Slides.htm
15 April 2020 38

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It is sometimes said that the research question dictates the research methodology but this is a rather naïve interpretation of the reality of the situation
There are other issues to be taken into account.
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Some Research
Questions can only be
Answered by one
Methodology
The Research
Question
The Duration of the Degree
In 3 to 5 years, one person working on their own can only answer a modest research question
Most research degree candidates have only limited funds
Costs of
Research
15 April 2020
Choice of
Research
Methodology
Research degree candidate and supervisor
The personal interest and
Skills of both the research degree candidates and the supervisor
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What are the implications if you research the following topic and answer the following questions?
Why are you interested in the topic?
What literature is available?
Are there likely to be any theoretical justifications for the question?
Will you be able to obtain access to informants to answer your question?
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How many informants are you likely to have access to?
How might you be able to collect the evidence?
What sort of evidence will your informants be able and willing to supply?
What sort of analysis will you be able to perform on the evidence?
What are the likely findings going to be?
Who will be interested in your findings?
15 April 2020 42

Suppliers of research resources
Ease of use by other researchers
Rivalry among researchers
Different fields of study encroaching
Consumers of research findings
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Complete the Question Analysis for your Research Model as much as you can
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 Knowledge so conceived is not a series of selfconsistent theories that converges towards an ideal view; it is not a gradual approach to the truth. It is rather an ever increasing ocean of mutually incompatible alternatives , each single theory, each fairy-tale, each myth that is a part of the collection forcing others into greater articulation and then all of them contributing, via this process of competition, to the development of our conscious. Nothing is ever settled.
Feyerabend P, Against Method, p21, 3 rd Ed, Verso,
London
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 Considering now the invention, elaboration and the use of theories which are inconsistent, not just with other theories, but even with experiments, facts, observations , we may start by pointing out that no single theory ever agrees with all the known facts in its domain . And the trouble is not created by rumours, or by the result of sloppy procedure. It is created by experiments and measurements of the highest precision and reliability.
Feyerabend, P, 1993, Against
Method, 3 rd Ed, Verso, p39, London.
15 April 2020 46

Research
Question
Collect
Evidence
Process
Evidence
Produce
Findings
15 April, 2020 47

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What is mixed method research?
 The combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods to answer a research question
Issues in mixed method research
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Philosophical objections to mixing methods: the paradigm debate
 Incompatibility
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Irrelevance
Complementarity
‘Transcendence'
Practical considerations:
 Resources – time, money
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Word count
Researcher skills
Making sense of ‘incompatible’ data formats
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Triangulation – use quantitative research to corroborate qualitative research (or vice versa)
Facilitation – use one research strategy to aid research using the other strategy
Complementarity – use quantitative and investigate different aspects of the phenomenon
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Data triangulation
Investigator triangulation
Theory triangulation
Methodological triangulation
Denzin in Seale (1999)

Qualitative Measures to
Develop Quantitative Tools
Qualitative Methods to
Enlarge on Quantitative Study
Results Qualitative Quantitative Quantitative Results
Qualitative
Quantitative Methods to
Enlarge on Qualitative
Study
Qualitative Results
Quantitative
Quantitative and Qualitative
Methods Equal and Parallel
“Methodological Triangulation”
Qualitative Results Quantitative
Adapted from Ulin et al (1996) in Tashakkori and Teddlie (1998)

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 How do the authors use mixed methods in the article?
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What data collection methods are used?
How are the findings presented?
Can quantitative and qualitative research be integrated?
If there is integration what can be said about validity?
Legitimisation, is that adequate?
What does mixed methods do to the work load of the researcher?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of their approach?
How are the philosophical issues reconciled?
What general lessons are there for mixed method research?
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Multi-strategy research, like mono-method research, must be competently designed and conducted. Poorly conducted research will yield suspect findings no matter how many methods are employed.
Bryman and Bell (2003) p 492
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Bryman, A (1998) Quantity and Quality in Social Research. London:
Routledge
Creswell, J W (2003) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Onwuegbuzie AJ and RB Johnson (2006), The validity issue in mixed research in the schools, 13(1), 48-63
Tashakkori, A and Teddlie, C (Eds) (2003) Handbook of Mixed
Methods in Social and Behavioural Research. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage
Tashakkori, A and Teddlie, C (1998) Mixed Methodology: Combining
Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage
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Inspector Gregory: “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime.”
“The dog did nothing in the night time.”
“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.

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Do not ascribe to intention that which may be explained by stupidity.
Conspiracy theory generally has a low level of credibility.