FFR_P1

RCH 5302, Foundation for Research 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Develop a research strategy and design using appropriate components. 1.1 Determine the purpose of research. 1.2 Devise a research problem and question.

3. Examine qualitative and quantitative research methods.

3.1 Compare qualitative and quantitative research methods. 3.2 Determine the best research method to use for a selected research question. 3.3 Explore various research approaches.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 3–5, 8–28 Unit I Proposal

1.2

Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 3–5, 8–28 Chapter 2, pp. 34–38, 62–64 Chapter 3, pp. 79–81 Unit I Proposal

3.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 3–5, 8–28 Chapter 2, pp. 34–38, 62–64 Chapter 3, pp. 79–81 Unit I Proposal

3.2

Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 3–5, 8–28 Chapter 2, pp. 34–38, 62–64 Chapter 3, pp. 79–81 Unit I Proposal

3.3

Unit Lesson Chapter 1, pp. 3–5, 8–28 Chapter 2, pp. 34–38, 62–64 Chapter 3, pp. 79–81 Unit I Proposal

Required Unit Resources Chapter 1: Research, Biases in Thinking, and the Role of Theories, pp. 3–5, 8–28 Chapter 2: Generating and Shaping Ideas: Tradition and Innovation, pp. 34–38, 62–64 Chapter 3: Research Design Approaches and Issues: An Overview, pp. 79–81

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Research and Research Methods

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Unit Lesson Welcome to this course and your next opportunity to learn in your graduate program here at Columbia Southern University. Having a working knowledge of research is important and will prove useful as you progress in not only your postgraduate studies but in your professional endeavors as well. This course is designed to help provide this knowledge by focusing on conducting research. You will be oriented to research practice, methodology, analysis, commonly accepted research ethics and values, and the development of research strategy. Note that, upon completion of this course, you will not be certified, qualified, or otherwise expected to be an expert on research. Such notable attributes in research take more study, practice, and experience beyond what a three-credit-hour course can provide. Even so, after the successful completion of this course, you will have explored the key aspects of research as it is practiced today and will have gained a familiarization with research. Research Research is a process that answers questions. The potential improvement to life gained by adding to the global body of knowledge is why we learn how to conduct and evaluate research (Devlin, 2021). There are many facets to the research process. We may invest significant funds, time, and effort in conducting research projects to solve problems. Research is generally science-based, methodical, and grounded in high ethics, including truth and fact; accordingly, guesswork, cheating, or nonscientific methods will likely damage a project, even causing its cancellation. Authors offer several definitions as to what research is and, equally important, what it is not. As we learn about research, it is useful to continue to reflect on these definitions that may help us understand why we conduct research and how we choose to conduct it and present our findings. Research is not a short or simple undertaking. Sometimes, research requires many pieces of advanced equipment, as is needed in a laboratory environment. Sometimes, research can consist of communicating, noting, thinking, and writing, as is done in marketing research, consumer research, or research into aspects of human nature. However, all research requires a scholarly approach, collaboration, a defined process, and accurate documentation. Research also has been described as a means to advance theory and/or knowledge only in increments; rarely is a historical breakthrough achieved by research results (Sturman, 2003). This point does indicate a challenge to researchers to make their work relevant to practical problems and situations. Even so, you may already be aware of improvements in our lives or the environment that were realized through scientific discovery. The Purpose of Research Why do we research, specifically? Institutions engage in research to answer questions and increase the body of knowledge. Such institutions may include universities, for-profit or nonprofit research organizations, and businesses or commercial entities. Other motives are intertwined with the search for knowledge as well. Young students, enthusiastic about the world of academics and the research process, study research in scientific areas of their interest, and they may pursue advanced degrees in those areas of interest where research is a part of their particular field and their academic requirements. University professors apply for grants to fund research where they have proposed that the returns on the investment look most promising. Note that even a failure to find a new scientific relationship is progress. Recall the inventor Thomas Edison who tried repeatedly to invent a usable light bulb; some of his biggest efforts, such as finding a better way to mine iron ore, failed to lead to a better way (Library of Congress, n.d.). Research is combined with innovation to produce new or better products or procedures. This is how more effective medicines, clean water, and pollution control methods have led to better and longer lives and have helped protect the environment (Devlin, 2021). The evolution and refinement of the research process has developed somewhat in step with the progress of the human species. It is estimated by archeologists and historians that such research attempts and the progression of learning, though arguably unscientific for many of the past centuries, led humans to possess the technology and body of knowledge we have today (“Archimedes' Bathtub,” 2001). The scientific method, which is the core feature of research, certainly is more reliable and efficient than alternatives in experiments

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and analysis; however, sheer trial and error over the past centuries has led to some success in our collective journey of learning. The Research Problem Understanding some basics of research problems and research questions supports our familiarization of the overall process. A research problem is the stated shortfall in our knowledge or capability that, reasonably, society potentially would be better off if it was overcome (Devlin, 2021). Expressed research problems may come from unresolved practical issues, an area of focus or phenomenon that is not yet well understood, or an inherent contradiction of theory that presently exists. An example of a research problem is below.

The Research Question A research question asks for the information that, when answered, addresses the research problem (Devlin, 2021). Veteran researchers would tell you at this point that there is much more to a good research question. Sometimes, research with a low probability of usable results is still worth the effort if the rewards may realize a major breakthrough. Most often, though, organizational resources (or a postgraduate student’s prospects of success) lead researchers and their mentors toward research questions that are answerable with a research study of a certain reasonable expected effort. Accordingly, the factors that should make a question worthy of research are listed below.

