Different but not new By Prof Dr Sohail Ansari
Nissim Rejwan asserts that, "violence and cruelty are not in the spirit of the Quran, nor are they found in the life of the Prophet, nor in the
lives of saintly Muslims." Charles Mathewes characterizes the peace verses
as saying that, "if others want peace, you can accept them as peaceful
even if they are not Muslim."
New but not different
·
If new dish can be enjoyed according to established expectations
for satisfaction, it is either new but not different or different but not new.
Quote:
· Experience without theory is blind, but theory
without experience is mere intellectual play. Immanuel Kant
What is difference between theory and
previous studies?
For building hypotheses, do previous studies mean theory?
Michael E.
DeBakey VA Medical Center
Most of the
time previous studies mean exactly that: studies published were disseminated in
the past that report results of research findings. This could mean the authors tested
a specific hypothesis, test the tenets of the theory, or tried to
answer a specific research question. For the
most part studies are published in peer-reviewed journal articles; however
research findings are also sometimes disseminated as standalone monographs,
independent reports, or as books or chapters in books.
a detailed written study of a single
specialized subject or an aspect of it.
"they are
publishing a series of monographs on music in late medieval and Renaissance
cities"
able to operate
independently of other hardware or software.
"a
stand-alone application"
a principle or belief,
especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.
"the tenets of classical liberalism"
propose to offer or suggest a possible plan or action for other people to consider: She
proposed a boycott of
the meeting.
Meta-analysis definition: A subset of systematic
reviews; a method for systematically combining pertinent qualitative and
quantitative study data from several selected studies to develop a single
conclusion that has greater statistical power.
On the other
hand, theories are proposed explanations of observed phenomena or relationships, usually based on some systematic
analysis of the existing literature, or on the preponderance of evidence
observed in case studies. To give you a concrete example, take a look at Kluger
and DeNisi 1996 (Psychological Bulletin). This is a great example of both a
previous study and a theory. In this paper, the author started by asking the
research question does feedback always have a
positive effect on performance? They did a meta-analysis
of studies, and found that in approximately 40% of the cases the answer was no.
This part of the paper contains empirical evidence, and would be considered
reporting research findings. They then go on to review the research literature,
summarizing and synthesizing what is known about feedback and how it works, and propose what they called
"feedback intervention theory" to explain
the conditions under which feedback works best in the conditions under which feedback
doesn't work as well. This part of the paper is clearly
the proposition of a theory. Last but not least, they test the tenets of the
theory they have just proposed by conducting a second meta-analysis of the
literature, and finding that many of the explanatory
mechanisms they proposed in their theory are in fact
responsible for the differences in feedback effectiveness observed in the
literature. This last piece of the paper would also be considered reporting of
research findings.
Hope that
helps!
Explanatory mechanism. any scientific account of the causal
factors (or 'causal powers') underlying a general phenomenon, e.g. 'natural
selection' (in EVOLUTIONARY THEORY), or contradictory modes of production and
class conflict (in MARXISM).
Birkbeck,
University of London
Depending on what you mean by "previous
studies" the answer can be either yes or no.
Yes: If you refer to the theory and explanations that previous studies are supporting
No: If you refer to the results of previous studies. Since theory is the explanation of a phenomenon/event/etc, the results themselves do not
constitute an explanation and therefore would not be considered a theory.
University
of Malta
I agree with
Sylvia's answer. I would like to add that when reviewing
previous studies, one should assess the level
of evidence that is provided.
The following
editorial in THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY for example classifies types of studies according to the level
of evidence.
Independent
Researcher
1. Previous
studies may have been reviews, meta studies or practical reporting, in which case they are not theory rich.
2. Your hypotheses do not necessarily have to come
from previous studies. If this was so, there will never be a revolution in research.
3. Previous
studies might be contradictory. In that case some theory need to be developed
to overcome this impasse.
Meta studies
Definition. A subset (a part of a larger group of related
things) of systematic reviews; a method for systematically combining pertinent
qualitative and quantitative study data from several selected studies to develop a single
conclusion that has greater statistical power.
HP Inc.
Previous
studies can refer to many materials inclusive articles, conference proceedings, theses, monographs,
books etc being published in the similar domain you are studying right now. These materials likely to contain research problem,
research objectives, literature review on previous theoretical frameworks,
hypotheses (if quantitative research), findings, discussions, conclusions etc.
Theory refers to the theoretical frameworks, empirical tested models etc. that
your current study is trying to underpin on. Without them, the study is
at risk and might not survive or staying afloat upon challenging / questioning by authority / scholars in the
related domain.
Hypotheses
building are derived from your current conceptual framework / research
model and not from previous studies nor theoretical frameworks etc.
However, your current conceptual framework or
research model is adapted / derived / based on / underpinned on the
previous theoretical frameworks etc.
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