...AND DISTANCE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF EXTRA-MURAL STUDIES. In collaboration with CENTRE FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING MASTER IN PROJECT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT COURSE: LDP 603: RESEARCH METHODS Authored by: Dr. Christopher Mwangi Gakuu Senior Lecturer, Department of ExtraMural studies, University of Nairobi & Dr. Harriet Jepchumba Kidombo Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Studies University of Nairobi Page 1 of 240 GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE MODULE The Research Methods course is one of the first semester core courses for those learners pursuing the Master in Project Planning and Management course. You are aware that any good decision is based on facts. Facts are based on data. The data must be systematically collected, processed, analysed and presented for use. The best-known way of collecting empirical data is through scientific research methods. This is what this course module is all about. The main aims of this course unit is to: 1. Providing you with the basic information needed to understand the research process. 2. Enable you to use the knowledge to design their own research agenda on an area of personal interest or that of an organization. MODULE STRUCTURE The module is covered in Lectures. Each Lecture focuses on area in research. You will note that in each unit, there is an introduction, unit objectives, contents presented in subtopics, activities, summary and suggestions for further readings. This structure aims ...
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...collaborative yet independent: Information practices in the physical sciences december 2011 Acknowledgements This report was the result of a collaborative effort between the Research Information Network, the Institute of Physics, Institute of Physics Publishing and the Royal Astronomical Society. They would like to thank the study authors at the 1) Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 2) Department of Information Systems, London School of Economics, 3) UCL Centre for Digital Humanities and the Department of Information Studies, University College, London, 4) e-Humanities Group, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts & Sciences (KNAW) and Maastricht University, and 5) Oxford e-Research Centre (OeRC), University of Oxford. The main authors for this report are: Eric T. Meyer, Monica Bulger, Avgousta Kyriakidou-Zacharoudiou, Lucy Power, Peter Williams, Will Venters, Melissa Terras, Sally Wyatt. For the full acknowledgements, please see the project website: www.rin.ac.uk/phys-sci-case contents executive summary Overview method cases Tools and practices of information Information sources 68 69 77 78 4 4 4 4 research software dissemination complexity conclusion and recommendations Information retrieval Information and data management data analysis citation practices dissemination practices collaboration Transformations in practice New questions New technologies recommendations 79 84 84 85 85 86 86 87 88 90 91 92 Glossary Information in the...
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...chilot.wordpress.com Legal Research Methods Teaching Material Prepared by: Prof (Dr) Khushal Vibhute & Filipos Aynale m Prepared under the Sponsorship of the Justice and Legal System Research Institute 2009 chilot.wordpress.com TABLE OF CONTENTS UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------1 1.1 Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 1.2 Law and Society: Mutual Relationship & Interaction-----------------------------------------------------3 1.3 Legal System: A System of Norms and Social System?---------------------------------------------------4 1.4 Role of Law in A Planned Socio-Economic Development------------------------------------------------6 UNIT 2: LEGAL RESEARCH: AN INTRODUCTION----------------------------------8 2.1 What is research?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 Meaning of research---------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 Objectives of research-------------------------------------------------------------------------------12 Motivation in research------------------------------------------------------------------------------13 Research and scientific method-------------------------------------------------------------------14 2.2 Types of research------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15...
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...COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS IN RESEARCH METHODS(1) 1. PHILOSOPHY, LOGIC AND ETHICS OF SCIENCE A) General A1. A2. A3. Starbuck has suggested that "the properties shared by all organizations ought to be uninteresting TH and unimportant." He also notes that "although statements about averages bother very few, they ought to bother many" (Journal of Management Studies, vol. 30(6), 1993). Do you agree with these statements? If so, why, and what are the implications of your beliefs for research methods in strategic management and organization science? If not, why not, and what are the implications of your beliefs for research methods in those areas? Lay out the components of the Runkel and McGrath (1972) Research Cycle and the Martin (1982) Garbage Can Model of the research process. What are the aims of either approach? What assumptions does each approach make? What basic themes does each approach emphasize? What kinds of constraints on the process of doing research does each approach highlight? How are the two approaches alike and different in other ways? What are the likely pitfalls of viewing the research process from only one of these two viewpoints? Define (and discuss important features or issues concerning) the following constructs of Philosophy and Logic of Science. (Define any four terms). 1. Null hypothesis 3. Paradigm 4. Independent variable 5. Operational definition 6. Nomological network 8. The fallacy of affirming the consequent 9. Theory 2....
