Introduction
Throughout the course, proper analysis of how to interpret research findings has been done. As a researcher, it is possible to evaluate the legitimacy of particular outcomes as they apply to various situations. In deciding whether a specific finding is legit, there are several ways to gather relevant information that would help in decision-making. The exposure to this course has helped draw attention to applying the scientific method. Since other methods use personal judgment and feelings, the use of scientific analysis majors on facts to ensure the validity of the information. The course has helped in understanding the four primary goals of research that involve behavior description, predicting a particular pattern, and the practice and reasons behind specific conduct. Using applied and basic methods are deemed necessary to realize these goals as a researcher.
Lessons Learned: Legal and Moral issues in Research
The course has brought a proper understanding that research findings are not the only essential aspects that should be considered. Instead, there is a need for a researcher to evaluate how the research was conducted. In this case, the treatment of the research participants in various case studies should be considered. The key idea is to ensure should we get the most accurate results while providing desirable treatment of accomplices. This implies that partakers need to be informed on research aspects likely influencing their decision to participate. In addition, it is essential to ensure briefing after research is done correctly to counteract any possible ill effects of various activities. Plagiarism and fraud are also significant ethical aspects that must be considered in the analysis. In this case, researchers are warned against any act that involves falsifying information that gives unreliable results. To avoid this, the course has helped bring the need to use peer-reviewed materials. It is required that results from research be replicable by others to prevent fraud issues.
In the process of conducting research, there exists some specific set of ethical standards according to both science and God that need to be consistently respected. The text encourages researchers to use the Belmont report that gives the equal ability to all participants to abandon the study at will (Heale & Twycross, 2018). In addition, the information ensures proper pronouncement of all possible risks while eliminating any probable cause of discrimination by encouraging the fair distribution of risk to participants. The study aimed at enhancing the quality of life by discouraging any practice that seeks to diminish the well-being of people. In this regard, it is presumed that any time an individual is found to be at emotional or mental risk, there is a break of ethics.
The researcher is also alleged to have infringed the existing legal realm. Sin makes one break ethical codes and destroys Godly hope for humanity. In john 13:34, God communicates to the world, “Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another (Barker, et al., 2020).” Research was conducted to ensure world enlightenment but not to put some of God’s creations at risk. As a result, it is required that researchers need to provide proper treatment of one another with utmost love that is above their gains. From this course, it is clear that there are multiple avenues from which one can learn various unique concepts useful in research. In this regard, it is required that a researcher conducts case studies with ultimate care to avoid endangering the natural and lawful rights of others. Therefore, it is evident that research revolves around learning to relate curiosity and faith while upholding Godly standards.
Conducting Experimental Designs
The course has highlighted several factors that a researcher needs to consider when conducting research. First, one should ensure all possible efforts are implemented to eliminate confounding variables. If these are not eradicated, they will interfere with one’s research outcomes. Giving participants impromptu assignments is one effective method that would help ensure accuracy. Moreover, posttest and pretest methods would help ensure the proper introduction of variables that causes a change in dependent elements. Checking on the practice, order, and fatigue effect would also aid in research structuring to eliminate chances of confusion.
Work References
The knowledge acquired from the course has also helped in making references more manageable with the help of the available manual. The guide requires that the reference page have a bold title and be adequately centered on aligning with other paper heads. The course has also helped in bringing a clear understanding of the difference that exists between referencing and citations. Before the start of the study, the two were thought to be used interchangeably. However, knowledge attained from the course has shown that sources are primarily used in summarized or quoted materials, while references stand for the materials from which citations were generated. Moreover, the use of the APA guide helps in creating the last page of references for other used sources apart from the available textbook material and articles.
Qualitative and Quantitative
Throughout the course, the available material satisfactorily expounded the use of the two methods in question here. From the available textbook by Crawford, it is clear that qualitative observations are primarily utilized as a herald for future tests, especially those that involve empirical data (Crawford, et al., 2017). It is essential to understand that most qualitative data originates from pattern searches and naturalistic observations, mainly in past histories. On the other hand, the quantitative approach involves variable manipulation alongside statistical analysis of the gathered data. Researchers tend to use the two methods since they serve distinct purposes of appropriate data collection, research, and publication of the acquired findings. Also, a failure in either of the two methods might result in unreliable findings that would create a need for further studies or a repeat of similar research.
Case Studies
After proper interaction with the case studies, a new perception of research has been developed. One of the most significant pieces of information acquired is most case studies’ ability to avail ethical data findings, especially on queries that are unlikely to be observed. Although the research finding might not create room for general application due to an extreme case of each circumstance, researchers still have room to infer a lot from their natural settings. The acquired information can be applied in undertaking future experiments.
Genie and Phineas Gage’s research has created a new perspective on mental underdevelopment and brain functioning while upholding moral standings that did not harm the patient. The claim to apply the same case studies to the mass population remains a tentative issue. Although Phineas Gage’s studies placed the need for frontal lobe destruction, other researchers suggest otherwise (Govindan, et al., 2020). Such discrepancies have created the need for further studies on the actual reasoning for personality changes. Although a particular case study may not be entirely applicable to the general public due to increased risks of bias, they provide avenues for deliberations for the new ideas usable in research. What led to the case studies becoming more intriguing is their ability to respond to questions, enabling a conversation concerning multiple causes of particular processes or events.
