Week Seven - Research and Theory
Methodologies, management, catalysts, theories and fiction.
Reflections on the lecture
This week’s lecture was by Martin Hosken, a lecturer in critical theory, the lecture was about how we approach research methodologies during our academic journey.
Philosophy
Human knowledge relies upon the dynamic that exists between experience and the questioning of that experience, through a reflective process. Knowledge is gained through the act of reflectivity. More specific definition of the term philosophy ‘the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.’ Philosophy is essentially the way we see and understand the world, and our existence within it. We can separate our philosophical ideas into 3 main areas, metaphysics/ontology, epistemology and ethics/axiology:
Metaphysics / Ontology:
The study of ontology is a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature of reality, being and existence. It asks the questios; can there ever be an objective truth? It is the philosophical approach that studies what we consider to be real and what we don’t. There are two types of ontology: objective or objectivism and subjective or subjectivism.
Objectivism - This is the belief that there is an external reality that exists independently to conscious thought, and that humans gain knowledge by interacting with the world around them. The world exists as an independent object waiting to be discovered. Objectivism argues that if we claim something exists or is real, other people should be able to verify its existence independently without any bias. For example, if someone claims there are trees outside their house then other people should be able to verify this claim; if it’s real everyone should be able to see it.
Subjectivism - This is the belief that you cannot know an external or objective reality, reality is only a result of what we perceive to be real and no other reality exists beyond this. It’s a more open and humanistic way of viewing the world. Subjectivism argues that there are many things such as thoughts, feelings and social processes that are difficult to perceive using the five senses alone (objectively.) It is the belief that knowledge of the world is different depending on who is experiencing them and under what conditions (eg good or bad mood) and that social reality only exists when we experience it and give it meaning.
Epistemology:
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge and justified belief, it looks at ‘how we know’ and what counts as knowledge’. At the core it is true belief, and it aims to understand the different ways we can convert this true belief into knowledge. Epistemology is very important when it comes to research, as it makes us think critically and consider all angles. It involves answering questions such as; ‘what is the context of this knowledge?’, ‘what is the nature of this knowledge?’, ‘what is the foundation of the beliefs behind this knowledge?’ and ‘what are the sources of this knowledge'?’. There are two ways in which we can understand the credibility of the knowledge: Positivism and interpretivism.
Positivism - This is the belief that human knowledge stems from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic; knowledge accumulates allowing humans to progress and evolve. We can discover truth or knowledge through scientific measurement and validation through observations of objective facts about behaviour and systems. It believes in an objective reality that is waiting to be discovered, even though we may not be aware of it. Positivism is very similar to objectivism, it is a relatively closed and fixed school of thought. When conducting research, Positivism may provide a useful viewpoint when collecting quantitative data as it is removed from emotion or subjective thought.
Interpretivism - This is the belief that human interaction, thought and emotion are at the core of how we perceive reality, we have free will and don’t behave the same way in similar situations. Knowledge is a matter of interpretation and meaning can only be obtained from human experience and interaction. It argues that social realities are not something we discover but instead they are something that we construct. Interpretivism is very similar to a subjectivist view. In terms of research an interpretivist understands that the researcher cannot be removed from the process. So in order to gain an understanding of a subject the researcher must look at subjective experiences through social interaction.
Ethics / Axiology:
Axiology is the philosophical study of value, it asks questions about how and why we value things. The study of ethics asks us questi0ons about how we value morality and judgement; how do we conduct ourselves in the world. In terms of research axiology and ethics are fundamental when interacting with others to obtain our research. When conducting research it is important that the researcher values anonymity, minimises the risk of physical or psychological harm and always respect the right of the participant to withdraw at any time.
Research Methods
A research study includes the collection and analysis of data. There are many different approaches to research, but most research methods can be separated out into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. Depending in the research subject, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods might be used to support a hypothesis or gain insight into a particular topic.
Qualitative - In qualitative research the data analysed are non numerical and perceive the meaning of social reality, it observes and describes a phenomenon to gain a deeper understanding of the subject. It focuses on the thoughts, emotions and feelings of the subjects and it’s an understanding that human emotion and interaction lies at the core of researching a subject. Qualitative research relies on data collected from interviews, observations, case studies, group discussions and informal conversations. This type of research is often used in fields such as sociology and anthropology, where the aim is to understand complex social phenomena and it often leads to deeper insights.
Quantitative - In quantitative research the data analysed are with numbers and statistics, it’s for testing hypotheses and measuring relationships between variables. It focuses on objectively collecting data and analysing it numerically, this type of research is used to confirm or test a theory or hypothesis. Quantitative research relies on data from surveys, experiments, observations, probability sampling and questionnaire observation. This type of research is often used in fields such as economics, marketing and biology, where the aim is to understand trends and relationships between variables.
Brief 2 final outcome
Reflection
Overall I think my final ‘process model’ turned out better than I was expecting, it’s a simple design but it fulfils the brief. The roots represent the skills that I believe I am already proficient in and I would say are my strongest skills. Then as you work your way up the tree trunk they represent the skills I believe I am quite good at but could do with some improvement. Lastly, the branches represent the skills that I believe are gaps of mine. I used Procreate to create the illustration of the tree. Then I exported it into Photoshop where I added the text, I like the way the texts wraps around the gaps in the tree. It looks like it is part of the image rather than jut being added on. top and looking out of place. However, this could be improved if I included some of my values, strengths and weaknesses in as well as the skills. I did research about values and took a personality test so I could have included some of those results in the illustration.