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...your research project your research project a step-by-step guide for the first-time researcher NICHOLAS WALLIMAN with Bousmaha Baiche SAGE Publications London • Thousand Oaks • New Delhi To my wife, Ursula © Nicholas Walliman 2001 Chapter 2 © Dr Bousmaha Baiche 2001 First published 2001 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 6 Bonhill Street London EC2A 4PU SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd 32, M-Block Market Greater Kailash – I New Delhi 110 048 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7619 6538 6 ISBN 0 7619 6539 4 (pbk) Library of Congress catalog record available Typeset by Keystroke, Jacaranda Lodge, Wolverhampton. Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire CONTENTS Acknowledgements Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Research and the Research Problem Information...
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... 2-5 Preface 2 Learning Objectives 3 Scope of the Project 3 Methodology 4 Limitations 5 I. Introduction 6-12 Introduction to Personality Theory 6 What is a Theory 7 Why Different theories 11 II. Theories of Personality 12-116 Psychoanalytic Theory 12-25 Humanistic Theory 25-43 Trait and Factor Theories- Big Five Factors 43-57 Biological and Genetic Theories 58-62 Social Cognitive Theory 62-87 Holistic-Dynamic Theory 88-116 III. Conclusion 116-117 Final Thoughts 116 Summary 117 Back Matter 118 References 118 PREFACE What makes people behave as they do? Are people ordinarily aware of what they are doing, or are their behaviors the result of hidden, unconscious motives? Are some people naturally good and others basically evil? Is human conduct largely a product of nature, or is it shaped mostly by...
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...be no compelling reason to argue that ___. c. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be (convincingly) argued that ___. d. There are [three] main arguments that can be advanced to support ___. e. The underlying argument in favor of / against [X] is that ___. f. [X]’s argument in favor of / against [Y] runs as follows: ___. Claim a. In this [paper], I put forward the claim that ___. b. [X] develops the claim that ___. c. There is ample / growing support for the claim that ___. d. [X]’s findings lend support to the claim that ___. e. Taking a middle-ground position, [X] claims that ___. Data a. The data gathered in the [pilot study] suggests / suggest that ___. b. The data appears / appear to suggest that ___. c. The data yielded by this [study] provides strong / convincing evidence that ___. (yielded = generated) d. A closer look at the data indicates that ___. e. The data generated by [X] is / are reported in [table 1]. f. The aim of this [section] is to generalize beyond the data and ___. In modern usage, data can also be treated as a mass / uncountable noun, like information. Before you submit your work, check whether the institution you’re writing for / on behalf of prefers data + plural verb. Debate a. [X] has fostered debate on ___. (fostered = encouraged) b. There has been an inconclusive debate about whether ___. c. The question of whether ___ has caused much debate in [our profession] [over the years]. d. (Much of) the current debate revolves around ___...
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...EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Unit Structure 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Sources Acquiring Knowledge 1.3 Meaning, Steps and Scope of Educational Research 1.4 Scientific Method, aims and characteristics of research as a scientific activity 1.5 Ethical considerations in Educational Research 1.6 Paradigms of Educational research 1.7 Types of Research 1.7.a Fundamental 1.7.b Applied Research 1.7.c. Action Research 1.0 OBJECTIVES : After reading this unit, you will be able to: 1 To explain the concept of Educational Research 2 To describe the scope of Educational Research 3 To state the purpose of Educational Research 4 To explain what is scientific enquiry. 5 To explain importance of theory development. 6 To explain relationship among science, education and educational research. 7 To Identity fundamental research 8 To Identity applied research 9 To Identify action research 10 To Differentiate between fundamental, applied, and action research 11 To Identify different paradigms of research 2 1.1 INTRODUCTION : Research purifies human life. It improves its quality. It is search for knowledge. If shows how to Solve any problem scientifically. It is a careful enquiry through search for any kind of Knowledge. It is a journey from known to unknown. It is a systematic effort to gain new knowledge in any kind of discipline. When it Seeks a solution of any educational problem it leads to educational research. Curiosity...
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...Philosophy: A Text with Readings, tenth edition, by Manuel Velasquez, The Charles Dirksen Professor, Santa Clara University. The television series The Examined Life was designed and produced by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, Netherlands Educational Broadcasting Corporation (TELEAC/NOT), and Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR) Copyright © 2007, 2005, 2002, 1999 by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, 150 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 300, Pasadena, California 91105-1937. ISBN: 0-495-10302-0 Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Lesson One — What is Philosophy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lesson Two — What is Human Nature?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Lesson Three — Is Mind Distinct From Body?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Lesson Four — Is There an...
