Lesson No 2 - Scientific Investigation

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

OUTLINE THE NATURE OF SCIENCE THE STYLES OF THINKING THE HALLMARKS INVESTIGATION

OF

SCIENTIFIC

THE HYPOTHETICO DEDUCTIVE METHOD OTHER TYPES OF RESEARCH

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION THE NATURE OF SCIENCE AIMS TO SOLVE PHYSICALLY DISCERNABLE PROBLEMS THROUGH A STEP BY STEP, LOGICAL, ORGANIZED APPROACH TENDS TO BE OBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVE: NOT BASED EXPERIENCE & INTITUTION

RATHER THAN ON HUNCHES,

KNOWEDGE & FINDINGS ARE TESTABLE NO FIELD OF SCIENCE IS FREE FROM GLARING IGNORANCE AND CONTRADICTIONS BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC THINKING EMPIRICAL  

OBSERVABLE BASED ON CONCRETE DATA

RATIONAL  

PROVIDES FOR FORMAL PROOF IS REASON BASED

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS DEDUCTION BASED : REASONED CONCLUSION BY GENERALIZING A KNOWN FACT. MUST HAVE A VALID PREMISE AND TRUE IN THE REAL WORLD INDUCTION BASED : CONCLUSION FROM OBSERVED EVIDENCE NOT STRONGLY RELATED. INVOLVING INFERENTIAL JUMP BEYOND THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED COMBINATION OF DEDUCTION & INDUCTION

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BUILDING BLOCKS OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM

OBSERVATION

REFINEMENT OF THEORY (FOR IMPLEMENTATION)

THEORATICAL FRAMEWORK

DATA INTERPRETATION

FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESES

ANALYSIS OF DATA

CONSTRUCTION OF CONCEPTS & OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

DATA COLLECTION FORMULATION OF RESEARCH DESIGN BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION HALLMARKS OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION PURPOSIVENESS: SHOULD HAVE DEFINITE AIM REFLECT RIGOR: RIGOR SHOW CAREFULNESS, SCRUPULOUSNESS & DEGREE OF EXACTITUDE IN RESEARCH INVESTIGATIONS TESTABILITY: TESTABILITY CAN BE TESTED BY APPLICATION OF CERTAIN STATISTICAL TESTS TO COLLECTED DATA REPLICABILITY: REPLICABILITY SHOULD PROVIDE SAME RESULTS IF TESTS ARE REPEATED IN OTHER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES PRECISION AND CONFIDENCE: HAVE ACCEPTABLE DEGREE ACCURACY AND PROBABILITY OF APPLICATION TO THE WHOLE

OF

OBJECTIVITY: OBJECTIVITY BASED ON FACTS AND NOT ON SUBJECTIVE OR EMOTIONAL VALUES GENERALIZABILITY: GENERALIZABILITY HAVE SCOPE OF APPLICATION TO OTHER SETTINGS PARSIMONY: PARSIMONY SIMPLICITY IN EXPLAINING THE PHENOMENA THAT OCCUR AND IN GENERATING SOLUTIONS FOR THE PROBLEMS

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

COMMON METHODS OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION HYPOTHETICO-DEDUCTIVE METHOD CASE STUDIES ACTION RESEARCH

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION STEPS IN THE HYPOTHETICO DEDUCTIVE METHOD 1.

OBSERVATION

2.

PRELIMINARY INFO GATHERING LEADING TO PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

3.

THEORY FORMULATION

4.

HYPOTHESIZING

5.

DETAILED DATA COLLECTION

6.

DATA ANALYSIS

7.

DEDUCTION – CONCLUSION All these steps are explained in subsequent slides BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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STEPS IN SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION BY HYPOTHETICO-DEDUCTIVE METHOD

OBSERVATION 

SENSING OF CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH HAVE POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION GATHERING   

INVOLVES SEEKING INFO IN DEPTH INTERVIEWS AND LITERATURE SURVEY LEADS TO PROBLEM AREA IDENTIFICATION.

