Research Findings

MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT III MPA613 Hall #6 Section V. Research Findings

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Introduction to Hall

• Developing professional and scholarly research and writing skills

• Learning to develop proper format in formal research presentations ▫ What a research manuscript looks like ▫ Writing a research report ▫ Methods of reporting primary data collected

• Understanding the need for honor, integrity, and truth in presenting research, from a Christian worldview, for the research to be meaningful and valid

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Topics we’ll cover in Hall 5

• Developing professional research skills for success in education and work ▫ Emphasis on accuracy and validity ▫ Emphasis on competency and proficiency ▫ Emphasis on scholarship ability

• Learning to develop the proper mindset for presenting research conducted (completed)

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Hall 5 Topics - continued

• Learning to develop the proper format in presenting formal research case study presentations ▫ Consider the narrative manuscript of the completed research  Reporting the findings of research data collected and analyzed

▫ Writing the research report ▫ Consider format and methods of communicating primary

data collected and analysis in the case study presentation • Understanding the need for honor, integrity, and truth in

presenting research, from a Christian worldview, for the research to be meaningful and valid

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Hall Objectives

• To assist the graduate student in developing professional and scholarly research and writing skills

• To expose the graduate student to various formats in presenting completed, formal research projects

• To promote the graduate student’s academic and scholarly writing abilities

• To reinforce the indispensability of the Christian worldview for truth and honor in completed research case studies and avoid personal bias, distortions, and deceptions of data (information) contained in the Findings presentation

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Biblical Foundations

• “Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee” (I Kings 3:12).

• “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand

his way: but the folly of fools is deceit” (Proverbs 14:8).

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Lecture Information Begins

Writing a Research Manuscript ▫ What a manuscript looks like  Title page  Abstract  Introduction  Method  Results  Discussion  References  Appendices  Author notes

(Salkind, 2012, p. 273)

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Research Manuscripts

▫ Textbook author Neil Salkind (2012) provides a universal outline for presenting research case studies upon completion of a research project

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Research Manuscripts - continued

• Even though Salkind’s outline is adequate for presenting a completed research case study, Belhaven University has refined and modified the research case study format based on education and experience

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Research Manuscripts – Appendix D

Cover Page Executive Summary (Abstract) Case Study Presentation

I. Overview or Introduction (biblical principle)

A. Statement of Purpose (biblical principle) B. Research Question (biblical principle) C. Hypothesis (biblical principle) D. Plan of Study (biblical principle)

1. Working Objectives (biblical principle) 2. Major Descriptive Tasks (biblical principle)

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Research Manuscripts – Appendix D II. Theoretical Perspective (biblical principle)

A. Literature Review (biblical principle) Five-ten pages III. Research Methodology (biblical principle) A. Data Collection (biblical principle) 1. Data Collection Protocol (biblical principle) 2. Primary data research sources (biblical principle) 3. Secondary data research sources (biblical principle) (Generic/General types) (biblical principle) B. Data Management and Analyses (biblical principle) Discussion: how you managed and analyzed your data C. Case Study Applications – Discussion (biblical principle) 1. Advantages (primary & universal) (biblical principle) 2. Limitations (primary & universal) (biblical principle)

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Research Manuscripts – Appendix D

IV. Research Case Study Presentation (biblical principle) This is the individual research narrative story of

what the researcher did and how s/he did it. Written in the third person, past tense, it is an integration of all research components learned to- date in a completed capstone project. It is usually the most lengthy (10-20 pages), voluminous section of the completed research case study project because it is the researcher’s own research story.

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Research Manuscripts – Appendix D

V. Research Case Study Findings (biblical principle)

• First, the researcher’s primary findings must • specifically answer the research question and • the preliminary research hypothesis. • Secondarily, the individual case study • findings must agree with and reinforce the • secondary research sources (the literature • review), or disagree and refute the secondary • research sources on the research subject.

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V. Research Case Study Findings

• In the Salkind textbook, the author presents and explains two sections of the completed research case study for presenting the findings of the research: ▫ Results: what the results of the analysis were AND ▫ Discussion: time for evaluation of what has been

done

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V. Research Case Study Findings

• Belhaven University has combined Salkind’s two reporting sections (Results and Discussion) into a single section, allowing the graduate researcher to explain the techniques used to analyze the data and what the actual results of the analysis were.

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V. Research Case Study Findings

• The case study Findings section is anywhere from 8-20 pages in length, explaining exactly what the researcher found. The Findings must first be compared against the secondary research sources (the literature review), answer the research question, and the

research hypothesis of what the graduate researcher thought the research would reveal.

