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The scientific method is an orderly system of generating knowledge that uses a series of well-defined steps to achieve it. It is a method of investigating the world around us, asking questions, designing experiences and developing models that answer those questions, and making predictions that are also subjected to the scrutiny of the method. In addition, these same steps are used to verify the universality of their conclusions, and also to, where appropriate, refute them and generate new ones that are more in line with reality.
Researchers use the scientific method because it is objective and evidence-based. Proposing a hypothesis is a fundamental aspect of the method. A hypothesis can take the form of an explanation about the operation of a certain process or system, or it can make a prediction. There are several ways to break down the steps of the scientific method, but it always involves formulating a hypothesis, studying it thoroughly, and determining whether or not the hypothesis is correct, which in turn will allow new hypotheses to be raised and thus advance a knowledge generation process. scientist.
The scientific method process
The scientific method basically follows the following sequence, which can be represented by a simple flowchart.
- Make observations of systems or processes, using various techniques.
- Propose a hypothesis about its operation, based on these observations and the previous information available.
- Design and carry out experiments to verify the validity of the formulated hypothesis.
- Analyze the results of the experiments to reach a conclusion.
- Determine if the hypothesis is accepted or not, so in that case it must be rejected or reformulated.
If the hypothesis is rejected, it does not mean that the process of generating scientific knowledge has failed. On the contrary, the formulation and execution of the experimental sequence and the verification that the formulated hypothesis was not correct is part of the process of creating scientific knowledge. And, in the proposed flowchart, it indicates that you must go back to step 2 and develop a new hypothesis, now considering the previous information used to develop the new hypothesis, the result of the process that culminated in the rejection of the hypothesis. former. If the hypothesis is accepted, the flow diagram continues in the study of a new process or system, incorporating the knowledge acquired.
Advantages of applying a flowchart
Although describing the steps involved in developing an application of the scientific method is straightforward, using a flowchart helps visualize the options at each point in the decision-making process: it indicates what to do at each step and makes it easier to Experiment planning and evaluation.
An example of how to use a flowchart in the application of the scientific method
Let’s follow the steps defined in the described flowchart to develop an application of the scientific method.
The first step is to make observations of the situations, systems or processes that we want to study. Sometimes this step of the scientific method is omitted to be explicit, but the process is always started with a set of observations or records, even if they were made informally. It is important to have a complete and adequate record of the observations, as this information will be used to formulate the hypothesis.
The second step of the flowchart is to build a hypothesis . The hypothesis can be a prediction or an operating model of the system or process that we are studying, which will include the effect that a change in a certain parameter or situation of the system that is being studied will produce. The parameter that is modified to induce a change is called the independent variable , and the change that occurs according to the model that raises the hypothesis, and that is a change that must be able to be evaluated, is called the dependent variable . The hypothesis can be formulated in the format of if a certain event happens then a certain effect will occur. For example , ifthe classroom lighting is modified and red lamps are placed, then the result of the tests carried out by the students in that classroom will be worse than those carried out with normal lighting.The color of the lighting is the independent variable in this case, and the dependent variable is the score students get on the test.
The third step in the flowchart is to design and carry out an experiment to test the stated hypothesis. The approach of an adequate experimental design is essential, because a poorly designed experiment can lead the researcher to draw wrong conclusions. To see if red light worsens students’ test scores, compare test results taken in normal lighting with those taken under red lighting. The experiment must involve a large group of students taking the exam under similar conditions but divided into two groups, each group subjected to a type of lighting during the development of the exam.
The fourth step of the flowchart consists of evaluating the results of the experience; in this case, collect the test results, evaluate them for each of the two groups of students and compare the results of the tests carried out with normal lighting and with red lighting.
The fifth step is to obtain a conclusion based on the evaluation of the results of the experience. In this example, if test scores were worse when performed under red lighting, then the hypothesis is accepted. On the contrary, if the results of the tests carried out with red lighting were equal to or better than those obtained with normal lighting, the hypothesis is rejected. In this case, following the flowchart, we go back to the second step to build a new hypothesis, which must be tested with a new experiment.
The flowchart proposed here is simple, basically it is a scheme, but a more complex process may require a flowchart with more steps and different decision-making instances.
Sources
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1947). ASME Standard; Operation and Flow Process Charts. New York, USA.
- Franklin, James (2009). What Science Knows: And How It Knows It. New York, USA : Encounter Books. ISBN 978-1-59403-207-3.
- Gilbreth, Frank Bunker; Gilbreth, Lillian Moller (1921). Process Charts. American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
- Losee, John (1980). A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (2nd edition). Oxford University Press, Oxford, USA.
- Salmon, Wesley C. (1990). Four Decades of Scientific Explanation. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, USA.
