Conceptual Foundations of Scientific Research

The purpose of this research is to describe the breadth of the conceptual foundations of scientific research. Theory, analysis, and research design, thus, are covered in this description. Additionally, ethical considerations in the conduct of research, and the conduct of scientific research in education are also addressed.

Two basic views of science are the static and the dynamic.1 The static view perceives science as a body of systemized information that includes connected principles, theories, and laws.2 In this view, science is the cumulative results of past investigations, to which contemporary scientists add blocks of information to an existing knowledge base. The dynamic view presents science as a process, and suggests that scientific theories and principles "would soon become a dogma if not subjected to constant investigation and development. In the dynamic view, science is a body of generally accepted rules by which one deals with knowledge; that is, it is the scientific method."3 Through application of the scientific method,

1James B. Conant, Science and Common Sense (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1951), 2425; Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed., enlgd. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970), 1034.

2C. William Emory, Research Methods, 4th ed. (Homewood, Illinois: DowJones/Irwin, 1988), 22.

. . .
icient as the reliability coefficient declines. The validity of a measurement procedure is evaluated in three contexts in most instances. These contexts are as follows: 1. The first context is content. Content refers to the extent to which an instrument provides an adequate coverage of the topic under study. 2. The second context is criterion. Criterion refers to the success of a measuring instrument in the generation of data upon which accurate predictions can be made. 3. The third context is construct. Construct refers to the extent to which measurements obtained from an instrument can be used to infer the presence of more abstract characteristics. The reliability of a measurement procedure is typically evaluated in two different contexts. These contexts are as follows: 1. The first context is stability. Stability refers to the consistency in the results obtained from repeated applications of the measurement instrument. 2. The second context is equivalence. Equivalence refers to the degree of error which may be introduced into the results obtained by the application of the instrument by different investigators or researchers. Obviously, the factors by which the validity of a measurement procedure is
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bureau Standards, Causal Subjective, Company Inc, Book Company, Scientific Inquiry, Chicago Press, Simon Schuster, Illinois DowJones/Irwin, EdITS Publishers, Publishing Company, research education, scientific inquiry, historical research, experimental research, reliability coefficients, 3rd ed, formal research, formal research education, reliability coefficient, scientific research, positive inquiry, experimental research education, york mcgrawhill book, mcgrawhill book company, historical research education,
Approximate Word count = 8041
Approximate Pages = 32 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Conceptual Foundations of Scientific Research