Research Evaluation



Research EvaluationTo what extent do the scientific theories relating to the origins of the universe support or contradict the Christian beliefs of how the universe came into being, and is it possible for the two to coexist harmoniously?The focus of my research project involved looking at different perspectives of origins of the universe, specifically to what extent the scientific theories regarding the origins of the universe could coexist harmoniously with the Christian beliefs. These ideas were explored by researching various Christian beliefs and scientific theories, through conducting interviews and a survey among other research processes, to discover how they supported or contradicted each other. The result of my research concluded that it is possible for certain scientific theories and Christian beliefs to coexist harmoniously, and in fact some of them currently do. My outcome was produced in the format of a written report, which explained each of the theories and beliefs in addition to a comparative discussion identifying the key findings. (150 words)Evaluation of research processesThe following research processes were employed to gather information and assess the data to collate the key findings. This research topic lent itself to mostly gathering qualitative data. Of the many research processes undertaken, three stood out for their usefulness as well as other criteria, where the information obtained added substance and depth to the final outcome.The first research process involved conducting interviews with religious experts where evidence was obtained to support key findings. For example, ‘The Big Bang or another scientific theory could have been used by God to create the universe’, , and ‘There are several versions of the creation story that have been taken from the same text in Genesis through differing interpretations.’, , The process of gaining information via interviews was valid as the interviewees provided expert opinions based on years of experience in the field of religion. Of the individuals interviewed, two were pastors and the third completed a Bachelor of Theology. For this same reason, the information was also credible and hence reliable. Lack of scientific knowledge however, may mean the information was bias, nevertheless, this did not detract from the high relevancy of the information; as it specifically addressed my research questions regarding the Christian and scientific views of the origins of the universe.Scientific articles contained relevant information that supported key findings, including key ideas about the origins of the universe such as: ‘Scientific theories of the origins of the universe are concerned about how and when the universe was created.’, , , , The majority of scientific articles analysed were academic in nature and included explanations about scientific theories and hence may be deemed unbiased. However, during the comparison of scientific theories and Christian beliefs regarding the origins of the universe, clear bias is evident towards the scientific theories, as the arguments in favour of ‘science’ being the cause were more extensive. This research process was very valid as it provided comprehensive explanations about scientific theories and thus was used in my outcome. As the authors were experts in the field of science based on years of experience the information would be considered trustworthy.The data from a survey created to investigate people’s opinion about the origins of the universe, was limited due to participants lacking the knowledge needed to reliably answer the survey questions. The survey questions focussed on the beliefs of the responder and their opinion on scientific theories coexisting with Christian beliefs, however only obtaining twenty-seven responses, caused the data to lack credibility as the sample size was small. This research process relied on collecting potentially sensitive and or personal information regarding people’s beliefs and therefore, the information was kept private and individuals were able to leave questions unanswered if they wished. Anonymity of participants was also a factor considered and adhered to during the research. The research process although itself successful did not yield any usable, valid information, but was relevant as it influenced what information would be included in my outcome as it made obvious the lack of understanding possessed by many of the respondents. This led to the inclusion of explanations of each theory so that my report could be useful and understandable to my target audience, the general public. Each research process enhanced my research skills to varying degrees. However, the most successful process was my interviews as the primary information gained was from a reputable source, whereas my least successful process was my survey, even though it was indirectly beneficial to my outcome. Evaluation of decisions made in response to challenges and opportunitiesOne of the challenges encountered was not being able to find a suitable person to interview with a scientific background or a person who possesses knowledge about scientific theories on how the universe was created. This resulted in an unbalanced amount of primary sources, as the three interviews were conducted with experts in Christianity. To overcome any bias this might add to my outcome, an extensive amount of secondary sources relating to the scientific views were used. This also proved to be an opportunity as it allowed me to fully grasp the concept of all of the scientific views that were focussed on. This decision allowed the synthesis of information in my outcome to become comprehensive and concise.As I am a member of my local Lutheran church, an opportunity arose to use my existing network to contact and have discussions with some religious experts, , , including Dan Sawade, Pastor David Gogoll, and Dr. Mark Worthing, a pastor and lecturer at the Australian Lutheran College. My interview with Dr. Mark Worthing led me to my most important question refinement; which was the addition of asking how the scientific theories and Christian beliefs can coexist harmoniously. This allowed me to make judgments on how the scientific theories and Christian beliefs can coexist, as opposed to simply exploring the similarities and differences between the two parties.Another challenge that became evident during my research was, the bias nature of the Christian and scientific views towards each other’s view about the origins on the universe. Although the religious and scientific explanations seemed unbiased and factual when they were discussing their own explanations, more often than not, the opinions they held about each other’s views was negative. This caused difficulty in proposing a conclusion concerning how the scientific theories and Christian beliefs could harmoniously coexist, however, as each was researched independently; this challenge was overcome by comprehensively comparing the two and constructing my own unbiased conclusion. Without my opportunity of interviewing Dr. Mark Worthing, this challenge would have been more demanding, as my original question was simply comparing the two views, not researching and discussing whether or not they could coexist harmoniously.An opportunity to conduct surveys allowed me a chance to collect and collate data and make some meaning of the results. A process I had not experienced previously. However, the data I obtained was limited due to the lack of scientific knowledge by the participants. This limitation proved to have a silver lining in that as their responses demonstrated a lack of knowledge, it influenced the format of my outcome, which now includes definitions of the various theories and views to aid in the understanding of my key findings and discussion in the second part of the report.Evaluation of the quality of research outcomeMy outcome was predominantely based on secondary research, particularly the explanations of the theories and beliefs; however, primary sources provided credible opinions that were used to obtain key findings. The target audience was the general public, especially those who do not fully understand what the scientific theories and Christian beliefs regarding the origins of the universe involve. Conclusions were able to be drawn that answered my research question, but it is unlikely that my outcome will be used for further research, as the information, evidence and conclusions obtained were merely presented in the form of a report. As further scientific research is conducted on the origins of the universe, new theories will be postulated and the debate between science and religion will change once again, rendering my outcome out-dated. From my research it can be concluded that the origins of the universe are unknown and while it is unlikely that the true origin of the universe will ever be discovered, theories and beliefs will continue to be challenged and supported by new theories and beliefs as they are formed.I chose to research the origins of the universe, as growing up in a Lutheran household, any scientific theories that disregarded God as the Creator were rejected. This biased view resulted in a lack of knowledge about the different theories of how the universe came into being and as I am interested in the field of science, I wanted to learn more about these theories and why they were rejected. The capability which was improved the most during my research project was literacy. I learnt and improved on my ability to communicate through new ways such as using surveys and conducting interviews, which led to the use of primary information, which was also a new experience. I was able to understand how different text types have different features during the analysis of the sources I used in my outcome, and as this understanding grew; my analysis of new sources became more in-depth and useful. This helped me obtain more reliable and valid information with ease, so that key findings could be discovered and that my outcome could be appropriately referenced with evidence to back up my claims. Word Count: 1479Reference ListBooksRoss, H?2001,?The Creator and the Cosmos: How the greatest scientific discoveries of the century reveal God,?3rd?edn,?Reasons to Believe,?Colorado Springs, COVerma, S?2005,?The Little Book of Scientific Principles, Theories and Things,?5thedn,?New Holland Publishers,?Sydney, NSWYouTubeReich, H?2013,?Science, Religion, and the Big Bang,?online video,?19 August, accessed?4 February 2015, <, R & Milne, R?1998,?Christian Views on Science and Earth History,?Probe Ministries, accessed?19 March 2015, <, P?2014,?Pope Francis’s comments on the Big Bang are not revolutionary. 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