The way of a scientific theory formation
Education and Science Ministry of Ukraine
National Technical University of Ukraine «Kiev Sikorsky’s Polytechnical Institute»
Computer Engineering Department
Anatolij Mikhailovich Sergiyenko
Scientific Work Basics
Methodical Recommendations
INTRODUCTION
The students which are studied due to the Master’s education program are the young scientists. The goal of the methodical recommendations is to help for the young researcher to organize its scientific activity for preparation of the Master degree qualification work. It is important to the beginner researcher not only to know basic nethods for his scientific work, but to have the general imagination about the methodology of scientific creativity.
In the discipline "Scientific Work Basics", the methodology, methods and organization of the scientific research are considered. This helps to get some experience in the scientific research organization.
As a result of this discipline study, the students has to achieve the scientific research method, can to plan and organize the research. He would be able to formulate the goals and tasks of the research, find new scientific ideas, solve the research problems, produce new ideas, find personal solutions, generalize and systematize the scientific facts, arrange the results as the scientific reports, articles, representations.
PRINCIPLES AND CATEGORIES OF RESEARCH
Main categories
Scientific theory is the highest form of generalization and systematization of the knowledge.
Epistemology is the theory as a generalization of the results of the science history. It establishes, how the theory occurs and why it is needed.
Logic is the scientific method, which reveals the structure of the theory and its relation to other theories.
Scientific methodology determines what can be studied and how to study something with the help of the theory.
The functions of scientific theory are explanatory, predictive, actual, systematic (provides continuity of knowledge) and methodological.
The development of a scientific theory is organically linked to such factors:
- emergence of scientific ideas,
- formulation of principles, laws, concerns, regulations, categories, concepts; compilation of scientific data;
- use of axioms;
- hypotheses;
- proofs of theorems.
Scientific idea is a form of thought, which gives a new explanation of the phenomena. It is based on the knowledge that has been accumulated and reveals the previously unnoticed relations.
Scientific knowledge is the process of the birth of scientific ideas.
The idea of a scientific theory emerges as the initial idea, which combines the concept and measure of knowledge in an integrated system. It contains the fundamental law, which is based on theory, whereas in other terms only certain aspects of this law are reflected.
Principle is the main starting position of scientific theory. It appears as the first and most abstract definition of the idea as a primary form of systematization of knowledge. The principle is the starting position in the branch of science, the initial form of the knowledge systematization.
Theory is the highest form of generalization and systematization of knowledge, i.e., the doctrine, which summes up the experience, practice, and formulates the scientific principles and methods.
Scientific law reflect the significant, sustained and constantly recurring objective internal relationships between phenomena, objects, elements, qualities. The laws are based on ideas and principles. They are formulated as a certain relationship between the concepts, categories.
Category is the most common, fundamental concept that reflects the essential properties of the phenomena of reality.
The categories include the concepts, forms and content of phenomena, principles (postulates), axioms. A scientific law is a category that reflects the most significant, stable, repeatable objective internal communications.
Interpretation of the idea is the first conjecture, hypothesis formulation, preliminary conclusions that allow to interpret the knowledge. The interpretations are used in the discovery of the law and in reporting the scientific findings to other people.
The concept is an element of the statements of the scientific knowledge (as an element of the theory). It is the initial element of the theory. Every act of thought consists of concepts.
Example of the category formulation:
The algorithm is the computational process, which is defined in the computational model described by exact mathematical concepts (A. Turing).
Here "the algoritm" is a category and a concept, and the "computational process", "computer model" are concepts. Thus, the category of the algorithm is formulated as a relation between the two concepts: the defined model and the computational process, organized on it. Also, this category is the main principle and law in the computer science.
Hypothesis is a form of understanding of scientific facts, the method of the transition from facts to theory, the specific "materialization" of verbally expressed ideas. It is impossible to begin the new investigations when the respective hypothesis is absent. The hypothesis shows the purpose of the scientific searching, what and how to observe in experiments.
The hypothesis is checked first by preliminary experiments or theoretical calculations. Only then on the hypothesis basis, a plan and methodology of the scientific research is developed.
The hypothesis is argued or some adjustments are made to it, when the results of experiments are analyzed.
The hypothesis goes through three stages of its development:
1) the accumulation of factual data and assumptions on the basis thereof;
2) formulation of hypotheses, i.e. elimination of the consequences on the basis of assumptions, and deployment of the theory;
3) practical verification and refinement on the base of the test results, that is, the proof of the hypothesis.
Thus the hypothesis turns into a scientific theory. The nomination of several hypotheses, including mutually exclusive ones, are not considered to be something undesirable. It is important to set, what is the essence of the object under investigations. The presence of various hypotheses provides a comprehensive analysis, which is essential for a clear scientific generalization. If the hypothesis is proved with the help of scientific methods, it becomes a scientific theory.
The theory structure is a set of interconnected principles, laws, interpretations, regulations, concepts, categories and facts.
The necessary elements of the theory are formal calculus, scientific findings, conclusions, concepts, axioms, theorems.
The way of a scientific theory formation
The process of forming a new theory has 4 following stages:
1) The information retrieval. The actual material is collected and analyzed. The search for the relevant information allows for certain generalizations, hypothese and conclusion formings.
2) The scientific search. Such a search starts with the nomination of hypotheses which can be verified by experiments. The search results are the ideas. The search consists in ordering of results, introduction of the more exact principles, axioms, postulates, laws. The knowledge, which is obtained in this way, is only an assumption and require the practical testing.
3) The analysis and synthesis. All the experimental work of the researcher is connected with the analysis (differentiation, partitition) and the synthesis (integration, association). All kinds of mental activity are reduced by the analysis and synthesis.
The synthesis provides a formulation of concepts and categories. The synthesis in the research allows the scientist to include the ideal results, the calculation of real possibilities in the fact set, taking into account the patterns of development and functioning of the phenomena.
The synthesis type depends on the nature of the synthesized entities, methods of their association and their features.
The synthesis brings together the parts into a coherent whole, the phenomenon attributes to determine their species, the elements to determine their relationship. The synthesis is the basis of a systematic approach.
4) The formation of theory. To form a theory means to establish a logical relation between the individual generalizations, hypotheses and conclusions of a study area, to go on from the inductive assumptions to deductive conclusions.
The emergence of the theory is not just a quantitative increase in knowledge, but the qualitative change, the transition to a deeper understanding of the object essence.
The established theory solves a number of problems:
— confirms the validity of prior knowledge,
— clearly organizes the presentation of the entities and relationships between objects,
— expands, deepens and refines these ideas,
— it provides for the new developments in the study area, for the completion of all previous cognitive activities in a certain area.