.jpg){kind=small}
University of Florida, CJC Online, Mass Communication Theory, MMC6400.
“Most new discoveries are suddenly-seen things that were always there,” Suzanne K. Langer (1967).
Scientists and theorists advocate that all global progress is inspired by research. How can research become a creative force in understanding ourselves, the world around us, and our place in it?
Fakhar Naveed defines research as “creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase knowledge of humans, culture, and society." Research, Importance of Research, Aims and Motives.
Creative is not a word generally associated with research. Instead, the term research evokes images of dusty tomes stacked in dark library basements or Jane Goodall living with the wild Chimpanzee of Tanzania. Both mental images contain limiting misconceptions.
Both science-based and interpretive approaches propose that problems must be defined before solutions may be designed.
Today, one relevant area of research is mass communication. As new technologies penetrate every aspect of our lives, our world increasingly needs researchers in the mass communication field to design timely research studies.
For example, the storming of the Capitol building in DC on Jan. 6 raises many questions about US political division, the effects of social media, and the state of American democracy.
While many Democrats felt their freedom was under attack, American Free Press reporter Donald Jeffries suggests “what happened on Jan. 6 has been ludicrously turned into another Pearl Harbor and continues to be invoked as a warning to anyone fed up with the crimes and corruption of our leaders.”
The study of current media events is imperative for developing a deeper understanding of society’s issues. As the use of new technologies and social media increases, we need researchers in the mass communication field to design studies that seek why people are using these devices, how they use them, and what effects this has on society.
The result of these studies? A demand for change, innovation, and discovery.
There are two different approaches to designing research studies. Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research | Differences & Methods
Science-Based or Quantitative Approach
Quantitative Research Article-2020 "Popular Music as Entertainment Communication: How Perceived Semantic Expression Explains Liking of Previously Unknown Music" by Steffen Lepa, Jochen Steffens, Martin Herzog & Hauke Egermann Media Communication Journal Volume 8, Issue 3, pages 191 - 204 Cogitatio Press.
Quantitative research is expressed in numbers and graphs. It is used to test or confirm theories and assumptions. This type of research establishes general facts about a topic.
Common quantitative methods include experiments, observations recorded as numbers, and surveys with closed-ended questions.
In this example, a 2020 research study hypothesizes that unknown music is "liked" when it is perceived as emotionally and semantically expressive. Quantitative research methods were used to perform secondary analysis on pre-existing data from an EU-funded R&D project. The authors' hypotheses were tested using a clockwise ordinal logistic regression model.
Four hypothesis questions were posed, followed by four research questions.
Results obtained confirmed the authors' assumption concerning the obsolescence of genre labels for explaining musical liking.
The study's findings suggest that musical expression is a legitimate field of research for applying communication theory.
'Cognitive side effects' related to familiarity, popularity, and prominence were found to play an essential role.
Music's perceived expression of effect and values best explains why individuals enjoy previously unknown music.
While interesting, this article was very dry and difficult to read. The presentation of information was not intuitive nor easily understood by someone lacking a background in statistical analysis. Instead, tangential personal research inspired by the original article was more intriguing.
Interpretive or Qualitative Approach
Qualitative Research Article-2021
“Exploring the aids of social media for musical instrument education” by Sum Yi Lei, Dickson K.W. Chiu, Mavis Man-wai Lung, and Cheuk Ting Chan International Society for Music Education (ISME) Volume 39, Issue 2, pages 187 - 201 SAGE publications.
Qualitative research is expressed in words. It is used to understand concepts, thoughts, or experiences. This type of research gathers in-depth insights on exploratory topics.
Common qualitative methods include interviews with open-ended questions, observations described in words, and literature reviews that explore concepts and theories.
This 2021 study used the phenomenology approach by interviewing eight teachers about their personal experiences during face-to-face sessions. Their findings prove that social media is an indispensable tool for music education.
This study separated collected data into five themes for analysis.
The collected information was analyzed using the thematic analysis approach.
Interviews were transcribed and participants' views were summarized into five different emergent themes.
Coding was used to analyze the qualitative data.
The authors advocate that "conducting interviews is an excellent way to investigate complicated research topics to provide more valuable and richer information than quantitative methods offer at the exploratory stage."
I found this article very interesting and easy to read. The individual experiences shared by each interviewee proved helpful for understanding the benefit of virtual tools and made it easy to apply the techniques to my own music studio practice.
Prior to the Covid19 pandemic, I had not utilized any social media tools in my teaching studio. Moving forward, I will apply several social media tools mentioned in this article to my virtual teaching technical repertoire.
Which research method is clearer or more powerful than the other: Quantitative or Qualitative?
Overall, I felt more convinced by the qualitative research presentation. While quantitative data carries more authority, the broad numerical approach prevents data from being understood on a basic human level.
Which method is more effective?
The method which connects to our human experience: sharing personal stories.
Storytelling to foster change has a deep tradition in human history. Modern technology has changed us, but ultimately humanity still responds to empathy and understanding created by the poignant expression of personal experience. The interpretive method is more powerful.
In a July 12, 2021 article by David Marchese for The New York Times Magazine, Jane Goodall (87) was interviewed on "stories of our natural world." In this interview, the famous scientist emphasized the need for persuasion through storytelling.
"Projects of restoration, rescue, and people tackling the impossible...they’re what gives people hope. If you don’t have hope, why bother? Why not eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die?" - Jane Goodall, 2021
Like Jane Goodall, I believe that storytelling is a powerful way forward for scientific research. To effectively communicate essential quantitative data requires a different way of presenting science-based information, through narrative science or data storytelling.
Consider, how do people interact with technology today?
For most, technology takes the form of Spotify, Alexa, and Netflix. Humans love these interactive tools because they are fast, personalized, and require minimal effort.
Narrative science is a tool that transforms empirical research into plain-English stories, providing insights that are easy to understand and that quickly reach the heart of any topic.
"People have to change gradually. If you tell people, “You’ve got to stop doing that,” they immediately don’t want to talk to you. The main thing is to keep a channel open. Young activists, they’re inexperienced and demand something. I say: talk about how the issue is affecting you. How you feel about it. That’s the way forward." - Jane Goodall, 2021
THE RISE OF DATA STORYTELLING
Surveys and content analysis can provide statistics to determine the Jan. 6 rally-turned-rioter demographics. But empirical data cannot describe what it felt like to hear Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and to march with the mob down the DC mall to the Capitol building.
Numbers cannot help us understand the context of pushing past police officers, breaking windows, and entering the US Capitol. Closed-ended surveys do not help us empathize with insurgents' motivations.
Why is this important?
Effective solutions to the world's problems cannot be designed without understanding and empathy.
By employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, researchers explore deeper lines of questioning. Asking deeper questions helps the world find better solutions to global problems. The realization of human potential depends on continuous efforts toward social and economic progress through quality research studies.
Questions
Which research method seems easier to understand?
Jane Goodall advocates the way forward lies in talking about how we feel about global issues. Do you agree?
Are our new theoretical discoveries merely suddenly-seen things that were always there?
Share your thoughts.
Comentários