Research paper and ppt

The problem: The heart of the research process

Finding Research Projects

• Research projects can be one of two types:

 Basic research

 Applied research

Basic Research

• Enhances basic knowledge of

 Physical world

 Biological world

 Psychological world

 Social world

• Sheds light on historical, cultural, or aesthetic phenomena

Applied Research

• Addresses issues that have immediate relevance to current practices, procedures, and policies

 Human decision making about practical problems

 Questions in one’s immediate work environment (action research)

Identifying a Suitable Research Problem

• Address an important question

• The answer should make a difference

• Advance the frontiers of knowledge by

 leading to new ways of thinking

 suggesting possible applications

 paving the way for further research in the field

When Considering A Research Problem

• Select a research problem

• for more than self-enlightenment

• to do more than compare two sets of data

• to contribute something new

• to identify and interpret a relationship

• that has more than a yes/no answer

Finding a Legitimate Research Problem

• Look around you

• Read the literature

• Seek the advice of experts

• Attend professional conferences

• Choose a topic that intrigues and motivates you

• Choose a topic that others will find interesting and worthy of attention

• Be realistic

Stating the Research Problem

• State the problem clearly and completely

• Think through the feasibility of the project that the problem implies

• Say precisely what you mean

• Absolute honesty and integrity are the rule

• Reflect an open mind about the solution

• Edit your work

Dividing the Research Problem Into Subproblems

• Most problems are too big to tackle

• Identify subproblems  A small number of completely

researchable units • Subproblems add up to the totality of the problem

• Subproblems clearly tie to the interpretation of the data

Identifying Subproblems

• Take a paper-and-pencil approach  Write down the problem  Highlight key words/ideas to explore  Reorganize the ideas to identify the overall

research design

• Use brainstorming/mind-mapping software  Construct graphic networks of interrelated

concepts, terms, and principles

Resolving Pseudo-subproblems

• Pseudo-subproblems are procedural issues

• decisions must be made before resolving the research problem and its subproblems

Delineating the Problem

• Every problem has a setting to establish  State a priori hypotheses  Identify specific variables  Define the terms  State the assumptions  Identify delimitations and limitations

Stating a priori hypotheses

• Specify the research hypothesis

 Educated guesses that researchers hope their data might support

• Recognize the null hypothesis  “There will be no patterns in the data.”

 Scientists support a research hypothesis by showing, statistically, that its opposite—the null hypothesis— is probably not true

Identifying Variables

• Explicit identification of variables at the beginning of a study is most common in quantitative research, especially in experimental studies

• Identification of variables helps the researcher choose

 an appropriate research design

 an appropriate statistical analysis

Identifying Variables

• Variable: any quality or characteristic in a research investigation that has two or more possible values  Independent variable

• researcher studies this variable as a possible cause of something else (may manipulate)

 Dependent variable

• potentially influenced by the independent variable, that is, may depend on the independent variable

Identifying Variables

Example:

• The consistency of ice cream (dependent variable - DV) depends on the temperature at which it’s stored (independent variable - IV)

• High temperatures cause ice cream to melt, whereas low temperatures cause ice cream to be solid

Mediating Variables

• Mediating variables help explain why an independent variable has a particular effect on a dependent variable

 Independent variable influences mediating variable, which in turn influences the dependent variable

Mediating Variables

• For example

 confidence level  effort  performance

• confidence level (IV) influences effort (mediator)

• effort (mediator) influences performance quality (DV)

• high confidence  more effort  great performance

• low confidence  less effort  okay performance

Moderating Variables

• Moderating variables influence the nature & strength of relationship between IV and DV

Moderating Variables

• For example:

 family income during childhood  problems later in life

• low income + high maternal warmth  fewer problems

• low income + low maternal warmth  more problems

• high income + low maternal warmth  more problems

 income (IV) does NOT influence maternal warmth (moderator)

Defining Terms

• Each term should be defined as it will be used by the particular researcher

 Operational definition: the definition of a characteristic or variable in terms of how it will be measured in the research study

Defining Terms

• Examples

 self-confidence = score on a self-report questionnaire that has items such as “I can usually achieve what I set out to do” and “I think of myself as a smart person”

 popularity = number of peers who specifically identify an individual as being a desirable social partner

Stating assumptions

• All assumptions that have a material bearing on the problem should be openly and unreservedly set forth

• A statement of the assumptions is necessary for others to evaluate the conclusions of the study

• A statement of the assumptions reveals what the researcher may be taking for granted with respect to the problem

Identifying delimitations

• Delimitations are statements about what the researcher is not going to do.

• The researcher must distinguish between what is and what is not relevant to the problem

• For example, “I am interested in characteristics of X. I am not going to worry about influences on X.”

Identifying limitations

• The researcher must acknowledge weaknesses (limitations) that might cast doubt on results and conclusions

• For example:

 “My sample is small and possibly not representative”

 “I have certain personal biases, such as X and Y, that may affect my observations and interpretation”

Beginning a Research Proposal

• In the first section of a proposal, you should outline:  The problem and its setting

 Subproblems

 A priori hypotheses

 Variables

 Assumptions, delimitations, and limitations

 The importance of the study

Evaluating Your Proposed Research Project

• Have you conducted a thorough literature search to justify the time and effort expended on your research project?

• Have you looked at your research problem from all angles to minimize unwanted surprises?

• What research procedures will you follow?

Evaluating Your Proposed Research Project

• What research tools are available for you to use?

• Can others read and understand your proposal?

Fine-Tuning Your Research Problem

• Conduct a thorough literature review

• Try to see the problem from all sides

• Think through the process

• Discuss your research problem with others

• Remember that your project will take time

• Remember that the first draft of your proposal will almost certainly not be your last