Different Kinds Of Research Research Articles

Research for praxis: knowing doing

Educational action is a species of praxis in both an Aristotelian sense and a post‐Marxian sense: in the first, it involves the morally informed and committed action of the individual practitioners who practise education; in the second, it helps to shape social formations and conditions for collectivities of people. In this paper, it is argued that, in the context of a profession like education, research into praxis has two main purposes that parallel these two senses of ‘praxis’: (1) to guide the development of educational praxis, and (2) to guide the development of education itself. Some approaches to researching praxis that have emerged in recent years include ‘praxis research’, ‘phronetic research’, ‘praxis‐related research’ and ‘research as practical philosophy’. These approaches are briefly analysed in terms of their ability (or inability) to strengthen and extend praxis. In contrast to earlier approaches to studying practice/praxis, which usually regard practice as an object of study external to the researcher or observer, the practical philosophy approach regards practice and especially praxis as ‘internal’ to the persons and groups whose practice/praxis it is, and as ‘internal’ to the practice traditions which give meaning and significance to a practice like Education. Following this insight, the paper outlines a new view of what it might mean to ‘research’ praxis by studying praxis and practice traditions ‘from within’. It is argued that this can only be achieved by those whose own individual and collective praxis is both their proper work and, at the same time, the focus of their critical investigation. The paper also invites further exploration of the relationships to be found between different kinds of practices and praxes – particularly the relationship between different kinds of research practice/praxis and different kinds of educational practice/praxis.

What parents find important when participating in longitudinal studies: results from a questionnaire

The objective of the present paper is to explore parents' views on safety and confidentiality, information and consent, the importance of different kinds of research, and their responsibilities regarding children's participation. A questionnaire was distributed to 2500 families in south-east Sweden with children born during the years 1997–1999; 1302 responded. The sample was chosen to include views of families with and without earlier research experience. A clear majority of responding parents stated that parents have a moral responsibility to let their children participate in research that is considered important, safe and moderately time-consuming. Respondents stressed the importance of thorough review and control of research involving children. Respondents also found it important that parents are guaranteed the right to decide about their children's participation and that they are thoroughly informed on central aspects of the study.

Setting the Stage for Next-Generation Research

California, the state with a long history of stimulating new science and technology, has now begun a revolution in the means of organizing the research responsible for fresh advances. California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) has the goal of creating a major shift in the way in which institutions carry out research. Financed by the state of California, the work focuses on developing a next-generation research environment for academic institutions in the digital age. However, because it includes collaborations with industrial RD creating research teams whose members can be located wherever they are through the Internet; supporting the involvement of faculty members, students, industry, government, and community partners; enabling prototyping in living laboratories; and providing technical professionals as bridges between academia and Role of Technology Technology has produced much of the foundation for the effort. Combining the increases in telecommunications bandwidth, ubiquitous access via networking, greatly increased computing power and storage capacity, together with advances in nanotechnology and biotechnology, represents what Smarr calls a once-in-two-decades transition in capabilities. However, a cultural change at least equally important. Calit2 approach puts almost exclusive emphasis on transdisciplinary teamwork. That goes beyond the multidisciplinary research already practiced in academia. For universities, the entire package means significantly less departmentalization than occurs at present. For corporate R&D operations, it implies markedly more outsourcing, via such ventures as open innovation (see RTM, November-December 2007, pp. 8, 9), as well as collaboration with academic scientists from the very start of their research projects. Calit2 project has emerged against a general background of change in corporations' approaches to their R&D. Companies no longer can afford to do everything, Smarr says. We are going from the wholly owned like Bell Labs and IBM Research to a new form of partnering between universities and industry. Marina Gorbis, executive director of the Institute for the Future, echoes that thought. Corporate R&D becoming a lot more open, she says. Look at open innovation--inviting and asking a lot of people to contribute ideas and solutions to internal problems. There are a lot of opportunities to contribute. raw material of R&D also in flux. The tools of R&D will change, with new technologies, more massive amounts of data that allow for different kinds of research, and the mining of that data on scales we've never seen before, Gorbis points out. We'll be able to simulate a lot more things. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Calit2 aims to show how to do just that. Our job, Smarr says, is to try to imagine the impossible and prepare our society to make use of it. Exponential change appears to transform the impossible into the routine. Living Laboratories One of four institutes launched in December 2000 through the California Institute for Science and Innovation, Calit2 has the tangible asset of two living laboratory buildings--one at the University of California, San Diego and the other at the University of California, Irvine. …