• The question is specific. One cannot simply identify a population as “people” but, rather, what category of people are involved. Likewise, referring to “weather” in general would make a study too broad; referring to “hurricanes” would narrow the focus to a certain type of weather phenomenon.

• A specific focus must be kept. It is best to ask what effect something has on something else vs. why something is happening. Asking “why” also tends to be too broad.

• Bias does not fit well in research as is true for anywhere else in scholarship. For instance, consider the following question: “Why is my neighbor terrible?” This research question would essentially go nowhere due to its biased content.

• The question does not demand a decision. Asking what should be done is likely an unpromising question because such a question asks for a decision, and leaders—not researchers—make decisions. Researchers make plenty of decisions, if nowhere else than in their personal lives, but they are not performing research. They are deciding.

Continuing with our example, the sentence below may work as a research question.

This question has the attributes of being specific enough, so research to answer the question is probably doable, and the results will still be relevant since the election being studied was recent.

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Components of Research The components of research will vary between organizations, global regions, and professional and academic fields, but they tend to have in common certain key parts that guide researchers from the research problem to research results, conclusions, and recommendations. In the graphic below, you will find common components of a research process.

A literature review is research of all relevant and retrievable written works on the topic as they pertain to your research problem and research question. Even as a researcher is formulating the problem and question, it is important to conduct some preliminary research of literature to ensure that the question has not already been addressed and resolved. As researchers deal with specifics, sometimes it is feasible to continue research to advance findings beyond what has already been tried and accomplished. When written, often as its own section or chapter, a literature review can appear much like an annotated bibliography where authors are mentioned and their relevant work is described and linked to the research topic in question. Literature can include published books, previous studies, and, most commonly, peer-reviewed articles—the latter of which can be trusted due to the pre-publication vetting process. Sometimes, a research study is, in and of itself, a literature review. This works to resolve a question if the answer has already been found, but another research effort is appropriate to pinpoint it. This research design may fit fields of study such as Byzantine history, for example, as no new material is forthcoming about our past, unless it is newly discovered. A hypothesis is a proposed statement of what might be true (Devlin, 2021). To continue our running example, consider the following hypothesis with regard to our chosen topic about voting: “The effect of organizational and governmental communication encouraging young adults in Cash County to vote in the last election was almost unnoticeable.” Specifics are a virtue in research; note from the hypothesis that the researchers will have something to prove or disprove. If the research will be designed to include experiments, the hypothesis may be constructed as follows: “If every voter-eligible young adult in Cash County is contacted and encouraged to vote, there will be a noticeable increase in voting in the next election.” The data collection under the chosen research design will be focused on moving toward or away from this hypothesis. As a part of the research design, a researcher usually develops a null hypothesis, which may be written as follows: “The effect of organizational and governmental communication encouraging young adults in Cash County to vote in the last election was highly noticeable.” The null hypothesis is often needed because if data analysis shows it should be rejected, then the hypothesis itself can be accepted. This will be explored further in Unit II. Research Methods Research may involve advanced mathematical calculations and statistics in particular experiments, interviews, computer app-assisted analysis, or only one or a couple of these features. Clearly, then, there are different methods of research. Below are the two most common research methods. Quantitative research: This research is either truly experimental (testing for causal relationships) or quasiexperimental (with less than full control of the relationships) where numbered data is gathered to analyze and prove or disprove the hypothesis. Quantitative research approaches are still correlated and descriptive (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). This data may be collected through approaches that produce content to analyze, such as the content listed below:

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• conducting experiments (how much, how many),

• observations or interviews (again, how much or how many), or

• questionnaires or surveys (for this to work, the options need to be set and controlled). Qualitative research: This is research with nonquantitative properties. Such research may entail what people do or are affected by as well as their motivations and feelings about something in the world. Qualitative research approaches are listed below:

• phenomenological studies;

• case studies;

• historical studies (again, how the Byzantine Empire gets studied); and

• participatory, ethnographic, or grounded theory studies. Questions and, in particular, the research questions in these approaches may be open-ended, as is human behavior. Qualitative research tends to be rich in description, flexible, and reflective of the human experience (Levitt et al., 2018). Conclusion This is a significant amount of introductory material, which reflects that research is a maturing scientific practice. Researchers rarely operate alone in trying to remember and navigate through all of these structures and principles. More often than not, researchers have supervisory research leaders, review boards, peers, and junior researchers on their team who can help them navigate how to get research approved for resourcing and then finally reported.

References Archimedes' bathtub: The art and logic of breakthrough thinking. (2001). Nature cell biology, 3(4), E99.

https://go-gale- com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=oran95108&id=GALE|A183283128 &v=2.1&it=r&sid=ebsco

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods

approaches (5th ed.). SAGE. Devlin, A. S. (2021). The research experience: Planning, conducting, and reporting research (2nd ed.).

SAGE. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781544377933 Levitt, H., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J., Frost, D., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article

reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc t=true&db=pdh&AN=2018-00750-003&site=eds-live&scope=site

Library of Congress. (n.d.). Edison’s failed inventions.

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/edison/aa_edison_fail_1.html Sturman, M. C. (2003). Building a bridge from the other bank: This issue's focus on research methods and

tools for hospitality management. Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 44(2), 9–13. https://link-gale-com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/apps/doc/A101938449/ITOF? u=oran95108&sid=ITOF&xid=d2353d2b