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3.2: The Scientific Method

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    The scientific approach uses specific methodology in order to reach replicable conclusions. Empirical research is conducted primarily in one of two ways - quantitative and qualitative.

    Quantitative

    One method of scientific investigation – particularly quantitative research - involves the following steps:

    1. Determining a research question
    2. Reviewing previous studies addressing the topic in question (known as a literature review)
    3. Determining a method of gathering information
    4. Conducting the study
    5. Interpreting results
    6. Drawing conclusions; stating limitations of the study and suggestions for future research
    7. Making your findings available to others (both to share information and to have your work scrutinized by others)

    Your findings can then be used by others as they explore the area of interest and through this process a literature or knowledge base is established. This model of scientific investigation presents research as a linear process guided by a specific research question. And it typically involves quantifying or using statistics to understand and report what has been studied. Many academic journals publish reports on studies conducted in this manner.

    Qualitative

    Another model of research referred to as qualitative research may involve steps such as these:

    1. Begin with a broad area of interest
    2. Gain entrance into a group to be researched
    3. Gather field notes about the setting, the people, the structure, the activities or other areas of interest
    4. Ask open ended, broad “grand tour” types of questions when interviewing subjects
    5. Modify research questions as study continues
    6. Note patterns or consistencies
    7. Explore new areas deemed important by the people being observed
    8. Report findings

    In this type of research, theoretical ideas are “grounded” in the experiences of the participants. The researcher is the student and the people in the setting are the teachers as they inform the researcher of their world (Glazer & Strauss, 1967). Researchers are to be aware of their own biases and assumptions, acknowledge them and bracket them in efforts to keep them from limiting accuracy in reporting. Sometimes qualitative studies are used initially to explore a topic and more quantitative studies are used to test or explain what was first described.

    Of course we would be well advised to remember that science is supposed to be unbiased but is always affected by the perspective of the researcher and the zeitgeist of the times they live in.

    Attributions:

    Child Growth and Development by Jennifer Paris, Antoinette Ricardo, and Dawn Rymond, 2019, is licensed under CC BY 4.0

    Research Methods in Developmental Psychology by Angela Lukowski and Helen Milojevich is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0


    3.2: The Scientific Method is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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