~Human - Science - Research~

Tutorial Week 2

  

1)    In general, research includes gathering information, data and facts for getting more knowledge.
Reading a factual book of any sort is a kind of research. Surfing the internet or watching the news is also a type of research. By doing research, it should help us make the story clearer.

Scientific research basically means procedures. We perform  a methodical study in order to prove a hypotheses or answer a certain question. Finding the right and the truth answer is the goal of the investigation or experimental process. Scientific research must be organized and undergo planning, including performing literature reviews of past research and evaluating what questions need to be answered. By following procedures or methods, we can get concrete evidence to support our knowledge and people will trust our facts. It helps us to proven credibility in our research.

2)    There four main non scientific sources of knowledge.
i.    Agreement reality
-    Are the things you consider to be real because you are told they are real.
For examples :  - The existance of God   - Russia country has 11 different time zones   -Sun rises in east
ii.    Experimental reality
-    Are the things you know as a function of your direct experience.
       For examples : - Flying on the plane for more than 3 hours can give you a jet lag and back pain. –  Eating asparagus can make our urine smells  or eating beet root can turn our urine colour red.
iii.    Tradition source
-    Are when we accepting an inherited body of information and understanding.
Examples : - We receive money from adults during holiday celebrations. – In malay tradition, if you sit on a pillow, you will get blister on your bum!   -Or in chinese tradition, don't open an umbrella in the house because the ghost will come out from the umbrella!!
iv.    Authority source
-    Means it derives from the status of the transmitter of the knowledge.
Examples : - Driving school teachers will teach how to drive, not to teach about how to cook. - A parent consults a pediatrician concerning their children's cold.

3)    One of the foundation of social science inquiry states that social science researchers are interested in groups, aggregates or collections, but not in individuals.
-    Mass media researchers would be interested in doing research on old people who are aged over 50 years old in this century to investigate how many of them are using e-newspaper (reading newspaper online) and how many are they still prefer paperback newspaper.
     In conclusion, researchers are more interested in specific group because group are important in research process.

4)    Variables and attributes.
-    Scientific research is all about theory. Theory is an establishment between attributes (results) and variables.
Variables are logical groupings of attributes and attributes is the characteristics or qualities that describe an object. Thus, this relationship become a theory. A theory is a means for simplifying and understanding complex realities.

Examples of attributes for the following variables :

i.    Racial group  : Chinese,Malay,Hispanic,Caucasian
ii.    Education level : High school, Secondary school,Undergraduate,Postgraduate

iii.    Number of magazines a teenager buy in a month : Fashion magazine, Games magazine, Music magazine, four, six
iv.    Agreement/Attitude towards violence on TV : Like, Dislike, Agree, Disagree
v.    Types of Smartphones in the market today : Size, colour, android, touchscreen.

Last but not least, when we do research, we have make sure our research are measurable, observable and experience-able. Everything must be concrete, empirical and specific.

Written and posted by : Anah
Edited by: Asyraf