Casting Off: Using narrative practices to co-research experiences of sight loss and visual impairment

Most research in the field of visual impairment and sight loss comes from medical understandings which place much emphasis on treatment, diagnosis and rehabilitation. I wanted to produce a different kind of research that would give insight into the ‘experience’ of being affected by sight loss, privileging personal knowledge and challenging the (sometimes) disabling practices of professionals in the field, enabling people with sight loss to have a voice, rather than to be talked about by experts. The paper is situated in the midst of a research process, starting from a point where stories from people affected by recent sight loss had been presented in various academic, visually impaired and international conferences. It documents (within a narrative account) the experience of research participants, those who had listened to the presentations and also includes (imbedded within the narrative text) some of the theoretical thinking influencing how narrative practices can be used to empower marginalised people. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2008 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]

Ethics in epidemiological research

This text focus, on a series of author's opinions, on the difficulties that the current system of regulation of ethics in research represents for the practice of the epidemiological research, in the Country. It introduces a few understandings concerning the present subject in the international literature, pointing out some of the most relevant themes and problems. It also examines part of the difficulties faced by Brazilian epidemiologists. The main topic developed in the article is the specificity of the science's reasoning that guides acting of the public health and epidemiology with repercussions for the practice of scientific research in this field, plenty different from the science's reasoning that preside medical practice and biomedical research. Hence the inadequacy of the ethical recommendations in force, all of them based on biomedical research, particularly at that with experimental design. It concludes with the indication that procedures adopted by the system of the ethics in research should be reviewed, adapting such procedures to the characteristics of different kinds of research.

Saliendo del círculo vicioso: hacia la implantación de políticas científicas y tecnológicas en el contexto económico y social de países menos desarrollados

En este artículo se realiza un análisis de los procesos de "mimetización" de las políticas de ciencia y tecnología que hacen los países menos desarrollados sobre la base de las existentes en los países desarrollados sin tener en cuenta sus contextos económico, tecnológico, científico y social. Este análisis intenta responder preguntas tales como: ¿Cuáles condiciones hacen que las políticas científicotecnológicas de la gran mayoría de países menos desarrollados no traspasan la mera intencionalidad del discurso impreso y además, no logran impactar en el contexto de su desarrollo económico y social de manera que se obtenga la salida del retroceso? ¿Por qué los países menos desarrollados se comprometen en varios tipos de investigación sin tener en cuenta sus reales contextos social, económico, tecnológico y ambiental? ¿Contribuye la inversión en investigación científica, así como tecnológica y de ingeniería dedesarrollo de estos países a su crecimiento económico? Inicialmente se hace un análisis de las teorías que rigen las políticas de ciencia y tecnología en los países desarrollados y cómo son aplicadas en los países menos desarrollados. Luego, se establecen los diferentes tipos de políticas en ciencia y tecnología y sus implicaciones en los países menos desarrollados. Finalmente, se realizan propuestas para empezar a lograr la salida del círculo del subdesarrollo de estos países.

What Good Is Polarizing Research Into Qualitative and Quantitative?

In education research, a polar distinction is frequently made to describe and produce different kinds of research: quantitative versus qualitative. In this article, the authors argue against that polarization and the associated polarization of the “subjective” and the “objective,” and they question the attribution of generalizability to only one of the poles. The purpose of the article is twofold: (a) to demonstrate that this polarization is not meaningful or productive for education research, and (b) to propose an integrated approach to education research inquiry. The authors sketch how such integration might occur by adopting a continuum instead of a dichotomy of generalizability. They then consider how that continuum might be related to the types of research questions asked, and they argue that the questions asked should determine the modes of inquiry that are used to answer them.

