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Scientific Investigation: Uma Sekaran Roger Bougie

1. The document discusses the scientific investigation process, outlining the eight hallmarks of scientific research which include purposiveness, rigor, testability, replicability, precision, confidence, objectivity, and generalizability. 2. It also explains the hypothetico-deductive method of research which involves observation, information gathering, theory formulation, hypothesizing, data collection, data analysis, and deduction to arrive at conclusions. 3. Finally, it discusses the differences between deduction, which arrives at specific conclusions based on generalizations, and induction, which formulates generalizations based on a limited number of specific observations.

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168 views23 pages

Scientific Investigation: Uma Sekaran Roger Bougie

1. The document discusses the scientific investigation process, outlining the eight hallmarks of scientific research which include purposiveness, rigor, testability, replicability, precision, confidence, objectivity, and generalizability. 2. It also explains the hypothetico-deductive method of research which involves observation, information gathering, theory formulation, hypothesizing, data collection, data analysis, and deduction to arrive at conclusions. 3. Finally, it discusses the differences between deduction, which arrives at specific conclusions based on generalizations, and induction, which formulates generalizations based on a limited number of specific observations.

Uploaded by

Anonymous GDOULL9
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Scientific Investigation

Uma Sekaran
Roger Bougie
Scientific Investigation
• This chapter speaks of scientific
investigation detailing on:

• the eight hallmarks of scientific research,

• the limitations of scientific research in


management and

• hypothetico-deductive method of research.


Why Scientific Research?
•This research is not based on hunches, experience and
intuition.

•It is purposive and rigorous.

•Enables all those who are interested in researching and


knowing about the same or similar issues to come up with
comparable findings when data are analyzed.

•Findings are accurate and confident. (Objective)

•Apply solutions to similar problems.


Story told about Aristotle

One day Aristotle caught a fly and


carefully counted and recounted its legs.
He then announced that flies have five legs.
No one questioned the word of Aristotle. For years
his finding was uncritically accepted.
Of course, the fly that Aristotle caught just
happened to be missing a leg.

Whether or not you believe the story, it does illustrate


the limitations of relying on personal experience
and authority as a source of knowledge
Hallmarks of Scientific Research
• The hallmarks or main distinguishing characteristics of
scientific research can be the following
1. Purposiveness: The research should have a purposive
focus i.e. some definite purpose will be served after the
research.
Hallmarks of Scientific Research
2. Rigor - A good theoretical base and sound methodological
design would add rigor to the purposive study.
• Rigor adds carefulness, scrupulousness and the degree of
exactitude in research.
Example:
A manager asks 10-12 employees how to increase the level of
commitment. If solely on the basis of their responses the
manager reaches several conclusions on how employee
commitment can be increased, the whole approach to the
investigation would be unscientific.
It would lack rigor for the following reasons:
Hallmarks of Scientific Research
1. Based on few employees
2. Biased and incorrect

• There might be other influences on commitment which


are ignored and are important for a researcher to know

• Thus, Rigor involves good theoretical base and


thought out methodology.

• These factors enable the researcher to collect the right


kind of information from an appropriate sample with
the minimum degree of bias and facilitate suitable
analysis of the data gathered.

• This supports the other six too!


Hallmarks of Scientific Research
3. Testability - After random selection manager and
researcher develops certain hypothesis (a tentative
statement about the relationship between two or
more variables) on how manager employee
commitment can be enhanced, then these can be
tested by applying certain statistical tests to the data
collected for the purpose.

The researcher might hypothesize that


those employees who perceive greater
opportunities for participation in decision
making would have a higher level of
commitment.
Hallmarks of Scientific Research
4. Replicable(ility): The results of the test of hypotheses
should be supported again and again when same type of
research is repeated in other similar circumstances. The
researchers will gain confidence in the scientific nature of
the research.

Example:
The study concludes that participation in decision making is one of
the most important factors that influences the commitment, we will
place more faith and credence in these finding and apply in similar
situations.

To the extent that this does happen, we will gain confidence in the
scientific nature of our research.
Hallmarks of Scientific Research
5.1. Precision
– Precision refers to the closeness of the findings to
“reality” based on a sample.
– It reflects the degree of accuracy and exactitude of
the results of the sample.

