Dr. Katharine Janzen Assoc. Vice President Research & Innovation Seneca College

1. “Introduction to Research” Dr. Katharine Janzen Assoc. Vice President Research & Innovation Seneca College http://www.senecac.on.ca/ori 416 491-5050 Ext. 7901 katharine.janzen@senecac.on.ca Seneca Faculty Forum May 5, 2009 Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

2. Invitation to Reflect & share: • How would you define “research” for your students? • What has been your experience in research? • What role does research play in the courses that you teach? Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

3. Defining “Research” • systematic exploration of something in the physical or psychosocial context • to gain a more accurate understanding of specific aspects of that phenomenon • … “a method of reducing uncertainty” (McM & S, p. 14) Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

4. “Invitation” to engage in the Research Process” • Working on your own or with a colleague, brainstorm some questions, curiosities or hypotheses related to your area of expertise Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

5. Characteristics of “good” Research: • Reliable – same findings obtained regardless of who is collecting data, when it is collected etc. • Verifiable– “audit trail” hold data 5-7 years to be able to validate/verify interpretations • butparticipants are NOT identifiable Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

6. Characteristics of “good” Research: • Explanatory – adds to our understanding e.g., cause-effect relationships; correlations; deeper understanding of what actually exists • Empirical – based on observable data (reliable and verifiable) Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

7. Characteristics of “good” Research: • Logical– make sense – not built on hunches, educated guesses, “evidence based” • probabilistic- NOT absolute • demonstrates“humility in research claims” Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

8. Challengesin Research: • interdependence of many variables because of the complexity of the subjects • Real world context vs. single variable isolation in the lab • methodological challenges, e.g., voluntary participation, perceived risk, reliance on recall, anonymity/ non-identifiability Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

9. Challengesof Research: • human subjects are complex • context is often a public institution – politics interfere • complexity of research problem – need to narrow the focus to researchable questions Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

10. Invitation: • To discuss YOUR 2 or 3 questions with a colleague – are they specific enough? • Narrow enough to be able to answer?? • Are there potential sources of information to help answer the question(s) …? Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

11. Research Perspectives: “Gingerbread house” or “diamond” • Research can be viewed from a variety of perspectives • e.g., Karl Jaspers’ notion of the “gingerbread house” • e.g., a diamond – reflections depend on how you “cut it” Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

12. Four Worldviews for doing ResearchJohn Creswell Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

13. Research Designs • Quantitative • Qualitative • Basic • Applied • Evaluative • Exploratory • Experimental Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

14. Research Designs • Basic(pure) ... generates new knowledge (university mandate) • Applied...provides solutions to specific real socio-economic problems (colleges) Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

15. Basic Research: • concerned with knowing, explaining, and predicting natural and social phenomena • creation of new knowledge • may have implications for real world practice e.g., “tech transfer” Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

16. Basic Research continued: • starts with theory, principle or generalization • tests theories - i.e.,unprooven but educated observations that predict relationships Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

17. Basic Researchcontinued: • seeks to develop models that “explain” phenomena e.g., human behaviour • traditionally the focus of university based research • e.g., Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

18. Applied Research: • addresses real life, practical issues and problems • findings are immediately applicable to specific socio-economic problems • e.g., … Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

19. Applied Researchcontinued: • Often conducted in the field (real context) • may be “Action Research” i.e., researcher is active participant • e.g., Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

20. Applied Researchcontinued: • Action Research… aims to improve practice through involvement of the researcher • researcher is an active participant • aim of action research: initiation of change in practice, reflection and ultimately improvement in practice and deeper understanding of the practice and the context Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

21. EvaluativeResearch: • assesses the merit and worth of particular practices/programs • recommends changes aimed at improvement • e.g.… Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

22. Exploratory Research: • seeks to identify (explore) what exists e.g., cause-effect relationships or deeper understanding • Descriptive…. Seeks to describe what exists Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

23. Ethnographic… describes what is experienced by a group of study subjects from THEIR perspective • Phenomenological … describes the lived experience of subjects IN THEIR OWN WORDS! Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

24. Invitation • To identify the type of research that would support YOUR research question(s), hypothesis etc. • Is this BASIC research? • Is in Applied (“pragmatic”) research? • Is it Exploratory, Evaluative etc?? Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

