CS235 Chapter 4: Making Claims
Document Summary
Claim the central assertion of a research study. Research questions ask how a concept chosen for study can be classified or what relationship exists between various types of communication variables. Hypotheses make specific predictions about relationships between communication variables. You want to define some particular communication of cultural phenomenon, not explaining why it happens or whether it is valued positively or negatively. Empirical methods relies on measuring quantitative or numerical data, includes surveys and content analyses. Researcher begins with well-defined subject and conducts research to describe it accurately. Outcome of descriptive study is detailed picture of the subject. Found across all 3 types of paradigms. Use of description changes as we move from paradigm to paradigm. In discovery paradigm, description usually viewed as preliminary stage in research program. In interpretive paradigm, description viewed as complete process: collect 3 sets of data that reveals distinct type of claim describing observational domain, interpretive scheme, and relations between observations.
