Epistemology of Research

Professor Dr. Ramlee Mustapha

Cert. ESL (South Dakota)
BSc. Chemical Engineering (Alabama)
M.Ed Educational Administration (New Mexico)
Post-Grad Dip. TESL (Singapore)
M.Sc Industrial Technology (Purdue)
Ph.D Vocational Education (Purdue)
 Sources of Knowledge
Superstition

Intuition
Authority
Tenacity

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 Sources of Knowledge
Rationalism
Empiricism

Science = Rationalism +
Empiricism
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 Scientific Attitudes
Skeptic (Socratic Pedagogy) A person
who questions validity, authenticity or
truth of something purporting to be
factual.
Inquisitive mind

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 Scientific Methods
Systematic Empiricism Making
observations in systematic manner in
order to test hypotheses in order to
support or refute a theory.

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 Scientific Methods
Public Verification Presenting research
to the public (including scientific
community) so that it can be observed,
replicated, criticized and tested.

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 Scientific Methods
Solvable Problems Questions that are
potentially answerable by means of
currently available research methods or
techniques.

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 Scientific Methods
Subjected to Principle of falsifiability
The theory must be stated in such a way
it is possible to refute or reject the theory.

4 Dec 2004
 Scientific Methods
Subjected to Principle of falsifiability
The theory must be stated in such a way
it is possible to refute or reject the theory.
If not, it is a pseudoscience (making
claims that appear to be scientific but
actually violate the criteria of science)
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 Goals of Science
Description Carefully observing
behavior in order to describe it.
Prediction

Identify the cause and effect

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 Research Methods in
Science
Description (Descriptive Methods)
Prediction (Correlational)
Identify the cause and effect
(Experimental Method)

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 Research Methods in
Science
Exploratory vs. Confirmatory
Basic vs. Applied Research
Quantitative vs. Qualitative

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