Christian Approach
In the first stage of the discussion board, the researcher was drawn to focus on God’s intentions for both research and human beings. From the individual exploration and reflection of the bible readings, the book seems to warn against pseudoscience, especially on community research. The current research discussions hold no material relationship between faith and science exists. However, the Bible seems to show desirable demand on the need for research using various case studies. In this case, proverbs 2:2 suggests “Make your ears attentive to wisdom and hearts to understanding (Barker, et al., 2020).” From this reading, it is clear that the Bible seems to appreciate the need for discovery and learning.
The claim on the existing disconnection between Bible and pseudoscience originates from a perception that God warns believers to refrain from malcontent, which would make them hold on to false beliefs, misleading others. First, the researcher discovered that God aims at having believers who pursue his creative knowledge with the same vigor they have in seeking Him. In this case, the ability to conduct guided studies is among many of the God’s gifts that must be utilized for the well-being of oneself and others. However, there is a need to refrain from false research proclamations and blindly practice unfounded rumors.
The Bible guides Christians to refrain from asserting a matter before getting finer details by encouraging Christians to strive to get facts. The book of Proverbs 18:13 states, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him (Barker, et al., 2020).” This is applicable in daily life and research case studies to establish the truth of various issues. Whenever one develops a question about a particular matter, the Bible encourages Christians to conduct research instead of assuming and picking any favorable answer.
The course has significantly described how to research while ensuring the proper protection of those involved. In the book of Genesis 2:15, God ordered the man to take desirable care of all His creation and enact better ways of how this needs to be done (Barker, et al., 2020). Similarly, Jesus portrayed the need to show concern for the less fortunate in society. This cause has essentially highlighted the importance of ensuring the protection of research participants by the researchers. Apart from research findings, it is also essential to ensure the safety of the partakers alongside helping the needy in the community.
Research Synthesis Process
Synthesis involves synthesizing ideas from various sources to make a general point on a particular case study. As a researcher, below are some of the most critical processes considered in this paper synthesis:
Sources Organization
Organization of the source materials is the first step after collecting the helpful literature. This helped ensure proper alignment of various sources according to the level of their usefulness. In this case, the synthesis matrix was used due to the varied structure and purpose of references.
Structural Outline
This is the second step that helps the researcher have a clear picture of the existing differences or similarities between sources. In this step, a decision was made on how sources were grouped and the order of their utilization. Due to the length of the paper, it is divided into sections with appropriate headings. Articles were grouped into periods while identifying their shared aspects. Based on the type of research, studies were grouped, indicating emerging findings from each theory.
Topical Paragraphs
Each paragraph was seen to have different ideas derived from diverse sources, while the overall meaning of the whole set was condensed into one sentence. The topic sentence is aimed at indicating the actual meaning of the entire paragraph for a quick grasp of the content. In this case, individual words were used to show differences and commonalities from different literature. The main focus was to ensure that the reader extracts the essential information giving him the fundamental idea of the state of knowledge being communicated by the paper.
Revise, Proofread and Edit
This is the last and most crucial step for every researcher as it clarifies whether the paper meets the required standards, contains the necessary information, and explains all essential details. Revising the essay thoroughly after writing helps to eliminate possible sources of errors by ensuring proper text format is followed as required. Proofreading a research paper also aids in ensuring adequate inclusion of all necessary sections. Similarly, this helps eradicate grammatical errors that are likely to change the real meaning of research.
Conclusion
The course has significantly equipped me as a researcher to determine the research’s validity. The acquired knowledge has enabled me to identify possible confounding aspects and holes alongside the potential to exercise this ethically. As a researcher, I have also been exposed to different research methods and how to decide the best applicable technique in every case study. From the biblical perspective, it is evident that research is significantly encouraged when all ethical and legal issues are considered.
Additionally, the researcher’s knowledge has been significantly enhanced, especially in the qualitative and quantitative methods used in research alongside various studies. The course has also enabled the researcher to understand the existing biblical expectations of studies. It has helped in elaborating ethical expectations and standards of executing research by the requirements of the Christian faith. It is clear from the course that research is one of the most significant God’s gifts to His people; therefore, researchers need to extract the gift while maintaining God’s standards at the forefront.
When steering research, it is vital to ensure the study uses the correct data because of the existing bias of most information sources. This calls the researcher to stick to some particular well-identified articles or involve the participants by asking the respondents leading questions. The researcher can also assess the fitness of the report by first determining how current the source is, the author’s previous works, and the research’s purpose. These are just a few practices that would help ensure the research data is reliable for case studies. To establish the reliability of the collected data in providing dependable outcome, information acceptability criteria are put in place to ensure only the right information is used. In spite of all these practices, there still exist chances of errors that help in creating the need for further studies in the future.
References
Barker, K. L., Strauss, M. L., Brown, J. K., Blomberg, C. L., & Williams, M. (Eds.). (2020). NIV study bible. Zondervan.
Crawford, G., Jaspersen, L. J., Kruckenberg, L., Loubere, N., & Morgan, R. (Eds.). (2017). Understanding global development research: Fieldwork issues, experiences and reflections. Sage.
Govindan, K., Mina, H., & Alavi, B. (2020). A decision support system for demand management in healthcare supply chains considering the epidemic outbreaks: A case study of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 138, 101967. Web.
Heale, R., & Twycross, A. (2018). What is a case study? Evidence-Based Nursing, 21(1), 7-8. Web.