Example: If a supervisor estimated the number of


production days lost during the year due to
absenteeism at between 30 and 40, as against the
actual of 35, the precision of his estimation more
favorably than if he had indicated that the loss of
production days was somewhere between 20 and 50.
Confidence
Hallmarks of Scientific Research

5.2. Confidence

– Confidence refers to the probability that our


estimations are correct.
– That is, it is not merely enough to be precise, but it is
also important that we can confidently claim that
95% of the time our results would be true and there is
only a 5% chance of our being wrong.
– This is also known as confidence level.
Hallmarks of Scientific Research

6. Objectivity

The conclusions drawn through the interpretation of the results


of data analysis should be objective; that is, they should be
based on the facts of the findings derived from actual data, and
not on our subjective or emotional values.

Example: If we had a hypothesis that stated that greater


participation in decision making will increase organizational
commitment and this was not supported by the results, it makes
no sense if the researcher continues to argue that increased
opportunities for employee participation would still help!
Hallmarks of Scientific Research
7. Generalizability: This refers to the scope of applicability
of the research findings in one organizational setting to
other settings. The wider the range of applicability of the
solutions generated by research, the more useful the
research is to the users.

8. Parsimony: This refers to economy in research models


and can be achieved when researchers build in their
research a lesser number of variables that would explain
the variance far more efficiently than a complex set of
variables that would only marginally add to the variance
explained
The Building Blocks of Science in Research

Deduction and Inductions


Answers to issues can be found either by the
process of induction or the process of
deduction, or by a combination of the two.
Deduction
• Deduction is the process by which we arrive at
a reasoned conclusion by logical generalization
of a known fact.

Example: we know that all high performers are


highly proficient in their jobs.

If Ali is a high performer, we then conclude that he


is highly proficient in his job
Deductive reasoning

Example :
All research textbooks contains
a chapter on sampling
Arriving at specific
conclusions based on
generalizations This is a research textbook

Therefore, this book contains


a chapter on sampling
Induction
• Induction is a process where we observe certain
phenomena and on this basis arrive at
conclusions.

In other words, in induction we


logically establish a general
proposition based on observed facts.
Inductive reasoning

Example :
Every research textbook
examined contains a chapter
Formulation of on sampling
generalizations
based on observation
of a limited number of
specific events
Therefore, all research textbooks
contains a chapter on sampling
The Hypothetico – Deductive Method
1. Observation – is the first stage in which one senses that
certain changes are occurring , or that some new
behaviour, attitudes, and feelings are surfacing in one’s
environment. When the observed phenomena are seen to
have potentially important consequences, one would
move to next step.

2. Preliminary information gathering – this involves the


seeking of information in depth, of what is observed. This
could be done by talking informally to several people in
work setting or to clients or to other relevant resources,
thereby gathering information on what is happening and
why.
The Hypothetico – Deductive Method
3. Theory formulation - is an attempt to integrate all the
information in a logical manner, so that the factors responsible for
the problem can be conceptualize and tested.

The theoretical framework formulated is often guided by


experience and intuition. In this step critical variables are
examined as to their contribution or influence in explaining why
the problem occurs and how it can be solved.

4. Hypothesizing - is the next logical step after theory formulation.


From the theorized network of association among the variables
certain premises/ hypotheses can be generated.

Hypotheses testing is called deduction


The Hypothetico – Deductive Method
5. Further (Scientific) data collection – after the development
of hypotheses, data with respect to each variable in the
hypotheses is needed to test the hypotheses generated in the
study

6. Data analysis – The data gathered are statistically analyzed(e.g.


using correlation & Regression analysis) to see if the hypotheses
that were generated have been supported

7. Deduction – a process of arriving at conclusion by interpreting


the meaning of results of data analysis.

Based on these deductions, the researcher would make


recommendations.
Hypothetico Deductive
Method
THEORY /MGT
PROBLEM

CONSTRUCT CONSTRUCT

CONCEPT CONCEPT

VARIABLES/
FACTS
The building blocks of science

Identification
observation
of problem
Refinement of theory
(pure research)
Or
Implementation Theoretical
(applied research) framework

Interpretation
of
data
Hypotheses

Analysis
of Research
data Data design
collection

Uma Sekaran, 1984

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