AOD Propose a Research Topic - Education major

Week 2 –9/7/17

Recap • What are some characteristics of EMPIRICAL Research? • Why / Where could empirical research be helpful?

• Where does your “Knowledge” come from? • What is a research hypothesis?

Anatomy of a Journal Article • Abstract • Introduction

• Background, Purpose, Hypothesis/Research Question • Method

• Participants, Measures, Procedures • Results • Discussion • References

Seeking Answers to Questions Where do they come from?

• Familiar sources of information:

» Tradition—relying on past behaviors (Tenacity)

» Intuition – a hunch or ”feeling”

» Authority—seek out opinions of experts

» Common sense (Logic)—logical human reasoning

» Personal Experience / Anecdotal – Empiricism

» Rationalism – Reason or logic

» If student cheats, they don’t know answer

Why might these familiar sources on knowledge be :

• Misleading • Wrong

Where does the error come from?

Non-Directional ◦ I predict that stress and test performance will be significantly related.

Directional & Relational ◦ I predict that, as stress increases, test performance will decrease.

Directional & Causal ◦ I predict that stress causes (leads to) poor performance on tests.

Research Hypotheses

Deciding between Qualitative & Quantitative research design

Qualitative Quantitative

Population Purposeful Random

Small n Large n

Population Availability Culturally Recluse Time availability

Measure Flexible, open ended Specific, objective

Research Question Specific

Knowledge of Content Often minimal Extensive

Time / Funding Laborious Quick, Cheap (ish) snapshot

Audience

Non-testable questions 1. How do managers feel about the reorganization?

2. What do residents feel are the most important problems facing the community?

} How would you describe / convey the answers to these questions? } Main Disadvantage - No objective cut-off point / definitive answer

For example:

Testable Questions 1. Is there a significant relationship between the age of managers and their attitudes

towards the reorganization?

2. Is there a significant difference between white and minority residents with respect to what they feel are the most important problems facing the community for decision- makers.

Testable vs. Non testable

• Non Experimental • Survey • Census – everyone • Case Study

• Few cases • Longitudinal • Correlational

• Relationship of 2 Variables

• Observation (structured, naturalistic)

• Interviews (clinical, closed, open-ended)

• Experimental • Treatment given

Experimental vs. Non Experimental

Non -Experimental Causal – Comparative (Not causal) • Also called “ex post facto study” – (from after the action)

• Look back at Demographics to establish causality • Smoking - Ethical issues with experimental design

Non – Experimental research CAN be over many years or observations

As long as there is no treatment

Variables • Variable

• Characteristic of person, place, thing that can change • NOT A PERSON or # of PEOPLE

Independent (IV) & Dependent(DV) Variable • Experimental Studies

• IV manipulated and DV observed • Independent Variable causes change in the Dependent Variable

• Non Experimental Studies • IV & DV observed • Try to understand the relationship between them (correlation)

ØSending rats through a maze given different amount of food pellets

ØEffects of violent video games on children

Variables • For a variable to be suitable for scientific study, it must be observable and replicable • Observable: Can be directly or indirectly measured • Replicable: Can be consistently observed more than once

Variables • Independent

• First • Input • Predictor • Stimulus

• Dependent • Second • Outcome • Criterion • Response

• Can be: • Mutually Exclusive

• People fit into only one category • Exhaustive

• There is a response for everyone • Numeric

• A score

Experimental & Non-Experimental Research Variables Scenario –

• Experimental or Non-Experimental • Independent Variable • Dependent Variable /s

ØInterested in if free child care effects college outcomes ØDoes our team building weekend do anything? ØWhich gender drives faster? ØWhat is the relationship between depressive symptoms and athletic performance?

ØCurious about the relationship between fast food consumption & overall health

ØDoes watching the news cause increased anxiety?

Practice Scenario Exp or Non Exp IV DV

• Conceptual Definition • At the level of conceptual definition, you begin to specify the different aspects of a variable.

• Operational Definition • At the level of operational definition, you are describing how someone would know if a variable’s specific aspects are present.

• The exact method, measure, tool, that will be used in measurement.

Variable Definitions

Conceptual Math Achievement

Trust (Workplace)

Depression

Anger

Operational Score on PSSA Math

Score on the ITA (International Trust Assessment)

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale

Yelling, hitting, etc.

Variable Definition (IV or DV)

Types of Variables

Continuous and discrete variables • Continuous: Measured along a continuum at any place beyond the decimal point, meaning that it can be measured in whole units or fractional units • E.g. Olympic sprinters are timed to the nearest hundredths place (in seconds), but if the Olympic judges wanted to clock them to the nearest millionths place, they could

Types of Variables

Continuous and discrete variables

• Discrete: Measured in whole units or categories that are not distributed along a continuum • E.g. Number of brothers and sisters you have, socioeconomic class (working class, middle class, upper class)

In Groups of 3ish 1. Describe a phenomena / topic of interest 2. Identify the IV and DV in the functional relationship 3. Consider if it would be studied :

• Experimentally or Non-Experimentally 4. Give the variables clear operational definitions

• Bullying – You are interested in studying the effects of bullying and how to decrease / prevent it in workplace or scholastic settings

Questions: 1. What are one (1) directional & one (1) non-directional

research hypothesis? 2. What are the IV and DV in this scenario?

a. What might be an operational definition for these variables? 3. Is this research being done experimentally or non-

experimentally? a. How can you tell?

4. Is this a qualitative or quantitative research study? a. How can you tell?

Research Scenario Example #1

• Workplace Productivity – You are interested in the factors that influence and have relationships with employee’s productivity in the workplace.

Questions: 1. What are one (1) directional & one (1) non-directional

research hypothesis? 2. What are the IV and DV in this scenario?

a. What might be an operational definition for these variables? 3. Is this research being done experimentally or non-

experimentally? a. How can you tell?

4. Is this a qualitative or quantitative research study? a. How can you tell?

Research Scenario Example #2

Assignments • Quiz 1

• Due by 5:30 PM on 9/14 • Research Proposal Assignment

• Due by 5:30 PM on 9/21 • See .pdf on BB