Glossary

Space:  A place available for a particular purpose; an extent, or a particular extent of time  (Random House Webster's College Dictionary). 

Place: A particular portion of space, whether or definite or indefinite extent (Random House Webster's College Dictionary).   (From class notes)  Place is experiential.

Deductive Research:  Starts with a theory and generates hypotheses that can be tested.  Observations are collected to test the hypotheses.  Conclusions drawn from the data collected can then either support the original theory or not.  ("Research Methods Knowledge Base", Social scienceresearchmethods.net, Accessed 2/12).


Inductive Research:  Research that begins with observations and measure.  Data is interpreted for patterns and regularities that can be formed into hypotheses that can be explored, leading to theories and conclusions.  ("Research Methods Knowledge Base", Socialscienceresearchmethods.net, Accessed 2/12).

Positivism: A sense of a right or wrong answer. A belief that the purpose of science is to describe the phenomena of what we experience, only what can be observed and measured. ("Positivism and Anti-Positivism", Socialscienceresearchmethods.net, Accessed 2/12).

Phenomenology:  Emphasizes subjective experiences and interpretations, interest lies is understanding how the world appears to others. ("Qualitative Approaches", Socialscienceresearchmethods.net, Accessed 2/12).

Grounded Theory:  Theory that is based or "grounded" in observation.  Research begins by considering general questions that guide the study but are not intended to be restrictive. As data collection continues, core concepts are formulated.  As research evolves, concepts become more focused and centralized. ("Qualitative Approaches", Socialscienceresearchmethods.net, Accessed 2/12).