Classifying Method

“Of all the courses we teach, none is more important than research methods” (Singleton and Strait, 1999, xv). Scientific theories were identified in the last chapter with scientific explanation. It was also noted that scholars can only have confidence in theories to the extent that these are logical, coherent, clear, and have been supported by evidence gathered using scientific methods. To be sure, philosophers of science, if not practicing scientists, now accept that scientific methods can neither prove nor disprove any theory (nor even any narrow hypothesis). Nevertheless, the application of scientific methods provides scientists with invaluable if imperfect evidence with which they can judge whether a theory seems to accord with reality. The key to science is the imperfect testing of theories against external reality (Polkinghorne, 1996, 18-19). Scientific theories guide scientists to ask certain research questions; 2scientific investigations in turn suggest changes to theories or perhaps even the development of new theories.