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LIS 570_Knowing
Th
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nfo
rmati
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Sch
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of
the U
niv
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ity o
f W
ash
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ton
LIS 570
Session 1
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 2
Objectives• Know one another• Mutual understanding of course
expectations• Understand how the experiential
learning model guides the structure of the course
• See parallels between learning model and research process
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 3
Agenda• Introductions• Overview of course/review syllabus• Experiential learning: a model• Epistemology: how we know what
we know• What is research?• A framework for engaging in
research
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 4
Course Overview• Administration
– Office hours: by appointment & after class
– Deliverables: to instructor & GSA
• Classroom process: lecture, discussion (~4)
• Outside: reading, exploring/research, preparing reports (~12)
LIS 570_Knowing
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Ways of knowing and the research process
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 6
Experiential Learning Cycle
(Kolb, 1984)ConcreteExperience
Reflective Observation
AbstractConceptualization
Active Experimentation
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 7
Experiential Learning Cycle
(Kolb, 1984)ConcreteExperience
Reflective Observation
AbstractConceptualization
Active Experimentation
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 8
Information “Value Chain”
Sensory Awareness
Creation Access / Transfer
Application
Interpretation
Storage
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 9
Research is everywhere
The need for research methods literacy– to protect yourself from misleading
research conclusions– to empower yourself to use valid
social science research– to enable the essential function of
research communication• the partnership between the researcher
and the consumer of research
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 10
Sources of understanding
How do we know what we know?• Authority (variations in
explanations, e.g., deviance)• Personal experience• Tradition
– Can be a powerful force operating against inquiry
– May have much wisdom
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 11
Sources of understanding
• Authority– how do we select?
• Public opinion– people can agree on things that are
inaccurate
• Common errors in understanding– we can observe inaccurately– we can overgeneralise– we can be guilty of selective perception
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 12
Research– “Disciplined way of coming to know
something about ourselves or our world“(Bouma)
– “. .the systematic effort to secure answers to questions” (Reinard)
– “. . a process by which we answer questions and try to draw conclusions from information gathered..” (Reinard)
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 13
Social Science Research
Features of the scientific method– empirical– verifiable– cumulative– self-correcting– deterministic– ethical and ideological neutrality– statistical generalizability
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 14
Philosophical Frames• Positivist
– External reality exists; the world operates according to rules
– Research: discover the reality and rules
• Social Constructionist– Focus on our interaction with physical world
and others – Reality is socially negotiated
• Critical Theorist: examine social situation from perspective of justice, equity
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 15
Research
Research is the process by which I discover the questions to which my data are the answers.
-- Helmholtz
Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind.
-- Marston Bates
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 16
ResearchDisciplined Inquiry
• Problem based• Systematic: Methodical• Established sources of evidence• Sound argument• Concern for Error
– Anticipation– Control (Elimination)– Discussion of the Margin of error
• Public• Original, Novel
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 17
Research in LIS570• Purpose
– Descriptive •What is ….
– Exploratory—seek Relationships•Association Between Ideas (Concepts)
– Explanatory and predictive•Cause and Effect Relationships
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 18
The Phases of Research
• Phase 1: Essential First Steps
• Phase 2: Data Collection
• Phase 3: Analysis and Interpretation
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 19
Essential First Steps
Phase 1– Select, Narrow, and Define Problem
• Exploratory Qualitative Research• Refine “problem statement”
– Select a Research Design– Design and Devise Measures for Variables
• “Operationalization” of the variable• Measurement Process
– Select Tables for Analysis– Select a Sample
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 20
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...' - Isaac Asimov
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LIS 570_Knowing Mason; p. 21
Refining the questionThe mere formulation of a problem is
far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science
- Robert Olson