La investigación en el ejercicio profesional de la medicina especializada

AbstractResearch has a very important role in the financial development of countries; it improves our life quality in all aspects and helps to face unexpected happenings. In Spain science has been left to a second plane and we feel necessary to reverse this situation. Amongst the different kinds of research (basic, clinical and translational) the two last ones are most interesting for clinical doctors. Training of the doctor in the research field helps to a better practice as the advances in research can be applied to clinical practice. There is a tendency for doctors to be involved less in research and it is very important to modify this situation. Research should start in Medical school and play an important role throughout the training period. Once training has concluded, those with capacity and interest in research should follow a 3-4 years training in the field and after that period they can undertake both clinical and research roles. Finally, in Spain our speciality needs to create specific research laboratories in those ENT departments in hospitals with adequate infrastructure to develop research

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films on porous silicon/silicon substrates obtained by sol–gel technique

In this study, nanocrystalline ZnO thin films deposited onto silicon substrates by sol–gel technique were studied. The starting material for ZnO sol–gel thin films was Zinc acetate. Single crystalline silicon wafers with different orientations and the porous silicon substrates were used as the substrates. XRD was employed to investigate the evolution of the crystalline orientation during the thermal treatment, and SEM was used to observe the surface morphology of the ZnO films. The effects of the anneal temperature and the substrate doping type on the deposited ZnO thin films were studied in detail. The results indicated that the highly oriented ZnO could be generated on Si substrates by controlling the process conditions. It was found that the substrates types had less influence on the obtained ZnO thin films compared with the anneal temperatures. Thin porous silicon substrates introduced is beneficial to enhance the bonding strength between the films and the substrates. These results are helpful to deposit the highly orientation-controlled ZnO thin films for different kinds of research and application.

Leading theory: Bourdieu and the field of educational leadership. An introduction and overview to this special issue

Bourdieu … makes it possible to explain how the actions of principals are always contextual, since their interests vary with issue, location, time, school mix, composition of staff and so on. This ‘identity’ perspective points at a different kind of research about principal practice: to understand the game and its logic requires an analysis of the situated everyday rather than abstractions that claim truth in all instances and places. (Thomson 2001a: 14)

‘I Am Not a Rubber Stamp’

• Summary: In the United Kingdom a formal assessment of all universities’ research is undertaken through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) approximately once every five years. The results are published and lead to each academic unit receiving a ranking (on a seven-point scale). Funding for research follows these rankings. Initiatives designed to review research quality have an obligation to clearly describe criteria on which assessments are made. Critical appraisals of published material prepared by RAE review panels should be based on criteria that permit rigorous appraisal of different kinds of publications. Criteria for reviewing the quality of different kinds of research are readily available. In empirical studies, such critical appraisals would reveal the likelihood that the research method used could answer questions raised. Efforts made by a non-UK adviser appointed to the 2001 RAE Panel for Social Policy and Administration and Social Work to identify criteria used by RAE organizers to review different kinds of publications were unsuccessful, resulting in the conclusion that panel members do not have a written description of specific criteria they share and that they share with others which describe exactly how they assess the quality of different kinds of research studies (e.g. controlled clinical trials, cohort studies, qualitative research and so on) and the quality of conceptual work. The troubling implications of this finding are discussed. • Findings: No clear criteria allowing rigorous appraisal of different kinds of research were provided by the RAE in spite of repeated requests for the information. Rankings by RAE panel members seem to be made based on vague criteria and surrogates such as ‘esteem indicators’ (e.g. papers presented at conferences) that may not reflect quality of research. Productivity does not necessarily reflect research quality. Without the use of criteria that yield rigorous appraisals of research quality in the review process, it is likely that stereotypes about which programs produce the highest-quality research will simply be perpetuated. Lack of clear criteria for reviewing research seems to encourage preparation of propagandistic promotional text replete with grand claims, including opinions stated as facts. Government bodies responsible for distributing research funds should give careful consideration of how to fairly and accurately evaluate research quality. At least in this area, it seems that such consideration has not occurred. • Applications: Lack of success in finding clear descriptions of criteria led to the troubling conclusion that no such specific criteria were used. The implications of these findings are concerning. They question the basis upon which research funding is allocated in the UK and indicate that if future rankings of research are undertaken, they should be based on explicit and open published criteria that permit an accurate assessment of the match between questions raised and methods used to pursue answers, available to all parties well in advance. Without such criteria staff lose an opportunity to hone their critical appraisal skills, rigorously appraise their research and candidly examine outcomes.

