Lecture + seminar
For this theme, we didn't have the seminar to let us reflect more on the matter, but the lecture should have covered the different paths we could be lead to. Basically, the lecture reflected on the research made by Ilias and his co-workers on Drumming in immersive virtual reality. We used his research as a base to explain the concept of researching, how to proceed, what to use and what not.
On the first thing research depends are numerical measurements. They need to have some background, some raw data in order to proceed and understand the principle. As Theory needed it, researches are nothing without them. They are this raw data. In order to acquire them, you can have multiple source of information, such as asking the participants directly using questionnaires with questions pretty simple so they understand and answer the most accurately possible. Measuring through electronic equipment, it allows to have some real and concrete and precise data that we will be able to use to understand the process we are looking for. And finally we can observe the subjects product or the heart of the research under controlled conditions. Allowing us to adjust the conditions according to what we really need or what needs to be change.
Once we have our result, its time to interpret them. Because even if you use a constructed experiments, that you follow all the rules this is not the data that are talking, it doesn't make sense to have those data by themselves. This is still the researchers talking, the ones who built theories based on what they see from the tests.
An important thing to remember in a research is that we can't create our own questionnaires, they need to be approved by a greater instance. if you start a research you will most likely use standards ones, which have been tried and tested in order to be the most accurate possible on the results they wanna show. This allows you to have the right answer and the right kind of data you are looking for. For example there is a difference to be made between independent and dependent variables, the distinction is low. For instance : The time you use to study will affect your grade test. But your grade test will never affect your study time (Maybe for the next exam because you are angry since you got a bad grade after studying a lot, but this is not the point...) So the study time is the Independent variable and the grade test is the dependent variable. Because it doesn't make sense the other way around.
Then the question that comes up to mind is why is a way more used that the other ? I had a friend who built an app for an helping tool in the daily life and he didn't know which type of button to choose between a swiping one, an touch one or an holding one. The three of them had the same actions, but when conducting a research you would want to know, what is the true liked one. So as a researcher you would need to test each buttons, see which one has the more uses. Then understand and ask yourself, why did this one was significantly more used ? Would he have been that used if this were for an other action ? Does the way of interacting in a app depends on the button you are using for a specific action ? Those kind of questions. I find it interesting to understand and really comprehend the WHY.
The research makes a way as a very thorough method that aims to understand why and how to some very specific questions. The more informations we have on what we are looking for, the more understanding we will have of it. And the more understanding of its, the more understanding of all, general knowledge. This is through those research that we understand the world and the humans, how we interact with each other and where we are going.
For this theme, we didn't have the seminar to let us reflect more on the matter, but the lecture should have covered the different paths we could be lead to. Basically, the lecture reflected on the research made by Ilias and his co-workers on Drumming in immersive virtual reality. We used his research as a base to explain the concept of researching, how to proceed, what to use and what not.
On the first thing research depends are numerical measurements. They need to have some background, some raw data in order to proceed and understand the principle. As Theory needed it, researches are nothing without them. They are this raw data. In order to acquire them, you can have multiple source of information, such as asking the participants directly using questionnaires with questions pretty simple so they understand and answer the most accurately possible. Measuring through electronic equipment, it allows to have some real and concrete and precise data that we will be able to use to understand the process we are looking for. And finally we can observe the subjects product or the heart of the research under controlled conditions. Allowing us to adjust the conditions according to what we really need or what needs to be change.
Once we have our result, its time to interpret them. Because even if you use a constructed experiments, that you follow all the rules this is not the data that are talking, it doesn't make sense to have those data by themselves. This is still the researchers talking, the ones who built theories based on what they see from the tests.
An important thing to remember in a research is that we can't create our own questionnaires, they need to be approved by a greater instance. if you start a research you will most likely use standards ones, which have been tried and tested in order to be the most accurate possible on the results they wanna show. This allows you to have the right answer and the right kind of data you are looking for. For example there is a difference to be made between independent and dependent variables, the distinction is low. For instance : The time you use to study will affect your grade test. But your grade test will never affect your study time (Maybe for the next exam because you are angry since you got a bad grade after studying a lot, but this is not the point...) So the study time is the Independent variable and the grade test is the dependent variable. Because it doesn't make sense the other way around.
Then the question that comes up to mind is why is a way more used that the other ? I had a friend who built an app for an helping tool in the daily life and he didn't know which type of button to choose between a swiping one, an touch one or an holding one. The three of them had the same actions, but when conducting a research you would want to know, what is the true liked one. So as a researcher you would need to test each buttons, see which one has the more uses. Then understand and ask yourself, why did this one was significantly more used ? Would he have been that used if this were for an other action ? Does the way of interacting in a app depends on the button you are using for a specific action ? Those kind of questions. I find it interesting to understand and really comprehend the WHY.
