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building blocks of theory:
- -nontology
- -epistemology
- -purposes of theory
- -focus of theorizing.
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basic tenets of three approaches to research:
- -quantitative
- -qualitative
- -critical.
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Ontology:
views of human nature
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factors on ontology
- -Determinism:
- human behavior is governed by forces beyond our control – usually the forces of biology and environment.
-Free will: we make choices about how we act within certain constraints.
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Epistemology:
ways of knowing
- -Creating meaning
- -There are multiple views of reality.
- -Standpoint affects how we interpret and understand.
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Purposes of theory:
universal laws vs. situated rules
- Universal laws
- -Holds true across time and space.
- -Good for physics and natural sciences, not so good for communication.
- Situated rules
- -Rules that guide how we act in certain situations.
- -Generally fits views of free will rather than determinism.
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Focus of theorizing:
- behavior
- -Only what we can see or observe
- -Meanings, motives, and intentions, even if they exist, aren’t measurable and are outside the realm of science.
- meaning
- -Behavior is useless unless we can
- attribute meaning.
- emancipation
- -Critique of power
- -Goal of reform
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Quantitative research
-The gathering of information that can be quantified and interpreted through statistical analysis.
-Descriptive statistics, surveys, and experiments are common.
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Qualitative research
- -About understanding more than measuring.
- -Goal is to interpret meanings and other unobservable dimensions.
- -Textual analysis and ethnography are common.
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Critical analysis
- -Difference is in goal: critiquing communication practices that oppress, marginalize, or
- otherwise harm people.
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Hypotheses:
testable predictions about relationships between communication phenomena.
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Research questions:
specify the phenomena of interest but do not predict relationships.
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Operational definition:
precise descriptions that specify how to observe the phenomena of interest.
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Hypotheses questions
- -Use a hypothesis if you have a reason to think you know the nature of the
- relationship.
- -The theory you are working with or developing may help you predict the
- relationship.
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research questions
- -Use a research question if you do not.
- -If the theory is not well tested or you are extending it, there may be no basis
- for a prediction.
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