RMHS - lecture 1 - Introduction to research perspectives, research objective and research questions

name a few of the current complex health issues

• climate crisis

• opioid crisis

• access to medicine

• anti-microbial resistance

• food insecurity / food deserts

• shortage of public health workers

• public trust (social media misinformation)

• data modernization and privacy

name 2 misclassification

• differential → The probability of misclassification is different for different groups

• non-differential → The probability of being misclassified is the same for all groups.

external versus internal objective

• external → societal benefit, why is this research being done

  • e.g. To contribute to a societal dialogue between the public and nanotechnology developers.

• internal → how will you do this, what will the research produce / study

  • e.g. To explore and analyze the attitudes, perceptions, and concerns of the general public toward nanotechnology.

what makes current issues complex

• globalization

• fuzzy, instead of rigid boundaries

• internalized rules drive action

• agents (people) within the system change

• systems are embedded in other systems and co-evolve

what is needed to solve these complex issues

• a range of methods,

• methodologies,

• theoretical perspectives and

• epistemologies.

explain the research paradigm framework

• how theoretical perspectives connect to methodology and methods.

• epistemology → how we know what we know 

• theoretical perspectives → the philosophical stance (the lens through which researchers view the world) 

• methodology → the overall research design / strategy 

• methods → specific techniques / procedures used to collect + analyze data 

what is epistemology

• It is the study of knowledge.

• The study of what constitutes valid knowledge.

theory of knowledge

• everything has one (developed around 5 years old) starts by the question how do you know certain things?

why is epistemology important?

• a knowledge of research philosophy will help the researcher to recognize which designs will work (for a given set of objectives) and which will not.

• it can help clarify issues of research design (but also misunderstanding / tensions) especially in interdisciplinary teams.

• important to know that an individuals theory of knowledge and positionality influence the way you set up a study.

objectivism

• there is only 1 reality

• reality exists independently of consciousness.

• research is about discovering this objective truth. researchers should strive not to include their own feelings and values

• connected to positivism; there is only one reality / truth. reality can be measured. knowledge can be formulated into laws.

• this view has been challenged → post positivism; we can only approximate the truth.

constructivism

• there is not one truth

• truth and meaning are created by the subject’s interactions within the world.

• knowledge is constructed not discovered.

• connected to interpretivism; multiple contradictory but equally valid accounts of the world can exist. knowledge is contextual.

example objectivism versus constructivism

subjectivism

• knowledge and truth depend on individual perspectives, feelings and/or beliefs.

• meaning is imposed by the subject (researcher) on the object.

• Postmodernism can be taken as an example of a theoretical perspective linked to subjectivism.

• Postmodernism emphasis multiplicity, ambiguity, ambivalence and fragmentation.

critical inquiry

• a way of approaching questions, problems that emphasize careful questioning, evidence, reasoning and reflection.

• you understand and question values and assumptions. and want to bring a change.

feminism

• dynamic field that aims to address gender relations, power dynamics and socia justice. feminist theories take the view that what a person knows is largely based on their social position.

epistemic injustice

• injustice related to knowledge.

  • exclusion, silencing, misrepresentation, undervaluing because of prejudice or power imbalance.

• global health / health sciences is a field where there is still the tendency to disregard local, disabled, children and indigenous knowledge, and refuses to learn from people often deemed to be lesser.

• gaslighting is epistemic injustice on an individual level.

how to find a good research topic

• literature + problems and questions of the workplace or community setting leads to the research topic

• also really need the practical and theoretical relevance.

• however, you need to really identify the knowledge gap.

how to get a research topic

1. own previous research

2. experiences from fieldwork (e.g. patients dying from complications whilst doing fieldwork abroad).

3. (money) donor informed (e.g. sometimes a donor identifies that there is a region in the world where little research is being done).

4. patient / patient organization informed

5. interviewing experts and develop a new research agenda

things in research to avoid

• unethical

• too big

• too trivial

• lack in resources, materials and people

• dependent on the completion of a other project

how to go from topic to the objective and reseach question

• What is the broad area of research

• What is known/done about it

• What is not known/done about it (Why is this a problem)

• Therefore, the aim of this study is ..... (I am going to make known about it) = Objective

• Research questions (plus sometimes hypotheses)

→ Format for an introduction

external versus internal objective

• External objective = contribution of your research project to solution of the problem / what results can be expected.

• Internal objective = the way in which this will be done / the insights, information, knowledge needed = very similar to your research question.

formulate the research objective

• one or more research questions

• tight connection between literature / theories and the research questions

• deining the investigations

• establish boundaries

• concise and unambiguous