OUGD501 - Research & Epistemology - Lecture

Notes - 

The process is more important than the outcome, who do you speak to? what is the context where that knowledge is developed? how have you reached out? what have you read? how have you engaged with the outside world to inform you? what connections have you made?

‘Research is creating new knowledge’ - Neil Armstrong

What is there to study? – ontology

The philosophical analysis of what is or can be known, the conceptualisation of existing knowledge that can be known (fact)

How can we know about it? Epistemology

The philosophical analysis of the nature of knowledge and how we can know something. (The theory of knowledge) truth, belief, justification. (opinions)

Methodology (approaches)

• Literature review
• Case study
• Longitudinal survey
•  Experimental
• Ethnography
• Action Research

Methodology (Techniques)

• ·      Interviews
• ·      Observations
• ·      Questionares
• ·      Drawing
• ·      Making
• ·      Recording

Methodology (analysis)

• ·      Theme
• ·      Frequency
• ·      Discourse
• ·      Cross sectional
• ·      Causal
• ·      Comparative

Methodology (interpretation)

• ·      Evaluation
• ·      Reflection
• ·      Justification
• ·      Claims
• ·      Inferences
• ·      Application
• ·      Communication
• ·      Interpreting our research

Research is about looking at the world through a different lens or point of view. Looking at existing research and asking new questions about it.

Start with what you already know, Identify what you want to know more about, Plan how you need to find it out