You should write a 1000 word commentary in which you reflect about different ways of combining different methods in order to answer complex research questions.
Simply diving into complex research question is not trivial, there are many aspects to consider and thoroughly think through before being able to make real progress. One of the first steps you have to take before getting started with your own research is to try and get a good grasp on what has been done within the area of your choice. A great way of going about this is to gain knowledge by reading research papers that are relevant to the area, and try to find strengths and weaknesses with the methods used in the papers you read. By doing so, one might find that some methods are better for the kind of research you intend to carry out. As is the same with a lot of research, the most important kind of knowledge to gain before being able to start answering complex research questions is a posteriori - the kind of knowledge that is known on the basis of experience. Relating to previous research is very important when trying to dig deeper into their theories and results. This, of course, is rather hard to do if the research you want to conduct is at the forefront of the field, or perhaps in a brand new research area. Something that is excellent for that kind of research is a case study. A case study does not have the main purpose of confirming or adding to already existing theories, but rather to spawn new theories or find new research questions more suitable for another form of method.
Building on the theme of creating new research question and spawning new theories, using qualitative methods in the form of a case study is a great way to gain new insights. Going with the method of having semi-structured interviews gives the researcher the opportunity to "go with the flow" so to speak, as the interviewer has every possibility to go onto a side-track that they find interesting during the interview. This action alone may be inspiration enough to spawn a new research question, as you never know just what your interviewee may answer to your questions. An open environment is very helpful for this sort of research, and seeing how very important it is to formulate a research question, this is a great method of exploring a new research field. One thing to think of when conducting exploratory research as described is to try to refrain from doing lots of quantitative research (which may prove challenging at this stage) and instead focus your studies on a smaller number of test subjects, going deep into their experiences and thoughts to form new theories.
When the "pre-studies" have been made and you have formed a suitable research question, thinking about the way to go about your contribution to knowledge is always a good idea. Combining different methods is usually a great way to go. Both qualitative and quantitative studies can be used here. By collecting multiple sources of data during the studies, building explanations and comparing across cases, the validity of the research is increased according to Yin (2009). This could mean that you gather some data that is purely quantitative. Gathering news headlines over a set time period or tracking the number of times a website's links are visited are examples of this sort of data. Data is also only what it is until some form of analysis has been done. A theory can not be formed with only data. We can do lots of tests and gather tons of data, but only by explaining why the tests end like they do, we can create a theory according to Sutton (1995). Furthermore, combining quantitative and qualitative methods can help the researcher in forming a respectable and valid theory. Qualitative methods are often used to give some sort of explanation to the data gathered from the quantitative methods used. For instance, a study could be made based on the interaction by users as they use a smartphone application. A simple study could be formed by creating two versions of the application and letting two user groups use them separately. The difference could be based on a different design, or perhaps an added functionality. This method is known as A/B-testing or split testing and is meant to give insight into what works best for a certain scenario, webpage or application. Quantitative data could then be gathered by logging the users' activity within the applications, to see if the difference actually made a difference in the usage pattern for the users. By doing so, you may find that one version of the application was used to a greater extent than the other one, which then could be the quantitative data of the study. At this point, the research is not really research as there is no explanation as to why one version was more used than the other. In order to understand the data, one could use qualitative methods, perhaps in the form of interviews with the users. Before the interview, you could take a look at your quantitative data first, to try and understand it. By doing to, you may find it easier to form the questions you want answered during your interview. Although keep in mind that it may be a good idea to do some form of pilot study before conducting the interviews that will be the base of your theory-forming. It is not easy to know exactly what it is you want answered, although hopefully you may find out what that is during the pilot study.
One last point I want to make on this topic of complex research questions is that you have to keep in mind that what works in some fields of research may not be at all suitable in another one. By doing the mandatory literature studies before you start your own research, you will find which types of methods are used within your research area and may be able to build upon it in order to conduct a valid study.
Simply diving into complex research question is not trivial, there are many aspects to consider and thoroughly think through before being able to make real progress. One of the first steps you have to take before getting started with your own research is to try and get a good grasp on what has been done within the area of your choice. A great way of going about this is to gain knowledge by reading research papers that are relevant to the area, and try to find strengths and weaknesses with the methods used in the papers you read. By doing so, one might find that some methods are better for the kind of research you intend to carry out. As is the same with a lot of research, the most important kind of knowledge to gain before being able to start answering complex research questions is a posteriori - the kind of knowledge that is known on the basis of experience. Relating to previous research is very important when trying to dig deeper into their theories and results. This, of course, is rather hard to do if the research you want to conduct is at the forefront of the field, or perhaps in a brand new research area. Something that is excellent for that kind of research is a case study. A case study does not have the main purpose of confirming or adding to already existing theories, but rather to spawn new theories or find new research questions more suitable for another form of method.
Building on the theme of creating new research question and spawning new theories, using qualitative methods in the form of a case study is a great way to gain new insights. Going with the method of having semi-structured interviews gives the researcher the opportunity to "go with the flow" so to speak, as the interviewer has every possibility to go onto a side-track that they find interesting during the interview. This action alone may be inspiration enough to spawn a new research question, as you never know just what your interviewee may answer to your questions. An open environment is very helpful for this sort of research, and seeing how very important it is to formulate a research question, this is a great method of exploring a new research field. One thing to think of when conducting exploratory research as described is to try to refrain from doing lots of quantitative research (which may prove challenging at this stage) and instead focus your studies on a smaller number of test subjects, going deep into their experiences and thoughts to form new theories.
When the "pre-studies" have been made and you have formed a suitable research question, thinking about the way to go about your contribution to knowledge is always a good idea. Combining different methods is usually a great way to go. Both qualitative and quantitative studies can be used here. By collecting multiple sources of data during the studies, building explanations and comparing across cases, the validity of the research is increased according to Yin (2009). This could mean that you gather some data that is purely quantitative. Gathering news headlines over a set time period or tracking the number of times a website's links are visited are examples of this sort of data. Data is also only what it is until some form of analysis has been done. A theory can not be formed with only data. We can do lots of tests and gather tons of data, but only by explaining why the tests end like they do, we can create a theory according to Sutton (1995). Furthermore, combining quantitative and qualitative methods can help the researcher in forming a respectable and valid theory. Qualitative methods are often used to give some sort of explanation to the data gathered from the quantitative methods used. For instance, a study could be made based on the interaction by users as they use a smartphone application. A simple study could be formed by creating two versions of the application and letting two user groups use them separately. The difference could be based on a different design, or perhaps an added functionality. This method is known as A/B-testing or split testing and is meant to give insight into what works best for a certain scenario, webpage or application. Quantitative data could then be gathered by logging the users' activity within the applications, to see if the difference actually made a difference in the usage pattern for the users. By doing so, you may find that one version of the application was used to a greater extent than the other one, which then could be the quantitative data of the study. At this point, the research is not really research as there is no explanation as to why one version was more used than the other. In order to understand the data, one could use qualitative methods, perhaps in the form of interviews with the users. Before the interview, you could take a look at your quantitative data first, to try and understand it. By doing to, you may find it easier to form the questions you want answered during your interview. Although keep in mind that it may be a good idea to do some form of pilot study before conducting the interviews that will be the base of your theory-forming. It is not easy to know exactly what it is you want answered, although hopefully you may find out what that is during the pilot study.
One last point I want to make on this topic of complex research questions is that you have to keep in mind that what works in some fields of research may not be at all suitable in another one. By doing the mandatory literature studies before you start your own research, you will find which types of methods are used within your research area and may be able to build upon it in order to conduct a valid study.
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