The research makes a way as a very thorough method that aims to understand why and how to some very specific questions. The more informations we have on what we are looking for, the more understanding we will have of it. And the more understanding of its, the more understanding of all, general knowledge. This is through those research that we understand the world and the humans, how we interact with each other and where we are going.
And when doing qualitative or quantitative research, never forget to test your questionnaires.
Hello you there! I really enjoyed reading your reflection upon this theme. I agree that this research method requires understanding of WHY one or another experiment outcomes appear, or in other words I think it is important for a researcher to think through of what he is thinking in the way of asking questions. Moreover, in the beginning of your reflection you say that by receiving precise data researcher can understand the process or theory he is trying to define. However, I believe a real issue here is the question can everything be measured experimentally? I think quantitative data is great contribution and evidence to the research, however, it always requires some qualitative observations.
ReplyDeleteGood job!
Thanks for a great reading! I think you have covered some really interesting learnings of quantitative methods. You mention questionnaires, and I must admit that before the lecture I didn’t know that there were standards ones that you can use in your own project but I think it’s a good thing to know. Maybe I misunderstood Ilias, but are you really not allowed to create your own questionnaires? As I understood you are allowed to create your own questionnaires, but it is to prefer to use standard ones since they have already been tested. However, If you create your own it is important to test it on a small sample of people to avoid any misunderstandings.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your study-related example regarding dependent and independent variables. It helped me understand it a lot better. Thanks!
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your reflection, your explanation of the different topics that we discussed is interesting.
ReplyDeleteTo elaborate on the questionnaire, as I understand it, you are allowed to create your own, but for an example in medicine studies standard ones are used because it is important that they are valid. In other fields it is also important that the questionnaire is valid, but there it more often happens that they are created by the researchers and then tested.
I agree with you on that data don't answer the question but that the arguments of the researcher are the answers. It often happens that the results of a paper are entirely built on data, without a concrete explanation of them.
Good reflection, especially the simple explanation of dependent and independent variables! Meanwhile, let me correct you a bit: the researchers must use the standardized tested questionnaires in such fields as medicine or psychology but for other industries you can create your owns. For example, in case, if you want to know whether the participants had any previous experience in drumming. But anyway you have to test it first to avoid misunderstandings and bugs when it comes to the computer Q&A sessions.
ReplyDeleteThank your for this really nice and detailed reflection of theme 4. It is clear that you understood the principles of quantitative research and in that field how to do an experiment. The most important part for me to read here was the importance of the researcher in a quantitative research. Someone who hasn’t been active in this field might think that the computer program does everything for you. You put in the data and get out a theory. But just like you said, this is not the case. The role of researcher is really important when it comes to the interpretation of the analyzed data. Especially when it goes over descriptive tests. There a lot of side influences and sometimes mediator variables that can have an effect on the other variables as well. It’s the researcher’s role to understand and interpret and form then a theoretical construct that can lead to a new theory.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reflections and some interesting thoughts!
ReplyDeleteIn your reflections post you wrote “we can't create our own questionnaires, they need to be approved by a greater instance. If you start a research you will most likely use standards ones..” I don’t necessary agree, we can construct our own questionnaires but they need to be tested before using them, constructing effective questionnaires is difficult and very complex. The questionnaires are the instruments for gathering data so it’s important that they are designed properly to satisfy the purpose. The questions have to be constructed in a way that they provide reliable and valid information. Therefore you always have to test and evaluate your question before using theme in you research. To provide proper data to your research you have to develop you own questionnaires, even if you can use some standard questions.
Of course we can create our own questionnaires, when certified ones are not available (and the use of the latter kind is preferable in the fields of medicine and psychology, from what I remember)! But those need to be tested with the help of real people and edited, and re-tested and re-edited to make sure they are reliable, relevant and easy to understand by our respondents. It’s not about getting a “right answer”, it’s about getting relevant and reliable data. Questionnaires are a research method and, as such, an essential part of a study, because the findings greatly depend on the method. That's why the methodology has to be carefully considered, tested and explained in detail in the research paper, so the reader can decide for himself whether to trust the researh results or not.
ReplyDeleteI think you raised an interesting question regarding your friends app. I think her issue could be solved both ways, either through a qualitative method or a quantitative. For example: she could chose a couple of people, let's say ten, and ask them to use the app and at the same time (during their interaction with the app) ask questions about what works/feels best for them and why. Also, she could chose a quantitative method, through having 50+ people trying it out and just filling out a survey sheet to answer what way most people preferred to use the button.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your post, made me start thinking of how different methods can be used for the same intentions.