Key Concepts - Literature Review

Wildemuth

Middle-ranged Theories - The middle point in which special theories and general theories meet. Middle-range theories are concrete enough to clearly apply to phenomena of interest to a professional field like information and library science, while simultaneously abstract enough to apply to settings beyond the context in which they were developed (Poole, 1985). Special theories apply to a small range of phenomena while general theories apply to a broad range of phenomena and are highly abstract (Wildemuth, 2009).

Grounded Theory - Theory emerges simultaneously with data collection. Rather than testing as existing theory this approach begins to formulate a theory that fits the data as the data emerges (Wildemuth 2009). The grounded theory approach doesn't develop a theory, but it gives us the analysis of qualitative data. Analysis of qualitative data is usually lacking and grounded theories provide us with that data.

Powell and Connaway:

Exploratory survey - can be used to gather information with practical application even though the results can't be anticipated. There are several types of exploratory research and each have their specific functions.

- Literature surveys focus on developing hypotheses based on previous research. Most of the time they are a part of a larger study. Also considered supportive research.

- Experience surveys are surveys that gather and synthesize the experiences of specialists in a particular field. They aim to obtain insight into the relationships between variables rather than get an accurate picture of current practices. Used to gain suggestions for future research. They can also help establish priorities for research.

- Analysis of "insight-stimulating" examples is used to serve as a guide for future research. Tends to be more narrow and specific in scope.

"An exploratory study must always be regarded as simply a first step; more carefully controlled studies are needed to test whether the hypotheses that emerge have general applicability." (Ibid, pg. 65).

Purposes of descriptive surveys:

- Describe characteristics of the population of interest

- Estimate proportions in the population

- Make specific predictions

- Test associational relationships

Developing the Study - Key Concepts

Patten:

Using AND in a database search. The AND function is used in database searches to help narrow and focus your search. The example given by Patten is if you search "learning environments AND dyslexia" the program will identify material that contains both learning environments and dyslexia (Patten pg. 33). Since you used the AND function the search engine will exclude any material that only contains one of the keywords. This is very useful in finding specific material for your research.

Using NOT in a database search. The NOT function also helps narrow down your search in an overloaded database. Patten provides us with an example, searching "advertising NOT television" ensures us that we find articles that contain advertising but excludes television as a medium (Patten pg. 33).

Williamson:

Types of Hypothesis - Operational Hypothesis, Research Hypothesis, Null Hypothesis, Directional Hypothesis and General Hypothesis.

Criteria for good hypotheses:

• be stated in correct terminology
• be as brief and clear as possible
• state an expected relationship between two or more variables
• be testable
• be grounded in past knowledge gained from literature or review (Williamson pg. 57)

Role of theory in research - it informs the research process and helps direct it (Williamson pg. 59). We gain a cumulative approach to research which allows us to build upon our research and make sure there aren't any gaps. The longer the research continues, the more questions are asked which leads to other theories in turn inform the process more thoroughly.

Paul Dobersztyn - Article Review #1

Badke, W. (2007). Give plagiarism the weight it deserves. www.onlinemag.net, 5(31).

Introduction:

Plagiarism is definitely a problem and frowned upon, but there hasn’t been enough education regarding plagiarism. This article describes, what plagiarism is and calls for more education regarding it. It also describes society’s views on sharing and rights regarding copyrighted material. I chose plagiarism as my research topic, but I need to get more specific. This article definitely raised a few interesting points that I need to research further.

Problem Statement:

Educators identify plagiarism as the top offense in the information crimes agenda.

Literature Review:

This article draws from a study from the Center of Academic Integrity (www.academicintegrity.org). Results show that 40% of 50,000 undergraduate students have plagiarized from material found on the internet. According to the article, in a study in 1999 of 50,000 undergraduate students, 77% of the student body didn’t view plagiarism as a serious problem. Badke tries to solve the problem of plagiarism first, by trying to identify the types of plagiarists. Then continues to differentiate between accessibility and permission to appropriate. These concepts are important to know when researching plagiarism, because it gives a good basis to start. Another interesting viewpoint, is how other societies view plagiarism. If someone comes from a country that everything is shared, they could view an individual who claims that they own this property as selfish and insulting. Finally Badke reminds us of the challenge of anti-plagiarism education.

Method:

The article doesn’t include details of the research, but provides a website with the link of the research. I checked the website and the articles published are under review so they were removed.

Caveat:

The study reference in this article is over ten years old, so opinions and numbers could have changed drastically since then. The fact that the website containing the actual research is under review, kind of questions its integrity. I wish I had the actual numbers and values to look at myself. I don’t even know what schools they interviewed, and their basis of selection. Overall this article raised a few good points and questions but definitely lacks in any steady or worthwhile information,

Research Traditions - Key Concepts

Wildemuth:

Research Question - A statement of what you wish to know about some unsatisfactory situation (Wildemuth pg.12). The research question will help you clarify your goals in research and serve at the motivation for your work.

Hypothesis - A conjectural statement of the relation between two or more variables (Wildemuth pg. 33). The research itself is designed to test the truth of the statement.

Williamson:

Tasked-based Research - Research that focuses on the scrutiny of specific tasks. It's not a research methodology, and it's been designed to utilize multiple research methods. This is normally done through observations, user studies, and interviews and from working experience with systems and people. (Williamson pg. 83)

Evaluative Research - A type of applied research that's primary goal is to test the application of knowledge within a specific program or project. Evaluative research usually have large numbers of uncontrolled variables and are carried out in real settings. (Williamson pg. 74)

Patten:

Modified replication - Replication of a hypothesis with some major modifications while using an improved measurement technique. (Patten pg. 31)

Strict replication - Strict replication occurs when you try to mimic all the major respects of to see if the original results re-occur. (Patten pg. 31)

Introductory Readings

Connaway and Powell:

Theory - a systematic explanation for observations that relate to a particular aspect of life. (Connaway and Powell pg. 49) A theory, or theoretical system, should permit deductions that can be tested empirically. (Connaway and Powell pg. 49) This means that the theory should provide the means for its own testing.

Research hypothesis - the hypothesis with which a research study begins. It should help to delimit and guide the study. (Connaway and Powell pg. 51)

Wildemuth:

Understanding what it is that you want to ask. Stakeholders are very important in dealing with research because they are the ones who are vested in your research and the outcome. If you know exactly what your stakeholders want from your research it is easier to understand what you want to ask and discover.

Framework is key when dealing with research. A research question is situated within a conceptual framework : the system of concepts to be studied as well as the relationships between them. (Wildemuth pg.14)

Williamson:

Positivist tradition of research follows the links between the ways in which the natural sciences and social sciences should be investigated. Data is collected quantitatively by questionnaires and other instruments of measurements.

Interpretivist tradition of research emphasizes meanings created by data and people which are qualitative ( which are formed in words). They are collected through observation and interviews. Positivist and interpretivist approaches are sometimes used together but it's important that you can differentiate the two.