This week's theme has been a bit different since we have not yet had the seminar to discuss what we have read and the theme of the week, which makes this reflection a bit harder to write when compared to the other themes.
During this week, a lot of the concepts that was part of the theme was also used extensively when I wrote my bachelor's thesis, and I believe everyone who is taking this course and did their bachelor at KTH would feel the same. Comparing and discussing pros and cons when it comes to qualitative and quantitative methods is very much a big part of the bachelor's thesis as you research methods and compare the two, so there was not really that much new material to soak up this week.
Basically, we all know that it is hard to get objective data, and that choosing a method very much depends on the research you are trying to conduct as all methods do not fit all research. Often, it is advantageous to combine both qualitative and quantitative methods to try and make the end result as reliable as possible.
By reading the paper on immersive virtual reality, I got some analytical practice when it comes to analyzing a paper with drawbacks and advantages of the methods used. I would not say that I in any way have changed my understanding of the two concepts since I wrote my bachelor's thesis, however this has been a good refreshment of my knowledge, as I will soon embark upon the journey that is going to be my master's thesis during the spring.
Not having discussed anything as the seminar was cancelled sort of makes this reflection a bit empty and shorter than usual, but I hope that is okay.
During this week, a lot of the concepts that was part of the theme was also used extensively when I wrote my bachelor's thesis, and I believe everyone who is taking this course and did their bachelor at KTH would feel the same. Comparing and discussing pros and cons when it comes to qualitative and quantitative methods is very much a big part of the bachelor's thesis as you research methods and compare the two, so there was not really that much new material to soak up this week.
Basically, we all know that it is hard to get objective data, and that choosing a method very much depends on the research you are trying to conduct as all methods do not fit all research. Often, it is advantageous to combine both qualitative and quantitative methods to try and make the end result as reliable as possible.
By reading the paper on immersive virtual reality, I got some analytical practice when it comes to analyzing a paper with drawbacks and advantages of the methods used. I would not say that I in any way have changed my understanding of the two concepts since I wrote my bachelor's thesis, however this has been a good refreshment of my knowledge, as I will soon embark upon the journey that is going to be my master's thesis during the spring.
Not having discussed anything as the seminar was cancelled sort of makes this reflection a bit empty and shorter than usual, but I hope that is okay.
Thank you for your nice and sharp reflection. I think we all agree on the difficulty of having not enough content to fill the second blog entry like the others. I somehow stumbled over your meaning of “objective data”. What is “objective data” according to you? Mostly likely it shall explain that we seek for data that is not manipulated or influenced by the researcher’s opinion or other external factors. I think we should ask us the question if data can be objective at all? Yes, the collection of it can be objective, but the data itself? I think all the data in researches are subjective. Isn’t that what we are seeking for? The opinions and knowledge of individuals. And that is according to me always subjective.
SvaraRaderaI agree it is hard to get data that is objective. When I reflect up on truth and objectivity it seems to raise a lot of protests and people get quite provoked. My interpretation of objective data, could answer questions such as - how many times do you use this device a day? The number of counts, for me is objective data. I am also curious what you mean by objective data though.
SvaraRaderaI think you summarize theme 4 quiet well. Comparing and analyzing quantitative and qualitative research method was a big part of my bachelor as well, but I was talking with some people in my class, and actually not everyone needed to write a thesis. You wrote that you got some analytical practice when reading Immersive virtual reality, I agree. This was a different type of research topic applying quantitative method in a new way for me. In your first blog post (theme 4) you wrote that one of the larges benefits with quantitative data is that when using large enough data sets, we can generalize the results to fit an entire population. I wrote the opposite, the limitation of Immersive virtual reality was that the sample was to small, which make the study less generalizable. But when I reflect again after reading your blog post, maybe it’s enough with a large data set, the sample doesn’t necessary need to be large.
SvaraRaderaHej! Thank you for enlightening two blog posts on this theme. I especially enjoyed your ability to discuss clearly the pros and cons of quantitative method in the first blog post! You also showed good understanding of the different scientific methods and referred back to your bachelor's degree project, which I believe gave many of us the very basis for this theme. Like you said yourself, it's good to refreshen your memory and deepen understanding.
SvaraRaderaI thought about what you said about it being benefitting to not need to create your own data. At first I didn't understand quite the meaning, since I myself like to be more careful with the words 'creating' or 'controlling' the data because I feel that it reduces the objectivity, but I did get your point at last and would like to agree with you on the fact that existing data gives you certain respites. However, I don't see it necessarily as an easier way of choosing the data, since the major problem is the limitation. When you have an endless set of data, the biggest problem is might just be how to narrow it down.
All in all, thank you for great summary of this theme!
What do you mean by “objective data”? I think it’s the research method that matters and that it matters even more than the findings of a study – the findings are a product of the method. That’s why it’s very important to carefully consider what approach to use and to explain why you’ve chosen it and every step of how you’ve conducted the study. Give the readers a detailed explanation of your method and let them decide whether the results of your study are worth their trust.
SvaraRaderaI agree with you that it was harder to write this reflection as we didn't have the seminar, but I feel yours was interesting to read anyway! In your first post you made the pros and cons of using quantitative method quite clear and it was interesting to read. I agree with you that it's often advantageous to combine both qualitative and quantitative methods, to get a result that is as reliable as possible.
SvaraRadera