creswell chapter 7
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Chapter7Creswell.pptChapter 7
Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Introduction
- Placing signposts for the reader
Purpose statement
Research questions or hypotheses
- Research questions narrow the purpose statement
Qualitative research questions
Quantitative research questions and hypotheses
Mixed methods research questions
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Qualitative Research Questions
- Qualitative researchers pose research questions
Not objectives
Not hypotheses
- Two forms of qualitative research questions
Central question
- Broad question that asks for exploration of the central phenomenon
Subquestions
- Questions that narrow the focus of the study
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Qualitative Research Questions
- Ask 1–2 central research questions
Broad and ask for exploration of the central phenomenon or concept
Explore the general, complex factors about to the central phenomenon
Present broad perspectives or meanings
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Qualitative Research Questions
- No more than 5–7 subquestions these will narrow the focus but leave open the questioning
- Relate the central question to the strategy of inquiry
Ethnography – culture sharing group, questions verify accuracy of data
Critical ethnography – build on an existing literature
Phenomenology – what participants experienced
Grounded theory – generate a theory
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Qualitative Research Questions
- Begin with “what” or “how” to convey an open or emerging design
- Focus on a single phenomenon or concept
- Use exploratory verbs: report, describe, discover, generate, explore
- Avoid directional words, like affect, influence, impact, determine, cause, relate
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Qualitative Research Questions
- Expect questions to evolve and change
- Use open-ended questions without reference to the literature or theory (unless indicated)
- Specify the participants and research site
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Qualitative Research Questions
_________ (How or what?) is the _________ (“story for” for narrative research; “meaning of” the phenomenon for phenomenology; “theory that explains the process of” for grounded theory; “culture-sharing pattern” for ethnography; “issue” in the “case” for case study) of _________ (central phenomenon) for _________ (participants) at _________ (research site).
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Qualitative Research Questions
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Example 7.1 A Qualitative Central Question From an Ethnography Study
Qualitative Research Questions
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Example 7.2 Qualitative Central Questions From a Case Study
Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Quantitative research questions
About the relationships among variables that the investigator seeks to know
- Quantitative hypotheses
Predictions about the expected relationships among variables
Estimates of population values based on data from a sample
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Quantitative objectives
Indicate a study's goals
Often in proposals for funding, less common in health and social sciences
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
Quantitative research question describing outcomes:
What is the frequency and variation of scores on ____________ (name the variable) for ______________(participants) in the study?
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
Quantitative research question focused on examining the relationship among variables:
Does _________ (name the theory) explain the relationship between _________ (independent variable) and _________ (dependent variable), controlling for the effects of _________ (control variable)?
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
Quantitative null hypothesis:
There is no significant difference between _________ (the control and experimental groups on the independent variable) on _________ (dependent variable).
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Three basic approaches
Compare groups
Relate variables
Describe responses
- Most rigorous form tests a theory
- Measure the independent and dependent variables separately
- Write questions or hypotheses
- Null and alternative hypotheses
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- The use of variables in research questions or hypothesis if one wants to do
An experiment or group comparisons
A survey that correlates variables
A descriptive study
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Write research questions and hypothesis that logically follow from relationship among variables in a theory
- Research questions or hypothesis may indicate cause and effect logic
- Research questions and hypothesis should have no redundancies, do not write both
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- If writing hypotheses, use a consistent form
Null hypotheses (predict no difference or no relationship)
Alternative hypothesis or directional hypotheses (predict direction of difference or relationship)
Nondirectional hypotheses (predict a difference or relationship, but not its direction)
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Use nondemographic variables (mediating and moderating)
- Use same word order in the questions or hypotheses to enable a reader to easily identify the major variables
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Example 7.3 A Null Hypothesis
Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Example 7.4 Directional Hypotheses
Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Example 7.5 Nondirectional and Directional Hypothesis
Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
A model for descriptive questions and hypotheses:
- Include both independent and dependent variables
- Specify descriptive questions for each independent and dependent variable
- Question for important mediating or moderating variables
- May add inferential questions
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Creswell, Research Design 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Creswell, Research Design 5e SAGE Publishing, 2018
Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
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A Model for Descriptive Questions and Hypotheses
| Descriptive questions | Inferential questions |
| How do the students rate on critical thinking skills? | How does critical thinking ability relate to student achievement? |
| What are the student’s achievement levels (or grades) in science classes? | How does critical thinking ability and prior grades influence student achievement? |
Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Example 7.7 Descriptive and Inferential Questions
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Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Example 7.7 Descriptive and Inferential Questions
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Mixed Methods Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Include qualitative, quantitative (or hypotheses), and a mixed methods research question
- Qualitative and quantitative questions focus the purpose
- Mixed methods question conveys the importance of integrating
- Use guidelines for qualitative and quantitative questions and hypotheses
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Mixed Methods Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Order questions to match the mixed methods design
In a single-phase design, either first
In a two-phase design, order to match the phases
In three-phase, often mixed methods in the middle
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Mixed Methods Research Questions and Hypotheses
- A mixed methods research question directly addresses integration
- Three forms
Conveys the methods and procedures
Conveys the content of the study
Combines the methods and content in a hybrid question
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Mixed Methods Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Write separate questions or hypotheses followed by a mixed methods question
This highlights the two approaches as well as their combined strength
At the beginning or as they emerge in phases
This places emphasis on the two approaches
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Mixed Methods Research Questions and Hypotheses
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Example 7.9 A Mixed Methods Question Written Using
Methods and Content Language
Summary
- Research questions and hypotheses narrow the purpose statement and add signposts
- Qualitative – central question and subquestions
- Quantitative – describe, related, compare variables
- Mixed methods – qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods question
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