Science
a process for developing knowledge about the world
Theory
is a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions.
Why do we need knowledge and theory?
to describe, explain, predict and control outcomes
pros and cons of Hypothesis-testing study based on secondary data?
- Pros: fast and easy to access data, large range of variables in databases
- Cons: study limited by pre-specified variables in database
pros and cons of Hypothesis-testing study based on self-completion survey?
- Pros: you can design variables/measures
- Cons: limited time to send out survey, measurement is hard, response rate low
pros and cons of Experiment with hypothesis-testing based on student sample?
- Pros: Easy to access data given that you find volunteers, classical scientific design
- Cons: It is hard and takes time to conduct experiments, applicable to limited set of research questions
pros and cons of case-study based on semi-structured interviews?
- Pros: high flexibility in design of study
- Cons: difficult to gain access to respondents and companies
what interest does quantitative hypothesis testing explain?
causal relationship between variables/concepts
what interest does qualitative case study explain?
the nature of processes and mechanisms
What are some attributes of a good theory?
that it is accurate, consistent, broad scope, simple, fruitful of new findings.
what is Ockhams razor?
for any type of explanation, you should remove the “fluff”, i.e., everything that does not add any important explanatory value
Model
a simplified representation of a theory or some aspect of a theory depicting causal relationships between concepts/variables given certain assumptions.
what types research models are there?
Direct, Mediated, Partially mediated, Moderated
reciprocal model
The two outcomes are also effects, and cause each other to happen.
spurious model
We attribute causality to a relationship although it doesn’t really affect the other. The two outcomes have a common causal factor, but if one happens faster than the other, it could contribute to the other outcome to happen.
theoretical contribution
When a given study develops new theory that improves the state of knowledge
theoretical problem
a knowledge gap in a particular theory
