Dr Kristina Niedderer asks and responds to the questions: 1. What is methodology? 2. Methodology as a road map 3. Distinguishing methods and approaches 4. Evaluating methodology 5. Exercise: building your own road map

1. Methodology as a Road Map
Prof Kristina Niedderer, Manchester Metropolitan University

2. road map
1. What is methodology?
2. Methodology as a road map
3. Distinguishing methods and approaches
4. Evaluating methodology
5. Exercise: building your own road map

3. what is methodology?
1. Study of methods
2. Your individual road map for your PhD
• Strategy (plan)
• go on the journey
• the journey will change while travelling…
• tell your journey (results)

4. Go from London for month to Brisbane
methodology as a road map: the journey

5. Go from London for month to Brisbane
methodology as a road map: the journey

6. Go from London for month to Brisbane
- Walk / taxi to station
- Train to airport
- Shuttle train
- Flight 1
- Flight 2
- Train to Brisbane
- Taxi, bus to lodging
- Rtn journey in reverse
}methods
methodology as a road map: the journey

7. Methods for:
- data collection / generation
- data analysis / interpretation
methodology as a road map: methods

8. Methods for data collection
Collect existing data
• from sources (literature/context search: books, archives, …)
• from people (through questionnaires, interviews, focus groups,
observation, self-evaluation sheets, diaries…)
• From things (nature, creative practice, composition …?)
Generate new data
• creative practice, composition …?
methodology as a road map: methods

9. Methods for data collection
• Qualitative data
• Quantitative data
• Combination
methodology as a road map: methods

10. methodology as a road map: methods
Methods for data analysis: Qualitative analysis
• literature review (narrative, systematic, integrative…)
• textual analysis (conceptual analysis, thematic/content
analysis, linguistic, semantic, ethnographic analysis…)
• visual analysis methods (composition/aesthetics, semantics,
thematic, ethnographic…)
• …

11. methodology as a road map: methods
Methods for data analysis: Quantitative analysis
• Statistical analysis
• …
Methods for data analysis: Mixed methods

12. aim/question
outcomes/
contribution
Data analysis
methods
Data
generation
methods
methodology as a road map: methods
Data
collection
methods
Interpret
data
Creative practice
artefacts &
processes

13. Example 1: practice-based intervention study
Figure 5.10 The Ghostly Butterfly animation
Katarzyna Warpas – Designing for dream spaces (PhD 2013)

14. Passport, driving license?
Travel agent or online booking?
Best price or safety?
Travel Insurance and what level?
Health insurance?
Customs? Nothing to declare?
methodology as a road map: conditions

15. Passport, driving license?
Travel agent or online booking?
Best price or safety?
Travel Insurance and what level?
Health insurance?
Customs? Nothing to declare?
methodology as a road map: conditions
Have all methods training?
How access research data?
Easy to do or thorough plan?
What is your back-up plan if data
don’t work out?
Ethics?
Evaluation of your research?

16. methodology as a road map: internal logic
What makes your research valid?
1. World view
2. Theoretical building blocks
3. Criteria for judgment

17. 1. world view
what is your take?

18. 1. world view
world-view = paradigm =
knowledge position
do you know the three key
positions?
• (post-)positivism
• Constructivist (coherentism)
• Contextualist (critical theory)
Which one do you use?
Williams, 2001: 159-172
Guba, 1990: 1ff
Creswell, 2003
Gorard, 2002
Tobin and Begley, 2004
Hamberg et al, 1994

19. methodology as a road map: internal logic
2. Theoretical building blocks:
conceptual model
“a set of relatively abstract and general concepts and the propositions that
describe or link those concepts”
theory
“a set off relatively concrete and specific concepts and the propositions that
describe or link those concepts”
“Many disciplines exist to generate, test and apply theories that will improve
the quality of people’s lives. Every such theory-development effort is based
on a particular frame of reference that provides an intellectual and socio-
historical context for theoretical thinking, for research and, ultimately, for
practice. That context is provided by the conceptual model that guides theory
development by means of empirical research.”
Fawcett, 1999: 1, 3-4
Philosophical
underpinning
Scientific description,
testable

