There are six basic
characteristics, or tenets, that distinguish the scientific method from other
methods of knowing. A research approach that does not follow each of these
tenets is not a scientific approach.
1.
Scientific research is public: Advances in science
require freely available information. Researchers, especially in the academic
sector cannot plead private knowledge, methods, or data in arguing for the
accuracy of their findings; scientific research information must be freely
communicated from one researcher to another.
2.
Science is objective: Science tries to rule out
eccentricities of judgment by researchers. When a study is conducted, explicit
rules and procedures are developed and the researcher is bound to follow them.
3.
Science is empirical: Researchers are concerned with a word
that is knowable and potentially measureable. Empiricism comes from the Greek
work for ‘experience’. Researchers must be able to perceive and
classify what they study and reject metaphysical and nonsensical explanations
of events. To do this, they must define problem they are researching.
There are two basic types of
definitions – Constitutive definitions
and Operational definition.
Constitutive Definition – It defines a word
by substituting other words or concepts for it. For example, the definition for
a Mobile may be a technological device which can receive signals from far
regions through towers and let people communicate with each other.
Operational Definition – In contrast to
constitutive definition, operational definition specifies procedures that allow
one to experience or measure a concept. For example, Go to the shopping mall
and find a mobile phone shop. Look for the sign ‘mobile phone’; what’s
underneath the sign is a mobile phone. Although the operational definition
assures precision, it does not guarantee validly. This is because it is
possible that the shopkeeper kept a pen drive beneath the sign instead of a
mobile phone. This possibility of error underscores the importance of
considering both the constitutive definition and the operational definition of
a concept to evaluate the trustworthiness of any measurement.
Any question can be answered as long as
there as operational definitions for the independent or dependent variables.
4.
Science is systematic and cumulative: No single research study
stands alone, nor does it rise or fall by itself. Researchers always use
previous studies as building blocks for their own work. One of the first steps
in conducting research is to review the available scientific literature on the
topic so that the current study will draw on the heritage of past research. This
review is valuable for identifying problems areas and important factors that
might be relevant to the current study.
In addition, scientists attempt to
search for order and consistency among their findings. In its deal form,
scientific research begins with a single carefully observed event and
progresses ultimately to the formulation of theories and laws.
A Theory is a set of related propositions that presents a systematic
view of phenomena by specifying relationships among concepts. Researchers develop
theories by searching for patterns of uniformity to explain their data. When relationships
among variables are invariant under given conditions, researchers may formulate
a law.
A Law is a statement of fact meant to
explain, in concise terms, an action or set of actions that is generally accepted
to be true and universal.
Both theories and laws help researchers
for and explain consistency in behavior, situations, and phenomena.
5.
Science is predictive: Science is concerned
with relating the present to the future. In fact, scientists strive to develop
theories because, among other reasons, they are useful in predicting behavior. A
theory’s adequacy lies in its ability to predict a phenomenon or event successfully.
A theory that offers predictions that are not borne out by data analysis must
be carefully reexamined and perhaps discarded. Conversely, a theory that
generates predictions that are supported by the data can be used to make
predictions in other situations.
6.
Science is self-correcting: The scientific method
approaches learning in a series of small steps. That is, one study or one
source provides only an indication of what may or may not be true; the ‘truth’
is found only through a series of objective analyses. This means that the
scientific method is self-correcting in that changes in thoughts, theories, or
laws are appropriate when errors in previous research are uncovered.
YouTube video on communication research:
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