Back to the full dot-point answer
SingaporeKnowledge & InquiryQuick questions
The Independent Study and Inquiry
Quick questions on Choosing a methodology explained: H2 Knowledge and Inquiry
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is fit method to question, not question to method?Show answer
The first principle is that the research question dictates the method, not the reverse. The question determines what would count as an answer, and therefore what kind of evidence or reasoning could provide it. Choosing a method first and then bending the question to suit it is a common and serious error, because it produces a study that answers a different question from the one posed. So methodology selection begins by asking: what would it take to answer this question?
What are conceptual methods?Show answer
A conceptual or evaluative question, the kind Knowledge and Inquiry often favours, is answered by philosophical method rather than data collection. This means clarifying and defining the key concepts, reconstructing the relevant arguments and positions, evaluating them for validity and soundness, and testing principles with thought experiments and counterexamples. A question such as "does a desert-based or a need-based principle better fit our considered judgements about fair access to healthcare?" cannot be settled by a survey; it requires the analysis and argument-evaluation skills of the reasoning area.
What are empirical methods?Show answer
An empirical question, about how things actually are, calls for the collection and analysis of evidence. Qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, close textual or case analysis) are suited to questions about meaning, interpretation and the texture of experience, where the aim is depth and understanding. Quantitative methods (surveys, experiments, statistical analysis) are suited to questions about measurement, frequency and generalisable patterns, where the aim is breadth and the testing of hypotheses. The choice between them follows from whether the question seeks understanding of meaning or measurement of a pattern.
What is q1?Show answer
Explain the principle that should govern the choice of methodology and why. [6 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Distinguish when a qualitative and when a quantitative empirical method is appropriate. [6 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
State four criteria for judging whether an empirical method is rigorous and appropriate. [8 marks]
Have a question we have not covered?
This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.