the research process professor merrill warkentin mississippi state university bis 9213: doctoral...
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The Research Process
Professor Merrill WarkentinMississippi State University
BIS 9213: Doctoral Seminar
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin2
Topics Discussed
purpose of research
research process (life cycle)
role of theory logical deduction
role of data observation
controlled observation
interpretation / conclusions
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin3
Purpose of Research
knowledge discovery
establish new theories
test new theories
prediction, explanation
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin4
The Research Process (Life Cycle)
asking the question
identifying importantquestions
formulating ahypothesis
collecting relevantinformationtesting the
hypothesis
confirm existing theoryestablish new theory
change theories
asking new questions
source: Salkind (2003)
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin5
The Research Cycle(see page 9 in our text for diagram)
1. research problem: unanswered question
2. define goal – clear statement of problem
3. subdivide into appropriate subproblems
4. tentative solution to problem throughreasonable hypotheses, direct to data
5. collect and organize data
6. interpret meaning of data
7. resolve problem, answer question
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin6
The Research Process Alternatives
“data mining” available data set = what patterns are there? not based on theory possible specious relationships between variables
(R2, covariance, etc.)
theoretical exploration, deductive logic qualitative methodologies inductive logic – case-based reasoning
comparative case studies, ethnomethodologies, etc.
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The Role of Theory
logical arguments – synthesis
deductive reasoning
establish background for empirical investigation
may lead to research question
(observation may also lead to research question)
research question becomes hypotheses
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin8
Role of Data
defines measurable phenomena
observation of natural or social events
manipulation of environment
controlled experiment
role of scales, measurements
how will you treat, control, & measure variables?
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Discussion
the scientific method
but no single methodology
creativity vs. rigor (soundness)
academic objectives pursuit of knowledge
acceptance at journals (reviewers, editors)
research partnerships (roles, skillsets, etc.)
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin10
Summary
research follows procedure
research methodology (scientific method)
research question, theory, experiment, results
alternatives to empirical method
research partnerships, roles, etc.
now just do it!
Copyright 2003, Merrill Warkentin11
Copyright NoticeThis document may not, in whole or part,
be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, transmitted,
or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form
without explicit permission and written authorization from Dr. Merrill Warkentin.
email: [email protected]
on the web at www.MISProfessor.com