Chapter 16 Conducting & Reading Research Baumgartner et al Chapter 16 Developing the Research...

Chapter 16Conducting & Reading

ResearchBaumgartner et al

Chapter 16

Developing the Research Proposal



Steps in the Research Process

Chooseanalysis

Implement plan

Prepare report

Identify sample

Design data collection plan

Select collection procedures

Identify question

State hypotheses

Reviewliterature

Narrow to specific problem

Developapproach



Selecting the Problem - Tips

1. While reading, attending lectures, write down ideas immediately.

2. Research a subject for a paper.3. What questions seem unresolved?4. Challenge commonly accepted

beliefs.5. Look at master’s & doctoral studies.6. Discuss ideas, topics with

professors or other researchers.



Defining the Problem

• Literature search– conceptual literature– related research

• Consider your interest in the problem

• Consider the “importance” of the problem

• Consider whether researching the problem is a feasible task



Developing the Research Proposal

• Title• Chapter 1: Introduction• Chapter 2: Literature Review• Chapter 3: Procedures



Chapter 1: Introduction

• Statement of problem• Significance of study• Delimitations• Limitations• Assumptions• Hypotheses• Definition of Terms



Statement of problem

• problem statement: declarative statement indicting question addressed in research project

• Example: The focus of the study was to determine whether particular variations within the CHRNA4 gene are associated with smoking behaviors.



Purpose of the study

• purpose statement: indicates why the study was done

• Example: The purpose of the study was to facilitate identification of individuals at risk for becoming addicted to nicotine.



Significance of the study

• Possible reasons:1. Gaps exist between theoretical and

practical aspects of the problem.2. More & better knowledge is needed.3. Current knowledge needs to be

validated.4. Current practices need to be

clarified/improved.5. There is no known solution to the

problem.



Example

• Identifying a gene that is associated with smoking may help:– Target prevention programs toward

at-risk adolescents– Assist in understanding the biological

basis of addiction to nicotine– Lead to the development of

pharmaceutical treatments for smokers who wish to quit



Delimitations – scope of study

• Description of subjects• Description of variables• Description of tests, instruments,

procedures• Description of special equipment• Type of training• Time and duration of study• Analytical procedures



Limitations (weaknesses)

• Approach, design, method, techniques• Sampling problems• Uncontrolled variables• Errors in test administration or data

handling• Generalizability of data• Representativeness of subjects• Compromises to internal and external

validity• Reliability and validity of research

instruments



Assumptions

• Usually drawn from literature or previous experiments

• Example: We assume the same genes are important in different populations for mediating smoking behavior. We assume the genes contribute enough of an effect to the behavior to be able to be observed.



Hypotheses

• Statement of what you predict the results of the study will reveal.

• Example: There is an association between a variant in the CHRNA4 gene and the number of cigarettes smoked each day.



Definition of terms

• Important for terms that may have multiple meanings

• Example tobacco use: ever tried, tried at least 5 times, used on a daily basis, used only in bars, used five years ago…



Working bibliography

• Listing of all sources pertinent to the problem

• notecards, notepads, computerized reference databases

• Include author, title, year, journal or book, volume, issue, publisher, page numbers, etc.



Chapter 2: Literature Review

• Needs to present broad background of the research related to the problem

• Not a simple listing of other works• Should bring together results from

multiple studies to draw conclusions, relationships

• Should facilitate identification of problems, gaps that need to be addressed



Chapter 3: Procedures

• Aka Methodology, Experimental Procedures, Survey Procedures

• Data collection plan• Step-by-step instructions• Extremely detailed, so someone

else could replicate the study



Procedures: General Guidelines

• Restatement of problem• Overview of organization of chapter• Description of subjects, sampling

methods• Description of tests, instruments,

measures• Description of study design• Description of administrative

procedures• Description of analysis of data



Steps in the Research Process

Chooseanalysis

Implement plan

Prepare report

Identify sample

Design data collection plan

Select collection procedures

Identify question

State hypotheses

Reviewliterature

Narrow to specific problem

Developapproach

Chapter 16 Conducting & Reading Research Baumgartner et al Chapter 16 Developing the Research...

Documents

Transcript of Chapter 16 Conducting & Reading Research Baumgartner et al Chapter 16 Developing the Research...