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...GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY STUDENT GUIDELINE NOTES GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY MODULE Paste the notes here… Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government. Political economy originated in moral philosophy (e.g. Adam Smith was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow), it developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states — polities, hence political economy. In late nineteenth century, the term "political economy" was generally replaced by the term economics, used by those seeking to place the study of economy upon mathematical and axiomatic bases, rather than the structural relationships of production and consumption (cf. marginalism, Alfred Marshall). History of the term Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production was organized in the nation-states. The phrase économie politique (translated in English as political economy) first appeared in France in 1615 with the well known book by Antoyne de Montchrétien: Traicté de l’oeconomie politique. French physiocrats, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were some of the exponents of political economy. In 1805, Thomas Malthus became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. The world's first professorship in political economy was established...
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...New Zealand, 2010 ABSTRACT This research project explores crisis communication in theory and practice in Australia and New Zealand with specific focus on cultural influence, strategy applicability, and stakeholder relevance. A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate crisis communication in its theoretical and practical constituents. The research project comprises of the two data collection methods of content analysis and in-depth interviews. The content analysis, the selected method to evaluate the theory, was conducted from published research studies in leading Australian and New Zealand Public Relations and Communication journals, the websites of the PRism journal, the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA), the Public Relations Institutes of Australia (PRIA) and New Zealand (PRINZ), and via the database search platform Ebsco. The content analysis provided information about the number of published articles, leading theoretical models, research methods, and research orientation. The in-depth interviews, the chosen method to investigate the crisis communication practices, were conducted with three Australian and three New Zealand practitioners and addressed the issues of cultural influence, strategy applicability, and stakeholder relevance in crisis communication. However, both methods complement each other and add different perspectives to the research subject. The findings of this research project indicate a dominance of non-theoretical...
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...Research Methods –STA630 VU Research Methods (STA630) Contents Lesson 1: INTRODUCTION, DEFINITION & VALUE OF RESEARCH ........................ 14 What is Research?................................................................................................................... 14 What is the value of Research? ............................................................................................... 14 Research helps in developing methodologies ......................................................................... 15 We are surrounded by research............................................................................................... 16 Lesson 2: SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF RESEARCH & ITS SPECIAL FEATURES ...... 17 Important Characteristics of Scientific Method ...................................................................... 17 1. Empirical......................................................................................................................... 17 2. Verifiable ........................................................................................................................ 18 3. Cumulative ..................................................................................................................... 18 4. Deterministic.................................................................................................................. 18 5. Ethical and Ideological Neutrality ............................................................
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...Publishing Team Copyright © The Open University of Hong Kong, 2001, 2011. Reprinted 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the President, The Open University of Hong Kong. Sale of this material is prohibited. The Open University of Hong Kong Ho Man Tin, Kowloon Hong Kong This course material is printed on environmentally friendly paper. Contents Introduction 1 The focus of criminology 4 What is criminology? Why study crime? 4 6 Developing theory: the foundations of criminology 8 Theorizing about crime before criminology: the classical perspective Positivist criminology 8 10 Sociological criminology The Chicago School Strain and subcultural theories of crime Control theories The labelling perspective Critical criminology 14 15 17 21 23 27 Environmental criminology 30 Jane Jacobs and Oscar Newman Routine activity theory Rational choice theory 30 33 35 Summary 39 References 41 Feedback on activities 43 Readings Unit 2 Introduction The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to the different kinds of theorizing about crime that have constituted the discipline of criminology. Criminology as an academic discipline has existed for well over 100 years. During this time, a number of distinct approaches have emerged, and it is these different approaches that this unit seeks to capture...
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...Y METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH From Theory to Practice Marguerite G. Lodico, Dean T. Spaulding, Katherine H. Voegtle METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Y METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH From Theory to Practice Marguerite G. Lodico, Dean T. Spaulding, Katherine H. Voegtle Copyright © 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this...
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...presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering 1998 Abstract This research investigated how social, environmental and ethical factors can be better included in theories of engineering design. The research focused on designing as an essentially human activity via consideration of the epistemological and ontological issues involved in constructing coherent design theory. The research investigations led to a clearer understanding of the roles of ontology, epistemology and methodology in design research and this clarification enabled the construction of a post-positivist approach to engineering design theory that better includes social, environmental and ethical factors alongside the existing products of scientific engineering design research. Other contributions to knowledge that emerged from the research process and which underpin the conclusions include; clarification of the terminology and basic concepts of design research and engineering design research, historical reviews of ways that the terms ‘design’ and ‘design process’ have been used in the literature of engineering design research and design research in the period 1962–1995, clarification of the role of disciplinary structure in the development of coherent design theories, the development of conceptual tools and...
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