Summary
Meta-science is science about science: the use of scientific methods to explain and improve how research is done. It emerged in fields such as psychology, medicine, and biology in reaction to findings that could not be reproduced or replicated. This article argues that the same problems can affect research in human resource development (HRD), and can therefore limit how far HRD research outcomes can be applied in practice.
This is a conceptual article and does not analyse a dataset. We discuss examples of meta-scientific issues and solutions that bear on the transfer of research knowledge to HRD practice. These include problems with reproducibility and replication, how the quality of scientific work is judged, applications of meta-scientific inquiry that do not depend on a particular methodology, requirements for sharing data and code, and the need to let theory guide research.
For researchers, attention to these concerns in design, conduct, and reporting should improve the replicability and reproducibility of results. For those who adopt research outcomes, knowledge of meta-scientific principles supports a healthy skepticism when deciding whether a finding is ready to guide practice or further research.
Citation
Passmore, D. L., & Chae, C. (2019). Potential for meta-scientific inquiry to improve the usefulness of HRD research outcomes for practice. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 21(4), 409–420. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422319870173
Indexed in: SCOPUS
Citation
@online{2019,
author = {},
title = {Potential for {Meta-Scientific} {Inquiry} to {Improve} the
{Usefulness} of {HRD} {Research} {Outcomes} for {Practice}},
date = {2019-11-01},
url = {https://chadchae.github.io/posts_publication/2019-11-01-meta-scientific-inquiry-hrd-research-practice/meta-scientific-inquiry-hrd-research-practice.html},
langid = {en}
}