SI-5098 / TL-5098 / KL-5098METODOLOGI PENELITIANFakultas Teknik Sipil dan LingkunganINSTITUT TEKNOLOGI BANDUNGPENELITIAN: SUATU KEGIATAN ILMIAH

Todays TOPICS *Research as (part of) Scientific EndeavorResearch Basic

Research: the scientific approach*It (science) is not perfect. It is only a tool. But it is by far the best tool we have, self-correcting, ongoing, applicable to everything. It has two rules. First: there are no sacred truths; all assumptions must be critically examined; arguments from authority are worthless. Second: whatever is inconsistent with the facts must be discarded or revised.

Carl Sagan, in Cosmos, 1980

The Philosophy of ScienceSCIENCE is a systematic approach to the discovery of knowledge based on a set of rules that defines what is acceptable knowledge.PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE is any set or rules that defines what is acceptable knowledge.There are disagreement amongst scientists.Questions on Philosophy of Science:When is something true?How can we tell which one is better, if we have more than one explanation?How can we put what we know into practice?Why do we do it the we do? What justify our approach?

*Francis Dane

Theory, Paradigms & HypothesisTheory is a system of ideas for explaining something; the exposition of the principlesTheory is used to facilitate predictionScientific theory must be testable empirically

Paradigm is a theoretical framework which includes a system by which people view event; a logical system that encompasses theories, concepts, models, procedures, and techniques

Hypothesis is a provisional explanation of anything; a statement that describes the relationships between variablesshould be testableshould be positiveshould be expressed in clear and simple language*

Epistemology and OntologyEpistemology the theory of knowledge embedded in the theoretical perspective (and thereby in the methodology)Ontology claims and assumption that are made about the nature of social reality, claims about what exist, what it looks like ontological assumptions are concerned with what one believe constitutes social reality.Why do we study Epistemology and Ontology?To understand he relationship of research key components To avoid confusion when discussing the theoretical debates and approachesTo be able to recognize others and defend ones position*

When is Something True?The question of RATIONALE INFERENCE the difficulty inherent in supporting any claim about the existence of a universal truth.Solution to rationale inference problem must be based on FACTS phenomenon of characteristics available to anyone who knows how to observe them.Summary of facts is called THEORY. Theories are made up of CONCEPT abstraction that represents concrete PHENOMENAProblem fitting FACTS into THEORYINDUCTIVE REASONING a process of generalization: it involves applying specific information to a general situation of future events*

Reasoning: nature of argumentargument a reason or a series of reasons to support an opinion or assertionsyllogismconsists of (major) premise, (minor) premise, and conclusiondeductive argument (deduction)a conclusion is derived from a set of premiseif the argument is valid, then the conclusion is 100% certainit is conclusive but not creative or imaginativeinductive argument (induction)premises are attempted to be derive from conclusionsthe conclusions are not certain (inconclusive)

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The Hypothetico-Deductive Method(example of research approach)The seven stepsObservationPreliminary Information GatheringTheory FormulationHypothesizingFurther Scientific Data CollectionData AnalysisDeduction*

How can we tell which theory is better?Theories must be tested against its otherCRITERIA FOR GROWTH finding standards that can be used to decide one theory (explanation) is better than the otherTo test a theory, we one must agree that it falls in the same PARADIGM a logical system that encompasses theories, concepts, models, procedures, and techniques group of related theories.Data against which the theory is being tested must be OBJECTIVE observation can be replicated, can be observed by more than one person under a variety of different conditions

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How can we put what we know into practice?There is no absolute truths. positivsm The answer to that question is to PRAGMATIC ACTION determining how we should go about practicing a scientific approach into practice.To decide what action to take (which theory to be used) is determined based on the consensus amongst researchers/ scientists or the majority of them. Here, the more researchers produced the same result, the higher the agreement that the results are the fact that fit with the theory.Yet, due to various reasons, the objectivity sometimes remains arguable.

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How do we justify the scientific approach?Again, there is no absolute truths. All and all, is having a consensus justified? If everyone is doing the same thing, do you have to do the same, even if it would kill you?INTELLECTUAL HONESTY the ability of individual scientist to justify the use if science itself.To some extent this situation deals with the ethic of research

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NowWhat do we know about research..? And how that relates to scientific works?What issues relevant to that matter?*

Nature of ResearchCharacteristic of scientific researchcareful search, investigation, seeking answer to (a) question (s)systematically adds/contributes to knowledgefor PhDs, research makes an original (incremental) contribution

*Research is a critical process of asking and attempting to answer questions about the world.

Research Cycle System

IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

Hypothesis Formulation

Identification of Main Data

Data Acquisition

Relevant Information Review

Analysis

RELEVANT THEORY

Established Body of Knowledge

Expansion, Revision

New Theory

New Knowledge

RESEARCH

OUTPUT

Doing Research Research can be done individually or in collaborationIt serves as means to satisfy Researchers individual needs and/or curiosity (R for the sake of R)Organizations needSocietys needs Industrys needs and/or expectation*

Innovation Agent FormsIn-house R&DExisting-IAVenture-IAConsortium-IAStart-Up CompanyConsortiumUniversity-Industry R&D collaboration*

Question How do you position your self?What is your objective or purpose of doing research?*Do your answers to those questions relevant to academic or scientific community?

WHAT IS RESEARCH?*

Research BasicWhat is research, and where does it come from?Research characteristicsResearch projectSource of research projectsElement of research proposal

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Research is NOTResearch is not information gatheringGathering information from text book and magazineDoes not contribute to new knowledge

Research is nit the transportation of factsSimply transporting facts from one source to another isnt research Although make existing knowledge more accessible, still nothing new*

Research is . systematic process of collecting and analyzing data/information in order to improve our understanding of the phenomenon about what we are concerned of interested.*

Research Methodology 1*Research Methodology 1