Jerrold Zar wrote: > > Pretty basic question! > > Federal guidelines refer to "research" as systematic investigation > designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. > > Intent to publish may well be involved (and probably is!), but people > also intend to publish lots of things besides research. > > And, yes, I have heard qualitative researchers claim that their > investigations are not intended to result in generalizable knowledge; > however, once they complete their studies, some of them go right ahead > and try to generalize! > > Jerrold H. Zar, Ph.D. > Department of Biological Sciences > Northern Illinois University > DeKalb IL 60115-2854 > 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 > >>> dennis roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 01/17/03 12:18PM >>> > robert's comments lead me to ask: what makes research research? just > because i say it is? or say it isn't?
I think the definition is quite good. Intent to publish does not define 'research', of course, but researchers tend to do it because it means jobs and merit to them! Qualitative researchers often claim that generalizing is not their aim but this should be understood so that generalizing happens in another phase of the research process. When a sociologist studies 1000 people with a questionnaire he can say something about people (the population) in general. Even when a qualitative researcher studies one person very thoroughly he cannot say what people are like in general. However, he has created knowledge about what people may be like and how they should be studied to learn something important about them. These aspects and points of view can be adapted in studying other people, i.e. they are generalizable. Kai Karma Sibelius Academy Helsinki, Finland > . > . > ================================================================= > Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the > problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: > . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . > ================================================================= . . ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . =================================================================
