DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 1 Locating internet research methods within five qualitative research traditions Denise N. Rall, PhD candidate, [email protected]School of Environmental Science & Mgmt., Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW Australia 19 September 2004, Sussex University, UK
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DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 1 Locating internet research methods within five qualitative research traditions Denise N. Rall, PhD candidate,
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DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 1
Locating internet research methods within five qualitative
research traditions
Denise N. Rall, PhD candidate, [email protected] of Environmental Science & Mgmt.,Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW Australia19 September 2004, Sussex University, UK
DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 2
Where is IS&R ?
a meta-field* or a minefield ?{the universe of all possible disciplines}
* (Silver, 2004)
DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 3
Working definition. . .
“Internet Studies & Research, as it develops within programs of study or
research projects at universities, research centers or institutes, is elaborated by
scholars who work across the disciplines and take the internet, its use and users as
their focus/locus of study and research” (Rall, 2004).
DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 4
“While simultaneously drawing and building from other, older research streams (computers & composition, computer-supported cooperative work, hyper/cybertext theory, and human-computer interaction, to name just a few) . . . internet studies . . . continues to grow as what can only be called a
Meta-field of study”
(Silver, 2004, p. 55)
DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 5
internet-base research methods. . .
the internet as a general-purpose research tool?
vs.internet researchers who seek answers via the internet to a more particular set of inquiries . . .
internet scholars pose their questions in a variety of ways and to particular ends . . .
DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 6
Locus & Focus
{general purpose internet-based research}
internet scholarship
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Creswell’s research paradigms*
1) ontological2) epistemological3) axiological4) rhetorical; and 5) methodological.
* from (Guba & Lincoln, 1988)
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Ontological - What is the nature of reality?
Epistemological - What is the relationship between the
researcher and that being researched?
Axiological - What is the role of values?
Rhetorical - What is the language of research?
Methodological - What is the process of research?
* (Creswell 1998, p. 75)
Five paradigmatic questions* . . .
Ontological - Where do we start?
Epistemological -How do we travel (maps, guides, etc.)?
Axiological - How do we best treat others & ourselves?
Rhetorical - How does language facilitate meaning?
Methodological - How do we best connect our research to
other scholars?
* (Rall, 2004)
Denise* rephrases the 5 questions . . .
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the internet as focus/locus of inquiry*...
*(Schneider & Foot, 2004, “The web as an object of study”)
1) where do we start?
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internet ontology. . .the bit
plastic - takes on representation, a container
the bit is the core of computation
computation builds an analytical engine (Turing machine) designed to simulate* various logic systems (computers)
meanings are assigned, manipulated, changed or deleted.
Prelim. Results - ISR is integrated with other fields w/ ‘normal academic work practices’
university programs; degrees awarded growing professional association (400; 4 years) many venues for publication, New Media & Society; Journal of Internet Research, Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications & Policy, etc. Online research strategies & methodologies**Mann & Stewart (2000) Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A handbook for researching online. Sage.
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Internet Studies & Research (ISR)
Focus
X
{all processes and practices of interdisciplinarity}
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structural disciplinarity
Applied[practice]
Pure[theory]
epistemic core
social practices
Medicine
technologies
epistemology & metaphysics: ethics
Hard Soft
units of analysis
methodologies and tools
‘normal science’*
Thomas Kuhn, 1970
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heterogeneity means boundary issuesheterogeneity means boundary issues
Applied[practice]
Pure[theory] epistemic core
social practices
MEDICINE
technologies
epistemology & metaphysics: ethics
units of analysis
methods & tools
‘normal science’*
•government policies
•public health
•changing medical/research laboratory practices
•gay activism & rights
•developing world needs
•geo-politics; immigation
•globalization
•etc.
AIDs
epistemic cores
DNRall, Research Traditions, 19/09/04, 33
borrowing; instrumental integrative
project/problem-based research (IDR - interdisciplinary research)
– transdisciplinarity (Jantsch, 1972, 1984; etc.)
– critical interdisciplinarity (cultural & rhetorical theories)– social theories: Bildung (Gibson & McHoul, 2001); social
identity approach (Lazenby, 2002)
– postdisciplinarity (Peters, (Ed.), 2001)
ISR - as process of interdisciplinarity
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interdisciplinarity as continuum
(extrapolated from Klein, 1990)
instrumental (TOOLS)
integrative
cyberanalytics; online research methods
policy
{transdisciplines}
{post-disciplines}
new epistemologies?
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inter-d and project*-based research
(*problem-based research, extrapolated from Klein, 1990)
instrumental (TOOLS)
integrativeonline research methods
{transdisciplines}
{post-disciplines}
new epistemologies?
project-based research
PDRpolicy
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Chap. 4 - Research Methods
qualitative interviews - BNIM model* (biographic-narrative-interpretive) to
determine which processes of interdisciplinarity apply
(see next page)
results will be correlated in NUD*ist qualitative software (N6)
*(Wengraf, Qualitative Research Interviewing, 2001)
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1. Clusters - their disciplinary affiliation (PhD) 2. Type of clusters (dense/dispersed) & shared areas:
Mapping the ‘constituent’ disciplines of academics & their AoIR conference presentations, 1999-2003 (200-350 papers)
Quantitative (study #1)LOCUS of Internet Researchers:
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academic’s disciplinary affiliation (PhD)
acad’s intro. to internet & internet-based research
academic’s current study & response to ISR:
themes of their study/research?
citations that influence their study?
methodological assumptions and/or approaches?
critical approaches? Mapping the thematics of practice & theory of ISR in relation to borrowing - instrumental; borrowing - integrative; or other structures (critical, rhetorical, post-disp.) or project-based research.
Qualitative (study #2)FOCUS of Internet Researchers:
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Chap. 5 - Prelim. Findings
{all processes and practices of interdisciplinarity}
{all possible interdisciplines, transdisciplines, or fields of study}
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knowledge seeking – epistemology –‘ways of knowing’methodology – how to find/locate
knowledge’
synthesis/criticism – ‘how can I analyze/place this knowledge in context’
‘how can I problematize this knowledge’ movement/development –
‘how can I communicate this knowledge to others’ AND/or ‘how can I test this knowledge in society’
cf. “Future studies” (Slaughter, 1996:)
disciplinary processes apply to interdisciplinarity
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Academic tribes & territories (Becher, 2001)
Hard
Pure
Soft
Applied
Social Science*
Engineering, Accounting, DentistryPhysics
Humanities, Cultural & Media Studies
ISR . . .
*One interviewee: “they are just doing social science; they don’t understand information”
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Ontological – Where do we start?Epistemological – How do we travel (maps, guides, etc.)?Axiological – How do we best treat ourselves & others?Rhetorical – How do we connect speaking and meaning?Methodological – How do we connect our research to others?
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Early findings suggest that:
ISR is a field, not a discipline, that can be explained by concepts -
For some, not all scholars this may be at
ISR scholars may find some degree of as they negotiate their practices: study, teaching, research & policy within three domains (see previous page)
‘interdisciplinarity’
post-disciplinary level
commonality
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Theories of inter+disciplinarity should explain epistemic work. . .
As Brown and Duguid* explain in a footnote, ‘by epistemic work we refer to the work people must do to acquire, confirm, deploy or modify what needs to be known in order for them to do what they do’ and this statement should be of interest to academics. In fact, epistemic work is what academics (arguably) do best.**