THEORY FORMULATION 

IDENTIFICATION OF VARIABLES* AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROBLEM ( A VARIABLE IS ANYTHING THAT CAN TAKE ON DIFFERING OR VARYING VALUES SUCH AS PRODUCTION UNITS, ABSENTEEISM, LEVEL OF MOTIVATION, ETC) BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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STEPS IN SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION BY HYPOTHETICO-DEDUCTIVE METHOD

HYPOTHESIZING 

FROM THEORETICAL RELATIONSHIP OF VARIABLES CERTAIN TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS (OR EDUCATED CONJECTURES) CAN BE GENERATED

DETAILED DATA COLLECTION 

SURVEY & COLLECTION OF DATA NEEDED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS

DATA ANALYSIS 

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF DATA TO SEE IF IT SUPPORTS THE HYPOTHESIS

DEDUCTION 

PROCESS OF ARRIVING AT CONCLUSIONS BY INTERPRETATION OF ANALYSIS OF RESULTS BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION TWO EXAMPLES OF THE APPLICATION OF THE HYPOTHETICO DEDUCTIVE METHOD 1.

THE CIO OF A FIRM OBSERVES THAT THE NEWLY INSTALLED MIS IS NOT BEING USED BY MID LEVEL MANAGERS AS MUCH AS WAS ORIGINALLY EXPECTED. INSTEAD, THE MANAGERS OFTEN APPROACH THE CIO OR SOME OTHER COMPUTER EXPERT FOR HELP

2.

THE FINANCE MANAGER SENSES THAT THE BUDGETARY PROCESS IS NOT WORKING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD. MANAGERS SEEM TO BE OVERLY CAUTIOUS, PAD THEIR BUDGETS EXCESSIVELY AND SEEM TO ACT DEFENSIVELY

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION CLASS TO APPLY THE STEPS OF THE HYPOTHETICO DEDUCTIVE METHOD ON THESE TWO EXAMPLES The Steps Are: Are 1. OBSERVATION 2.

PRELIMINARY INFO GATHERING LEADING TO PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

3.

THEORY FORMULATION… ie THEORATICAL FRAMEWORK

4.

HYPOTHESIZING

5.

DETAILED DATA COLLECTION

6.

DATA ANALYSIS

7.

DEDUCTION – CONCLUSION

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OTHER TYPES OF RESEARCH CASE STUDIES: 

INVOLVE IN-DEPTH CONTEXTUAL ANALYSES OF SIMILAR SITUATIONS IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHERE THE NATURE & DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM HAPPEN TO BE THE SAME AS EXPERIENCED IN A SITUATION UNDER STUDY OR REVIEW



HYPOTHESIS CAN ALSO BE DEVELOPED IN CASE STUDIES



USUALLY VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND ORGANIZATIONS IDENTICAL BACKGROUNDS, CULTURE, etc. HENCE, NOT EFFECTIVE AS A PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUE



USUALLY MORE USEFUL AS A GUIDE ON THE VARIABLES AND THEIR INTER-RELATIONSHIPS

WITH VERY

ACTION RESEARCH 

ADOPTED WHEN A PROBLEM IS ALREADY IDENTIFIED.



RELAVENT DATA GATHERED TO PROVIDE A TENTATIVE SOLUTION WHICH IS THEN IMPLEMENTED



LIKELIHOOD OF PROBLEMS ARISING IS RECOGNIZED



EFFECTS EVALUATED, DEFINED AND DIAGNOSED AND RESEARCH CONTINUES TILL PROBLEM IS FULLY RESOLVED BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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ASSIGNMENTS

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION TUTORIAL EXERCISE GROUPS COMPROMISING TWO TO THREE STUDENTS TO BE FORMED EACH STUDENT TO SUBMIT A POSSIBLE PROBLEM HE/SHE WISHES TO RESEARCH GROUPS & PROBLEMS TO BE SUBMITTED IN NEXT SESSION ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY INSTRUCTOR WILL APPROVE ONE OF THE PROPOSED PROBLEMS OF EACH GROUP FOR SUBSEQUENT STUDY APPROVED PROBLEMS WILL BE RESEARCHED IN STEPS AS THE SUBJECT IS STUDIED AND ULTIMATELY DEVELOPED INTO A RESEARCH STUDY CULMINATING IN APPROPRIATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOLUTION OF THE BASIC PROBLEM BEING RESEARCHED UPON THE WORK WILL BE PROGRESSIVE AND DISCUSSED IN CLASS IN DIFFERENT PHASES BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE EACH STUDENT WILL BE REQUIRED TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND PRESENT IT TO THE CLASS TOPICS AND THEMES FOR THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL WILL BE PROPOSED BY STUDENTS THEMSELVES AND APPROVED BY THE INSTRUCTOR BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

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TIME FRAMES

AS DECIDED BY THE CLASS THEMSELVES

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