nd Role of Theory in Scientific Research Lecture byDr. .pptVIP

* The Nature and Role of Theory in Scientific Research Lecture by Dr. Charles R. Hildreth Palmer School of Library and Information Science September 7, 2006 ? ? The primary goal of science is to formulate and affirm theories that enhance our understanding of the social and natural worlds in which we live.” (CRH) SCIENCE ? ? RESEARCH ? ? SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ? (The Process/Method) ? SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ? ? ? ? SCIENCE AS DATA GATHERING ? ? Observe/Look About ?Measure Gather Empirical Data Report Data Findings (Does this sum it up?) ? ? SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS NOT: 1. Not mere information gathering (At the library, in the encyclopedia, on the Internet) 2. Not mere observation, however precise 3. Not transporting known facts via a paper 4. Not rummaging through files and archives for information 5. Not a propaganda word to support unscientific claims ? SCIENCE, A WAY OF KNOWING ? ?Preamble ? All those involved with science teaching and learning should have a common, accurate view of the nature of science. Science is characterized by the systematic gathering of information through various forms of direct and indirect observations and the testing of this information by methods including, but not limited to, experimentation. The principal product of science is knowledge in the form of naturalistic concepts and the laws and theories related to those concepts. () A science, from the Latin, scire, to know, is a body of knowledge that is constructed via observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and logic for the purpose of explaining and predicting events or behavior. Observation, experimentation and critical reasoning all play crucial roles in the advancement of scientific knowledge. A discipline is widely regarded as a science if its practitioners apply the scientific method. According to falsificationists, this involves the formation of a testable hypothesis, followed by ongoing attempts to refute this hypothesis via critical reasoning, experimenta