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Introductory Concepts and Definitions

This document outlines the major topics to be discussed in introductory research concepts and definitions. It defines research as disciplined inquiry aimed at finding answers to questions to learn more about the world. Research must be rigorous and systematic by addressing appropriate research questions and methods. Research can be classified by research strategy, purpose, or location. The main purposes of research are explanatory, descriptive, and exploratory. Research paradigms consider objective vs subjective approaches and quantitative vs qualitative methods.

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Lina Demian
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37 views

Introductory Concepts and Definitions

This document outlines the major topics to be discussed in introductory research concepts and definitions. It defines research as disciplined inquiry aimed at finding answers to questions to learn more about the world. Research must be rigorous and systematic by addressing appropriate research questions and methods. Research can be classified by research strategy, purpose, or location. The main purposes of research are explanatory, descriptive, and exploratory. Research paradigms consider objective vs subjective approaches and quantitative vs qualitative methods.

Uploaded by

Lina Demian
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introductory concepts

and definitions
Dr. Codruta Gosa
[email protected]
Major issues to be discussed
 Introductory concepts
 Ethics in research
 The research proposal
 Quantitative research: logic,
methodology, methods, analysis
 Data analysis in quantitative
research
 Qualitative research: logic,
methodology, methods, analysis
 Data analysis in qualitative research
 The research report
What is research?

 ‘In the most profound sense,


research simply means trying to
find answers to questions…to
learn more about the world
around us. …Or in short,
research is disciplined inquiry.’
(Dörnyei, 2007: 15)
Keywords

 Rigorous
 Systematic
 Through appropriate

 Research question(s)

 Research method(s)
Research is Question(s)
driven

 Think of your BA
paper
Tryto formulate a
question that drives
it
Two ways to find answers to
questions
 By looking at what other people
have said (labelled as
‘secondary’, ‘conceptual’,
‘library’ research)
 By conducting your own data-
based investigation (labelled as
‘primary’, ‘empirical’ research)
Classification of research

 According to the research


strategies
 According to the purpose of
research
 According to the basic
location of research
Types of research: purpose of
research

 Explanatory: seeks an
explanation of a situation or
problem (causal relationships),
quantitative and/or qualitative

 Experiments are seen as most


appropriate for explanatory work
 Descriptive: seeks to elicit the
characteristics of a particular
social phenomena from a
certain group of people, i.e.
present a certain social status
quo

 Surveys are seen as most


appropriate for descriptive work
 Exploratory: to find out what is
happening, seek new insights,
to assess phenomena in anew
light, usually qualitative
 Case studies are seen as most
appropriate for exploratory work
Types of research: in the field,
at the desk?
 Library
 Natural environment: associated
with ethnography (the researcher
becomes part of the group under
study)
 Fieldwork: used to refer to the
collection of data using
observational methods
 Laboratory
Research paradigms

They are both ontologically and


epistemologically grounded

 Objective versus subjective


 Quantitative versus qualitative
References

Dörnyei, Z, 2007: Research Methods in


Applied Linguistics, Oxford: Oxford
University Press
Hatch, E.M., Lazaraton, A. 1991: The
Research Manual: Design and Statistics
for Applied Linguistics, New York;
Newbury House
Mason, J., 2002: Qualitative Researching
(2nd ed.), London, Thousand Oaks, New
Delhi: Sage
, (2nd ed)Oxford: Blackwell

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