Lecture 1 - general info

STEPS OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD:

1. Problem / question
2. Observation /research
3. Formulate hypothesis
4. Experiment
5. Collect and analyze results
6. Conclusion
7. Communicate results

ad. 3 (hypothesis) - we have to guess relationship between independent variable (intentionally varied) and dependent variable (factor that will hange as a result); hypothesis must be testable;

ad. 4 (experiment) - everything should be described in detail, will be run for different groups; each experiment should have control group (exposed to same conditions except for variable being tested);

ad. 5 (results) - tabulate, draw figures, use statistical testing, confirm by retesting if possible

ad 6 (conclusion) - accept or reject the hypothesis

---

RESEARCH PARADIGMS IN CS:

• Quantitative (positivism)
  
• Qualitative (interpretivism)
• Development / constructive

QUANTITATIVE:
- aim to classify count fatures, construct statistical models
- researcher knows in advance what they're looking for
- recommended in latter phases of research
- all researh is carefully designed beforehand
- data is numbers and statistics
- objective, as uses tools eg surveys
- result more likely to be generalizable

QUALITATIVE:
- aim is complete detailed description
- researcher knows only roughly what they're looking for
- recommended in earlier phases of research
- the design of research emerges as the study unfolds
- data is in the form of words, pictures, objects; rich data
- subjective, researcher interprets
- the result is less generalizable

CONSTRUCTIVE RESEARCH PHASES:
- finds problem
- examine if some research could be done
- start to gather better undestanding of reserach area
- cyclically come up with solution (first design, then implement) and test it
- think about the scope of applicability of the solution
- analyze theoretical contribution

---

DEDUCTIVE REASONING order:

1. Theory
2. Hypothesis
3. Observation
4. Confirmation

INDUCTIVE REASONING order:

1. Observation
2. Pattern
3. Hypothesis
4. Theory