Research Methods Resources

Research Methods Resources

GenStat Discovery Edition

What is research ?

Resources are organised along following steps

 1. Problem analysis

There exist many definitions of research. Some are philosophical, some are practical. With some we agree, with others we disagree.

Below we give our view.

Click here to see a flowchart of the research process.

The links on the right hand side give more resources on the different steps in any research project.

 2. Current understanding

 3. Objectives and hypothesis

 4. Research designs

 5. Handling data

 6. Formal analysis

 7. Publication and beyond

 8. Closing the loop

 Teaching resources

Research is a structured way of learning to solve problems.

Research is a structured way of learning. The structure used is the scientific method. The knowledge and understanding resulting from the learning process is used to solve problems that are relevant to society.

The scientific method consists of following steps:

• initial problem analysis

• analysis of a researchable problem to find a solution

• finding clues

• bearing the evidence

• communicate findings and move on or reiterate

(The links above give essentially the same steps but more in detail.)

Essential characteristics of the scientific method are:

• clear conceptual framework (theory) based on current understanding

• clear hypotheses that are non-trivial but extend understanding

• generally, being clear and explicit when using definitions and methods

• systematic, objective and valid data collection and analysis

• insightful interpretation that advances understanding

• being critical throughout the whole process

• communicating the results in a way that is easy accessible for others to review

Let's have a look at the flowchart again. Within the context of livelihood and environmental problems and within the framework of policies, values and interests you first carry out an initial problem analysis. The aim of this initial problem analysis is to assess the relevance of the problem, to delineate the problem, to divide it into manageable portions and to make sure that there are enough resources available to carry out the research. After this stage you have a researchable problem and you analyse it to find a solution. This means finding out about the current understanding, defining study objectives and hypotheses and designing some kind of study to test the potential solution. At this moment you have already a hunch on what the solution will be but you have to find clues by collecting data. When collecting the data you might already immediately get additional insight (uncodified knowledge) and decide to revise the problem analysis. The clues will lead to evidence in favour or against the solution. Bearing the evidence is formalised by data preparation, data exploration, formal analysis (given the objectives) and interpretation. The results have to be communicated or the time and efforts spent contribute to nothing and cannot be called research. If the evidence does not convince you, revise the problem analysis. If you are convinced, move on to the next problem. And in the worst case you learned something that will bring you closer to finding a solution.

Teaching

Why did we describe some of the steps involved in the scientific method as "finding clues" and "bearing the evidence" ? Good teaching is teaching that pushes students into double-loop thinking. To enable students to achieve this, you need first of all to build an enabling context. This means not only to create a relationship with the students based on trust, create a positive atmosphere, provide positive encouragement, give positive feedback and give tasks that are slightly challenging. For technical subjects such as statistics, you have to avoid boredom and scare of statistics.

Following quote is how a researcher explained about his job to the person seated next to him on an airplane, and that gave inspiration in naming the steps in the research process above:  

"… So, you see, if you study fish populations, you tend to get little pieces of information here and there. These bits of information are like the tip of the iceberg; they're part of a much larger story. My job is to try to put the story together. I'm a detective, really, who assembles clues into a coherent picture." (Schnute 1987 - p. 210; In: Hillborn and Mangel 1997 - p. xi)

Now put yourself in the shoes of a student who just wants the degree to get a well-paid job who is forced to listen several hours to: "Let denote y = …"

The analogy between the job of a researcher and that of a detective is just one example. You can find many more based on your topic and context that will present research methodology to students as a stimulating problem solving mission.

References

Schnute, J. T. (1987). Data, uncertainty, model ambiguity, and model identification. Natural Resource Modeling 2: 159-212.

Hillborn, R. and M. Mangel (1997). The ecological detective. Confronting models with data. Princeton, New Jersey, USA, Princeton University Press.

Research Methods Resources

GenStat Discovery Edition