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Displaying Data in the Findings section

Kumar (2011), Displaying Data chapter, discusses methods and formats for displaying the data gathered during the research process. The method(s) and/or format(s) of displaying primary research data collected during the research process is usually left to the discretion of the researcher as long as the graphs, charts, and tables are not so numerous as to detract from the narrative research story. Generally speaking, no more than six (6) graphs, charts, or tables are contained in the Findings section.

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Displaying Data-continued

When the graphs, charts, and tables are so numerous that they detract from the narrative case study findings or results of the research, they are relegated to an appendix and only explained, described, or referred to in the findings section.

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Displaying Data-continued

Graphs, charts, and tables are not supposed to be so large or numerous that they detract from the research findings (analysis and results). More than six in-text graphs, charts, tables, maps, or figures, should be described or referred to in the narrative findings but placed at the back of the research case study as an appendix with explanatory detail of what they show.

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Displaying Data-continued

Kumar (2011) explains four ways of communicating and displaying data:

1. Text 2. Tables 3. Graphs; and 4. Statistical measures but maps, figures, and pictures may be used to

enhance the narrative findings

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Displaying Data-continued

When choosing visuals to imbed within your narrative manuscript, three principles apply:

1. Graphs, charts, or tables must have both a legend explaining what the figure or image represents and a scale for the horizontal and vertical axis

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Displaying Data-continued

When choosing visuals to imbed within your narrative manuscript, two principles apply:

2. If you are borrowing a graph, chart, table, picture, map, or figure from a secondary reference source, you must properly cite the reference in the American Psychological Association’s format

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Displaying Data-continued

A third principle applies when choosing visuals to imbed within your narrative manuscript:

3. The graph, chart, table, picture, map, or figure should not take-up an entire page all by itself without narrative explanation. Graphs, charts, tables, maps, and figures should augment or supplement the narrative manuscript

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Displaying Data-continued

The researcher should have no more than two visuals (graphs, charts, tables, pictures, or maps) per page, but it is even better to reserve your visual representations to one per page, within the narrative manuscript, and no more than six within your entire narrative case study findings.

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Displaying Data-continued

Visuals are not intended to take-up space for the sake of volume or size of the report. Visuals are meant to augment, supplement, or explain the narrative report. Numerous visuals (more than six) should be placed in an appendix at the end of the research case study and referred to within the narrative manuscript.

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Your Case Study Findings

• It is the most important component of your research case study. As the most important component of your research case study, it is imperative that it be accurately written, with proper grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. References must be properly cited for lending credibility to its academic scholarship. Proofread-proofread-and proofread again for accuracy.

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Your Research Findings -continued

• Your narrative explanation of what you found in your research and how you analyzed it should be truthful and honest. You are to avoid distortions, misrepresentations, personal bias, and/or deceptions.

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Your Research Findings -continued

• Remember, according to Salkind (2012, p.276), this section of the completed research case study “Now is the time for an evaluation of what has been done and a ‘measuring up’ to determine whether the reported results fit the researcher’s expectations.”…….it is here that you will find any statement as to what contribution might have been made by the current research….also the implications of the current research are discussed.”

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Recap of Hall 5

• Developing professional and scholarly research and writing skills

• Learning to develop proper format in formal research presentations ▫ What a research manuscript looks like ▫ Writing a research report ▫ Methods of reporting primary data collected

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Recap of Hall 5

• Learning to develop the proper mindset for presenting research conducted (completed)

• Understanding the need for honor, integrity, and truth in presenting research, from a Christian worldview, for the research to be meaningful and valid  Emphasis on accuracy and validity  Emphasis on competency and proficiency  Emphasis on scholarship ability

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Recap of Hall 5

• Learned to develop the proper format in presenting formal research case study presentations ▫ Consider the narrative manuscript of the completed

research  Reporting the findings of research data collected and

analyzed ▫ Writing the research report ▫ Consider format and methods of communicating primary

data collected and analysis in the case study presentation • Understanding the need for honor, integrity, and truth in

presenting research, from a Christian worldview, for the research to be meaningful and valid

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Recap of Hall 5 ▫ Consider the types of visual

representations in the narrative research case study findings for enhancing the material presented. Remember, a pictures is worth a thousand words if properly presented.  Consider format and methods of

communicating data collection results in the case study findings

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What next?

• Take the Hall Quiz • Complete your detailed reading • Answer the discussion questions • Complete the writing assignments

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References • Kumar, R. (2011) (3d ed.). Research Methodology. Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage Publications. ISBN-13: 978-184920301-2

• Salkind, N. (2012) (8th ed.). Exploring Research . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall. ISBN 13: 978-0-205-09381-6

• The Holy Bible (King James Version)

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This concludes Hall 5

▫ And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day– Isaiah 2:17

▫ And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible– Isaiah 13:11