Research to Integrate Productivity Enhancement, Environmental Protection, and Human Development

Sayer, J. A. and B. Campbell 2002. Research to Integrate Productivity Enhancement, Environmental Protection, and Human Development. Conservation Ecology 5(2):32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00300-050232

Keeping the Tension: Pressures to Keep the Controversy in the Management Discipline

Management journals often contain heated discussions about disciplinary approaches, or how and whether to legitimate different kinds of research. The author classifies nine such approaches in a typology. These varied approaches arise because none can fully accommodate the conflicting scientific and pragmatic pressures placed on academic research. The airing of these views, however, helps members of the discipline meet their responsibility to re-evaluate the value of existing research and new currents in an ongoing fashion.

Variation of the spatial position computed by Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis (RSA) under non-standard conditions

Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis (RSA) has been applied to different kinds of research in order to obtain important information in the biomechanics field. Operative requirements change according to the type of investigation and sometimes practical conditions do not always permit one to respect standard specifications. The aim of this paper is to verify the reliability of the system under non-standard conditions, studying the effects of the focus-to-film distance on the determination of 3D co-ordinates of markers. The application of statistical analysis, consisting of two and three way ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA), showed that focus-to-film distance is not a significant source of variation, i.e., the system can correctly compute the marker position inside the calibrated space under all conditions of magnification. Since we obtained a fluctuation due to focal distance change of 10 −5 mm (LSD for 95% confidence level), we can assert that this source causes a variation strictly within the limits required by clinical investigations. Thus, this study contributes to improving the flexibility of RSA in clinical applications, making the technical requirements of the radiographic set-up less constraining.

Changing gender relations among young people: The global challenge for HIV/AIDS prevention

The worldwide epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has affected different populations in different countries. Yet, every country has recognized the particular vulnerability of its young people to possible infection. This vulnerability is commonly thought to relate in the main to young people's assumed universal interest in sexual experimentation. Various studies have demonstrated not only both worrying levels of sexual risk-taking among some young people, but also significant care being taken by others in relation to HIV/AIDS risk. Young people are clearly not a singularity, but rather live their lives in varying social and cultural circumstances that have a bearing on their sexual activities and their ideas about sex. This paper reports on a comparative study of the social and contextual factors affecting young people's risk-related sexual behaviour in seven developing countries. The study was commissioned by the World Health Organization's former Global Programme on AIDS and overseen to completion by the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). The paper outlines the study's cross-cultural design and qualitative methodology, and in particular reports its major findings on gender relations among young people. The findings argue strongly for a reconceptualization of young people's sexuality and for different kinds of research needed to obtain more subtle, detailed social and cultural data for use in designing educational interventions for young people in relation to HIV/AIDS.

