Communication and Investigation

Communication and Investigation

Miguel D’Addario

European Community

2022

Table of contents

Author

Introduction

Research

Communication and socialization

Pragmatic research

Glossary of key terms

Applied research

Bibliography

Author

Miguel D’Addario is Italian, Molise, Colletorto and was born in Buenos Aires. He’s got a degree in Journalism, a master’s in social education, a Master in Sociology, and a Doctorate in Social Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has developed his experience in various fields of teaching, from Professional Training to University level, both in Latin America and in Europe. He is also an Industrial Engineer (UNC), Senior Technician in Industrial Equipment, Maintenance and Management. And AutoCAD instructor, 3D, and modeling. He has published about a hundred books, mostly technical educational for all levels. His books can be found in different study centers and libraries around the world, such as San Pablo University in Peru, Santo Domingo University in the Dominican Republic, San Gregorio University in Ecuador, University of Valencia, National Library of Spain, National Library of Argentina, University of Texas, University of Toronto, University of Deusto, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, Libraries of the Community of Madrid, Castile and lion, Andalusia, and the Basque Country, British National Library, Harvard University, Library of Congress of the United States. A PhD and essayist, he has received awards and mentions from Writers' Associations, Cultural Centers, Universities, and related venues. Also, as speaker, lecturer, and researcher, in universities, educational centers, public and private. Author of art books: Poetry, Storytelling and Stories. Author of educational books, of various levels and topics. Author of books on philosophy, ontology, and metaphysics.

Author of books on Self-Help and Coaching. His books are distributed on the five continents, they are often consulted in Libraries around the world and are listed in catalogues, ISBNs, and bibliographical international databases. They are translated into multiple languages and can be found in international bookstores, both in hard copy and in electronic form.

Introduction

We teachers are often faced with the task of instructing our students to investigate a subject or a problem. This seems to us to be a natural and constant feature of our teaching work, regardless of the field of learning or discipline in which we work. We assume that students know exactly what we are talking about, and we hope that they will live up to our own expectations regarding the final work they should deliver. Sometimes only a few fairly general indications are given to them. It is not strange either, that at the time of the subsequent correction of these research works, without further effort, we can identify the source from which the information was extracted. When we face with the task of developing investigative skills in our students, when we want to encourage students independent work, when we look for strategies to create spaces where they are active subjects in the construction of knowledge; that is where the need for new tools arises. This Student’s Research Manual is intended to be a help for both teachers and students, a starting point in this teaching strategy that is intensified with the implementation of the new curriculum and the development of the Learning Resources Centers (LRC) in high schools, and that, if used well, opens up enormous and unsuspected learning opportunities. This Research Manual serves as a reference for work in any of the subjects or areas of learning, as it includes models for conducting research through various alternatives; this does not mean that it is a manual on how to write a research paper. For most students, research work has become synonymous with transcribing or photocopying information from an encyclopedia, newspaper or journal article or specialized text. They use tricks such as double space, the larger typeface or abundant illustrations to make the work they have done appear more forceful, leaving out, incidentally, the core of the sense of research: to contribute new knowledge. There is nothing more interesting and appealing to anyone than to make a new discovery or to contribute new knowledge. Suddenly, it seems to us that research is a big word reserved only for scientists locked up in their labs or looking through the planet in search of a new and strange species. Nothing further from what we understand today by research. Providing new knowledge on a topic or a given subject is to bring to light a set of relationships between ideas, concepts or meanings that have not been previously explained or recorded. This can be done by students as well as by teachers, and by scientists who are on the frontier of knowledge.

After talking with the teacher about the choice of the subject and possible ideas and contributions, the bibliographic search begins at the high school LRC. New areas of search and interest are opened up there: you can browse the Internet; look for articles in journals or newspapers on the most diverse subjects; encyclopedias offer unsuspected alternatives of information. It will also be very useful for those who work professionally in the field of research to know the methods and procedures for conducting research in any professional field.

Research

Research is considered an activity aimed at obtaining new knowledge and its application to solve problems or questions of a scientific nature. Scientific research is the general name given to the complex process in which scientific progress is the result of applying the scientific method to solve problems or try to explain certain observations. Similarly, technological research uses scientific knowledge to develop soft or hard technologies, as well as cultural research, which focuses on studying culture, as well as police-technical research, detective and police research and educational research.

Types of research

According to the object of study

Basic research

It is also called fundamental research or pure research. It seeks to increase theoretical knowledge, without being directly concerned with its possible applications or practical consequences; it is more formal and pursues generalizations with a view to developing theories based on principles and laws.

Applied research

It is the use of knowledge in practice, to apply it, in most cases, for the benefit of society. An example of it are the clinical research protocols.

Analytical research

It is a more complex procedure than descriptive research and consists mainly of comparing variables between study and control groups. In addition, it refers to the proposition of hypotheses that the researcher tries to prove or invalidate.

Field research

It is applied research to understand and solve some situation, need or problem in each context.

The researcher works in the natural environment in which people live and relies on the collection of data and the sources consulted, from which they will obtain the data and representations of non-experimental scientific organizations aimed at discovering relationships and interactions among sociological, psychological and educational variables in real and everyday social structures.

Depending on the size of the study

Census research

It is one the object of study of which is a large group of individuals.

Case investigation

In this type of research, the researcher focuses exclusively on a particular case where different variables may be available to reaffirm or discard their theories.

According to the variables

Experimental research

It is presented by manipulating an unproven experimental variable, under rigorously controlled conditions, to describe how or why a particular situation or event occurs.

Quasi-experimental research

It is a type of research that does not assign subjects to chance, but works with intact groups, it is based on the principles found in the scientific method.

Simple and complex research.

Depending on the level of measurement and analysis of information

Quantitative research (to be seen in later chapters)

Qualitative research (Idem above)

Qualitative-quantitative research (Idem above)

Descriptive research

Also known as statistical research, data are described, and this should have an impact on the lives of people around. For example, the search for the most common disease affecting children in a city. The reader of the research will know what to do to prevent this disease, therefore more people will live a healthy life.

Explanatory research

Explanatory research seeks the reason of the facts through the cause-effect relationship

Exploratory research

Inferential research

Predictive research

Technological research

Systemic research

Depending on data collection techniques

Highly structured research

Low-structure research

Participating research

The observer interacts dynamically

Participatory research

The observer collects data without making a value judgement that might compromise the research

Projective research

Also known as a feasible project, it consists of developing a proposal or model to solve a problem. It tries to answer questions about hypothetical events of the future (hence its name) or the past based on current data. Research for inventions, programs, designs are