MSS 905 Methods of Missiological Research

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MSS 905 Methods of Missiological Research

• Introduction to Missiological Research

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Types of Research

1. Basic research adding to our fundamental
   understanding and knowledge (regardless of
   practical or immediate implications)
2. Applied research program evaluation, or
   action-oriented research
3. Descriptive research describe groups,
   activities, situations or events normally using
   quantitative data analysis

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Types of Research

• Explanatory research
• looking for causes and reasons
• normally based on existing theories
• ground-breaking normally using qualitative data
  analysis

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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1. Research Problem

• Something that is happening and should NOT be
  happening
• Something that is NOT happening and should be
• Something that is happening but is not at the
  level it should be
• Something is happening (or NOT happening) but it
  is not understood why or how
• Something is done differently, and we dont know
  if its better or not
• Its something like identifying a mystery that
  needs to be solved

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Selecting a Topic for Research

1. Personal experience (SA and racism,
   cross-cultural issues)
2. Curiosity from a media story
3. Looking at the state of knowledge in a field (Dr.
   Jim Harris)
4. Solving a practical problem in society
   (Pentecostals perception of war and pacifism)
5. Social premiums (hot opportunities)
6. Personal values (Glossalalia and emotional
   maturity)
7. Everyday life

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Narrowing a Topic for Research

• Examine the literature
• Talk over ideas with others
• Apply existing research to a specific context
• Neuman (2006 p. 156, Box 6.4) Bad and Good
  Research Questions

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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2. Research Questions

• Definition (Adler Clark, 2003) a question
  about one or more topics or concepts that can be
  answered through research
• See
• Adler Clark (2003) pp 67-96
• Galvan (2006) chapter 3 on identifying data
  sources and tips on electronic searches
• Vyymeister (2001) chapters 2 and 3 on finding
  sources and narrowing the scope of your topic

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2. Research Questions

• What are the variable that appear to be involved?
• What appears to be driving, impeding, altering,
  deviating what is happening?
• Which method works better?
• At this stage simple conjecture and educated
  guesses are appropriate

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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3. Literature Review

• Finding out everything there is to know about
  this problem in the literature
• There may already be an answer
• To uncover the variables, develop explanations
  and predictions about variables
• To determine the level of knowledge that exists
  (low knowledge exploratory methods high
  descriptive/develop hypotheses)

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3. Literature Review
Tip Check the references at the end of all the
articles!!!
Tip Use the Citation key word function

• Stages
• Consider from different angles develop search
  terms, key words, concepts, terms
• Search the databases article titles, to
  abstracts, to articles
• Begin categorization
• Continue till you exhaust the field identified
  the variables, the theories, instruments,
  techniques used

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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Hypothesis Creation

• Only after sufficient knowledge already exists in
  a field
• Relationship between variables can be tested
• Missiological examples
• Do LACC schools produce better academics than
  nationals schools?
• Are local evangelists better than foreign
  missionaries?
• Will Facebook increase connectedness between
  missionaries and their sponsors?

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Hypothesis Creation

• Hypothesis is always first stated as a null
  hypothesis no relationship exists between
  these variables
• Example (LACC schools)
• H0 There is no relationship between academic
  scores of students from LACC and national schools
• H1 Students from LACC schools achieve higher
  academic scores than students from national
  schools

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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Hypothesis Testing

• After the data is collected from the variables
  they are analyzed to determine if there is a
  statistically significant difference (plt.05 .01
  .001)
• If the difference is significant the null
  hypothesis is rejected and the alternate is
  considered

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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The Research Process

1. Define a research problem
2. Formulate research questions
3. Undertake a literature review
4. Building a hypothesis (or question)
5. Determine the data needed
6. Systematically collect data
7. Present results and make recommendations

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Project vs. Dissertation

• D.Miss. Project
• A professional program with an emphasis on
  practical theology, practical Christian wisdom
• Addresses both the nature and the practice of
  missions
• ATS requires research model to be informed by
  social sciences and some form of evaluation of
  results
• A practice (the what?) based on some theory
  (the why?). Theory includes theological basis.

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Project vs. Dissertation

• D.Miss. Project Examples (from Vyhmeister)
• Program development and evaluation (15)
• Case study (16)
• History or biography
• See also Asbury dissertations

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Project vs. Dissertation
Project Dissertation
Scope Limited Expanded
Length Maximum 150 pages 250 plus pages
Aim Solve a missions problem Enlarge the fund of missions knowledge
Audience Practitioners Academy and practitioners
Type of research Applied or possibly explanatory Basic, descriptive or explanatory
Statistical sophistication Normally descriptive in nature if at all Probably advanced (unless its basic research or theory development)