What distinguishes Research from common sense CS)?

1
Introduction to Research
Gavriel Salomon Haifa University
http//consruct.haifa.ac.il/gsalomon/new
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Tension between two orientations

• The Positivist
• Rigorous, deductive, quantitative research to
  serve science by developing explanatory
  principles and theories

3

• The Constructivist
• Inductive (most often qualitative), more
  subjective research much detail about a few
  cases leading to the possible generation of
  hypotheses

4

• Today, the fight between the two approaches is
  over (Johnson Onwuegbuzie, 2005)

Constructivist BU hypothesis generation
Positivist TD Hypothesis testing
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What Distinguishes Research from Common Sense
(CS)?

• CS Assertions are based on agreement
• CS Human fallacies
• - Inaccurate observations
• - overgeneralization
• - Selective observations and interpretations
• - Made-up information
• - Retroactive reasoning
• - Illogical thinking

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On the other hand, Research, as we know and
practice it

• Tries to be as objective as possible
• Uses agreed tools and criteria of validity
• Provides all necessary details for replication
  and refutation
• Attempts to predict explain probabilistically
• Aims at generalizable conclusions and theories
• Invites refutation

7
The fruit of research is understanding The
fruit of development is proven and practical
procedures The fruit of dissemination is
adoption of such procedures (Cronbach,
1966). The fruit of feasibility studies is
knowledge that X works under some conditions (but
not why!)
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What constitutes good research?

• It has a convincing rationale
• Its methods are explicit and fit the question or
  hypothesis
• Its conclusions are logical, consistent and
  empirically based
• It allows generalization within known limits
• It offers a convincing explanation
• It has interesting and/or useful findings