The Allocation of Publicly-Funded Biomedical Research

We develop a simple theoretical model of the allocation of public biomedical research expenditure, and present some empirical evidence about the determinants of this allocation. The structure of expenditure should depend on the relative costs as well as the relative benefits of different kinds of research. Analysts of technical change typically have data on neither of these, but the measures of disease burden we use are indicative of the benefit of achieving advances against different diseases. We calculate distributions of government-funded biomedical research expenditure, by disease, from records of all research projects supported by the US Public Health Service: to obtain a reasonably complete accounting of disease burden, we utilize data on both the dying (from the Vital Statistics-Mortality Detail file) and the living (from the National Health Interview Survey). We find a very strong positive relationship across diseases between total life-years lost before age 65 and public R&D expenditure. But the amount of publicly-funded research on a disease decreases with the share of life-years before age 65 lost to the deases by non-whites, perhaps because lack of scientific knowledge is a less important cause of premature mortality among non-whites than it is among whites. The number of research grants mentioning a chronic condition is completely uncorrelated with the number of people with the condition but very strongly positively related to the number of people whose activities are limited by that condition. There tends to be more research about chronic conditions that are prevalent among people living in low-income households, and that are prevalent among the young (under age 18) and the old (above age 75).

The interview as a measure of cultural competence: A case study

A set of native French speakers’ student interviews undertaken during a project encompassing the teaching of cultural awareness at Upper Secondary level, has been analysed to assess the students’ cultural competence. The main differences between students’ performances was the level of inter‐activeness or ability to build from the interviewee's responses rather than interviewing from a pre‐programmed agenda. Three different levels of competence are identified: limited, adequate and high, depending on the interviewer's responsiveness. These levels do not depend on the student's linguistic ability but rather on the ability to understand contexts from another point of view. The manner of interviewing appropriate to the interviewee's culture is not considered and would need to be supported by quite different kinds of research and teaching. The student in the interviews takes responsibility for the content, organisation and style of the interview and does not follow a blind pre‐set schedule. The pattern followe...

Managing the Autonomous University

This article begins with a discussion of the concept of today's autonomous university and the reasons behind contemporary developments with respect to university autonomy. The growth of university education is examined, as well as changes in attitudes toward universities that have emerged, in society in general and among politicians in particular, during the second part of the 20th century. The influences that rapidly changing current and anticipated societal demands will have on the role of universities are then considered. Given this background, following this, there is a discussion of planning procedures within an autonomous university and its responsibilities for students. Problems of funding different kinds of research are viewed in the context of the integrity and ethics of the university. Finally, there is a discussion of the organization and distribution of responsibility in the university, the composition of the leadership team, and the tensions between academics and professional administrators.

Comments on B. Kumaravadivelu's "The Postmethod Condition: (E)merging Strategies for Second/Foreign Language Teaching": "Alternative to" or "Addition to" Method?

are all subtitled Japanese. Thirdly, I would like to react to the comment about my not having read any of the recent literature on the subject of learning strategies, specifically related to the use of Oxford's strategy inventory. Oxford attaches to her five-page response a reference list with 18 entries, 12 of which are unpublished master's theses or doctoral dissertations, papers read at conferences, published a journal unavailable Japan or marked in press. It is simply not possible for overseas researchers to have access to such materials. I would happily participate collaborative research. However, although the call for collaboration is useful, researchers Asia often find a patronizing attitude toward their work and their ideas. I am glad Oxford and Green are working to overcome this by actively working toward collaborative research. To conclude, my position is that there are different kinds of research which produce different results which may be of interest. Research dealing with human beings is notoriously fuzzy and shows a great deal of variation. I welcome that and see such variation as the norm. It is only through supportive collaborative research as well as supportive feedback to others that we can ever hope to begin to fill the gaps on our journey to better understanding of how human beings learn and communicate the world.

ROMANIAN YOUTH AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

A major survey of the motivations of Romanian young people is being undertaken by the Institute for the Quality of Life. Some of its findings in regard to the attitudes of young people towards careers in research are reported as are also certain findings regarding the feelings of young people, who have already embarked on research careers, about their working and living conditions and prospects. Although research suffered greatly under communism, the prestige of research survived. After 1990, many young people were attracted into higher education and research. Since 1992, however, the economic crisis which has affected Romanian society as a whole has reduced some of the gains made in 1990. Salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living, and the equipment available for different kinds of research is lacking or is of poor quality. Many young people are now leaving research careers for better paying opportunities in the private sector, particularly in commercial activities.