1. https://u1dn0y6t.blogspot.se/2016/10/post-reflection-theme-4.html?showComment=1476114738253#c8399581928828150449
2. https://u1h02pv3.blogspot.se/2016/09/reflection-on-theme-3-quantitative.html?showComment=1476117294529#c6918998088070880046
3. https://u1gixy4z.blogspot.se/2016/10/post-theme-4-quantitative-research.html?showComment=1476119504305#c3823597051078265078
4. https://u1818rgq.blogspot.se/2016/10/theme-4-quantitative-research-post-2.html?showComment=1476132339547#c4806159320229534583
Monday, 10 October 2016
Theme 5: Reflection
I have to admit
that after the seminars and the lectures about quantitative and qualitative
researches, an attempt to distinguish and analyze a design research felt a
little tricky since it all became a mix at one point.
The lecture was
centered on one of the examples we had to read in advance, but it was the
seminar that helped me grasp via all the discussions we went through as a
group.
The design research is an
analysis of the use and performance of certain design artifacts and how the
gained knowledge can be used for improvements (within the field of the
Information Systems in particular). We go with particular topic and ask
particular questions. I also perceive it as an outline of the process of
collecting data, choosing the right tools for this collection and then going
with the right instruments/tools for analyzing the gathered information.
When discussing the possibilities of replicability, what my peers and I concluded was that the broader and more general the conclusions of a research are, the bigger the chances for replicability and vice versa – the more limited they are, the more difficult it gets for a reproduction of the process to be carried out.
The discussion
also led to the reassertion of the concept that design research draws attention
to something “unknown”. Its methods can be structured around an already
existing knowledge as well but only if it is being reshaped in order for new ideas to
be derived providing a better and solid material.
It seems that what
is fundamental about design research are the different types of behaviors –
human and systems one, as this knowledge provides a sense of action and once it
is interpreted it makes one to come up with possible solutions or explanations
about certain practices.
It also seems that
design research depends on a number of factors, main of which are the purpose of
the study, the “theoretical” installation, the characteristics and features of
the chosen sample for observation and then the resources on hand in terms of time,
space, finances.
What I find
interesting is that during the process of research over particular issue it can
become clear how a design method that can be of use is actually borrowed from a
variety of sources. It seems that great part of the methodology is taken from
various arts (architecture, sculpture, arts and crafts, cinema, theater) but
also from different fields such as technology, economics, sociology etc.
The researcher is
free to choose from a set of existing design tools depending on which would be
the most convenient one based on the particular situation and its further
development and complete visualization (having effectiveness on the project by
analyzing all aspects of one complete cycle).
Based on all the above I would like to conclude that the way I understand a design research is that it is a study that allows a view on how to transform an object (or create a new one) in accordance with the newest technical and technological capabilities, relevant social and cultural challenges and the vital needs of the time.
Thursday, 6 October 2016
Theme 6: Qualitative and Case Study Research
When discussing the quantitative methods I mentioned qualitative ones as
well in an attempt to explain both concepts better via comparison.
For this topic the paper I chose to work on is - Taking risky
opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social networking
sites for intimacy, privacy and self- expression. Even though it is a
fairly old research and the data it bases its results on is collected back in
2006, I think that the main theory around which it is built up is still active
and applicable.
The research is based on child-centered qualitative methodology and
explores the youngsters' social networking practices.
It is implying on two main hypothesis - the online opportunities for
re-creating one's image by decorating your identity, experienced differently
by teenagers from different age groups (the shift from childhood to
youth); and the destructive risks those practices can have on one's
privacy.
The qualitative method used are series of open-ended individual
interviews with 16 teenagers between the age of 13-16, half of whom are boys
and half - girls. The common links between them are their personal online
profiles on social platforms as Myspace, Facebook and Bebo. The main focus of
the interviews is on the choices and motivations shaping the participants'
profiles and their behavior towards their friends online and offline.
The researcher uses Nvivo qualitative coding software.
The collected raw data from the interviewees forms a concept about the
transitions in identity development. The teenagers tend to think that they are
given a "free choice" when creating their image online. However,
their behaviour turns out to be dependent on their online peer group (how to fit
and be liked) and the affordances of the chosen social platform. With maturity
the teenagers start gaining orientation of tastes and interpretations.
Younger teenagers make highly stylized statements of identity by showing
it on display in attempt to be admired by their peers. With maturity they then
go to another phase in which they star to neglect their profile and focus on
the social connections instead.
The article also concludes that teenagers are aware of how their
practices reveal information that in the past was used to be considered as
private such as age, political interests, location etc. but they feel in
control of what to share with whom. They like this freedom of expressing
themselves while managing this disclosure but there are difficulties they face
in managing the private settings of their chosen platform. This
reflects on their uncertainty about to what extent their privacy is open to
everyone (unawareness of how exactly to adjust and work with privacy setting
tools).
The limitations I find with this particular paper is the fairly small
sample size because it limits us to reach generalization and actually
conclude whether this is a real world situation.
In terms of benefits, I consider the analysis as an in-depth one which
deals with contradictory data and provides insights into participants'
perspectives (those would remain invisible in case a quantitative method
has been used for example).It is also focuses on the operation of the social
process in greater depth and is concerned with meaning of how the teenagers
make sense of the world and experience events from their perspective.
As a main methodological problem I would point the subjectivity that can
be felt in certain parts of the study. The author is constantly making a
comparison between kids nowadays and their parents now and back when they were
children themselves. It is obvious that the author is associating himself to the
side of the parents and this gives a particular incline of how the research is
developed.
Briefly explain to a first year university student what a
case study is.
Case study is a strict set of rules for research on a
number of variables. It includes in-depth observation of a single or numerous
phenomena (case) over a long period of time.
It is a method that offers a systematic approach of
observing, collecting empirical data (which can be done so using qualitative
and quantitative methods) and analyzing the gathered information and
results. There is always a need of research focus.
Use the
"Process of Building Theory from Case Study Research" (Eisenhardt,
summarized in Table 1) to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your selected
paper.
I chose a recent
case study with Facebook as a subject just because I thought that it would be
an interesting contrast between what has been 10 years ago to what is Facebook
to students nowadays.
General scanning
model is used to observe students’ attitudes (362 high school students). The
research suggests that Facebook is used mainly for communication entertainment
and forming an online identity.
It uses data from
a Narcissist Personality Inventory Questionnaire confirming the relation
between narcissism and Facebook updates of an individual.
In my opinion the
research is covering the steps described in “Process of Building Theory from
Case Study Research”. As a main strength I would like to point the secondary
data used in the study as a support to its main arguments and help defining the
research’s problem and objectives.
In terms of
weakness I would say that the questionnaire does not feel sufficient enough to
cover such a broad topic. I think if the study could have supported its
arguments via other sources of evidence such as interviews for example, the
conclusions to which it reaches would gain even bigger value.
Used sources:
1. Livingstone, S. (2008); Taking
risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers’ use of social
networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression; Media &
Society Vol. 10. Available at:
http://nms.sagepub.com/content/10/3/393.full.pdf+html
2. Bicen, H. and Kaya T. (2015); The effect of social media on students’ behaviours; Facebook as a case study; Computers in Human Behaviour Vol. 59. Available at:
2. Bicen, H. and Kaya T. (2015); The effect of social media on students’ behaviours; Facebook as a case study; Computers in Human Behaviour Vol. 59. Available at:
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