20. methodology as a road map: internal logic
Fawcett, 1999: 14

21. self observation of (artistic) design process
Cross 2004
Schön, 1983
Langrish, 2000
van Maanen, 2000
Moustakas, 1990
Langer, 1989
Example 2: practice-based theoretical & methodological study
plus...
Conceptual hypothesis
& advancement
Artist guidelines
Evelyn Nyangiro 2015

22. 3. Rigour: the chain of reasoning
evaluation of quality & equity
criteria of rigour
Sciences
– validity
– reliability
– objectivity
– generalisability
Arts/Design/Humanities
– credibility
– dependability
– confirmability
– transferability
methodology as a road map: internal logic

23. paradigm
post-positivist critical constructivist
knowledge position
foundationalist contextualist coherentist
rigour
validity
reliability
objectivity
generalisability
credibility
dependability
confirmability
transferability
methodology as a road map: internal logic

24. aim/question
outcomes/
contribution
Data analysis
methods
Data
generation
methods
methodology as a road map: methods
Data
collection
methods
Interpret
data
Creative practice
artefacts &
processes

25. the research framework and its components
methodology as a road map: research framework

26. Discuss in groups…
which research methods and frameworks are
you using?

27. References: Research & Questions
Andrews, R. 2003. Research Questions. London: Continuum
Booth, W.C., G. G.Colomb, and J. M. Williams. (2003). The Craft of Research.
University of Chicago Press.
Guba,
Hart, Chris. 1998. Doing a literature search. A Comprehensive Guide for the Social
Sciences. London: Sage Publications.
Hart, Chris. 1998. Doing a literature review. Releasing the social science
imagination. London: Sage Publications.
Poggenpohl, S. 2000. Constructing knowledge of design, part 2: Questions - an
approach to design research. In D. Durling and K. Friedman (eds.), Doctoral
Education in Design: Foundations for the Future. (297-306). Staffordshire
University Press.

28. References: Research, Paradigms & Rigour
Aroni R., Goeman D., Stewart K., Sawyer S., Abramson M. & Thein F. (1999)
Concepts of Rigour: When Methodological, Clinical and Ethical Issues
Intersect. AQR, Vol. 2000. Retrieved May 20, 2007 from:
http://www.latrobe.edu/www/aqr/offer/papers/RAoni.htm
Fawcett, J. (1999). The Relationship of Theory and Research. Philadelphia: F. A.
Davis Company.
Guba, E. (1990). The Paradigm Dialog. London: Sage.
Hamberg, K., E. Johansson, G. Lindgren, and G. Westman. (1994). Scientific Rigour
in Qualitative Research—Examples from a Study of Women's Health in
Family Practice. Family Practice. 11(2): 176-181.
March, L. (1984). The Logic of Design. In N. Cross (Ed.) Developments in Design
Methodology. Chichester, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 265-276.
Tobin G.A. and Begley C.M. (2004). Methodological rigour within a qualitative
framework. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 48(4), 388–396.
Williams, M. (2001). Problems of Knowledge: a critical introduction to
epistemology. Oxford University Press.

29. References: Research Methods
Burns, Robert B. 2000. Introduction to research methods. SAGE
Gillham , Bill. 2000. Case study research methods. Continuum.
Denscombe, M. 1998. The good research guide: for small-scale social
research projects. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Feldman, M. S. 1995. Strategies for interpreting qualitative data. California:
Sage Publications.
Kvale, S. 1996. Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing.
London: Sage.
Rose, Gillian. 2000. Visual methodologies: An introduction to interpreting
visual objects. Sage. ISBN 076196665X
Tufte, E. 1997. Visual Explanations: images and quantities, evidence and
narratives. Connecticut: Graphics Press
Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research. London, UK:
Sage.