25. Research Designs • Quantitative • Qualitative Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

26. The Three Types of Designs based on data type: • Quantitative research • Qualitative research • Mixed methods research Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

27. Strategies of Inquiry Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

28. Quantitative vs Qualitative Studies Differ in: • assumptions • research purpose • research methods and process • prototypical studies • researcher role • importance of the context Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

29. Characteristics ofQuantitativeResearch: • Objectivity - Explicit description • Empiricism- NUMERICAL data • Precision - measurement and stats • Verification - replicated by others Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

30. Characteristics ofQuantitativeResearch continued: • Explanation - simplest preferred • Logical Reasoning - deductive • Probabilistic thinking - statements of statistical probability i.e., What is the likelihood that the findings are real or just by chance statistical significance p= >.05 Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

31. Characteristics of Qualitative Research: • Objectivity - Explicit description; triangulation • Precision - detailed description – careful analysis of “themes” • Verification - understandings extended • Explanation - summary generalizations Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

32. Characteristics of Qualitative Research continued: • Empiricism – WORDS (not numbers) from sources, evidence • Logical Reasoning - inductive • Probabilistic thinking - tentative synthesized interpretations of what likely exists, suggestions Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

33. Quantitative Research Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

34. Types of Quantitative Research Designs: Experimental: • isolate 1 variable • introduce intervention • record impact (cause-effect) • requires experimental and control groups to determine if findings are “real” Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

35. Experimental Quantitative Design: • researcher manipulates INDEPENDENT variables • to investigate cause-effect relationship between INDEPENDENT and DEPENDENT variables • e.g., change in entry level skills (Independent variable) to see impact on student achievement (Dependent variable) Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

36. Experimental Quantitative Design: • True experimental - intervention strategy • Quasi-experimental – not as clean as true experimental; not as controlled Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

37. Types of Quantitative Research Designs continued Non-experimental: • NO intervention • researcher describes things that have occurred, examines relationships without suggesting causation • explores causal relationshipamong variables that CANNOT be manipulated • e.g.…. Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

38. Non - Experimental Quantitative Design: • Descriptive – seeks to describe phenomenon with numbers (Stats Canada) • Correlation - seeks strength of relationships Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

39. Non - Experimental Quantitative Design: • Survey - count number, frequency of responses to questions; weighted responses, calculate mean and modal responses • Ex post facto – study AFTER the event has occurred • e.g., Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

40. Quantitative Data Collection: • Parametric i.e., • Numbers - counts/ per cent • Types of collection tools: • structures observations • standardized interviews • tests • questionnaires • unobtrusive measures Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

41. Qualitative Research Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

42. Qualitative Research Design: • Researcher describes things/behaviours as they occur in the natural environment Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

43. Types of Qualitative Research Design: • Ethnographic Analytical – data comes directly from the study subjects without any prompting from the researcher – “in their own words” • Concept Analysis – themes that emerge from data • Historical – review of existing documents, artifacts Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

44. Qualitative Data Collection: • Non - Parametric • use WORDS to collect data • Types: • ethnographic observations and interviews • documents Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

45. DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES: • The challenge: - need to ensure they generate valid and reliable data • How do we make sure that any differences/impacts observed are NOT due to chance diversity???? • Key informants on the issue/question studied Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

46. Invitation • Identify all the sources of data (information) you can think of that would answer YOUR question(s) … • How could you ACCESS those sources of information? • Decide on the most appropriate data collection tools/processes Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

47. Trends inResearch • traditionally associated more with physical sciences (quantitative) • behavioural and social sciences have greater uncertainty than physical sciences • move is away from reliance on quantitative research e.g., controlled labs Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

48. Trends in Research • increasingly BOTH quantitative and qualitative data are used • e.g., walk a km on flat road vs. 1 km on hilly road • “triangulation” provides 3 different perspectives on the same phenomenon and looks for common themes that validate qualitative data Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

49. Characteristics of “good” Research: • Objective – free of researcher bias e.g., • How does X create problems for you? • Describe your experience with X • Precise – “just the facts, ma’am” Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009

50. Characteristics of “good” Research: • Valid – Are we getting responses to what we actually wanted to ask? • validity rests within the instrumentation (data collection tool) • sample selection method and size determine level of generalizability Dr. Katharine Janzen May 5, 2009