Specifying a Purpose and Research Questions or Hypotheses
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Key Ideas • The difference between purpose statements, hypotheses, and research questions • Variables in quantitative research • Quantitative purpose statements, questions, hypotheses • Qualitative purpose statements, questions, hypotheses GE3143
About Your Proposal • Have you decided on a topic? • Have you identified your research problem? • What about your research question (s) and subsequent research hypotheses?
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What are Purpose Statements, Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Objectives? Purpose Research Research Hypotheses Statement Questions Objectives Intent
Overall Direction
Form
One or more
Use
Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Placement
sentences
End of Introduction
Raise questions to be answered
Make predictions about expectations
One or more questions
One or more questions
One or More Objectives
Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
Typically Quantitative Research
State Goals
End of the introduction, after the literature review, or in a separate section of the study GE3143
Why are these statements and questions important? • Represent major signposts • Help identify appropriate methods • Help link intent with the results
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What We Need to Know to Design Quantitative Purpose Statements, Research Questions, and Hypotheses
• What is a variable? • What is a theory? • What elements go into these statements and questions?
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What is a Variable? A Variable (A Characteristic or Attribute)
That can be
and
Measured
Varies
(Can be assessed on an instrument and recorded on an instrument)
(Can assume different values or scores for different individuals) GE3143
Examples of variables and non-variables Difficult but possibly measurable variables
Variables • • •
Leadership style Organizational control Proficiency
• • • •
Socialization Imagination Intuition Discrimination GE3143
Almost impossible to measure variables • Subconscious thoughts • World poverty • Stereotypes
Categorical and Continuous measures of variables • A categorical measure is a value of a variable assigned by the researcher into a small number of categories. (e.g. Gender) • A continuous measure is the value of a variable assigned by the researcher to a point along a continuum of scores, from low to high. (e.g. Age)
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Variables and Constructs • A Variable is an attribute or characteristic stated in a specific or applied way • A Construct is an attribute or characteristic expressed in an abstract, general way. Construct
Student Achievement
Variable
Grade Point Average GE3143
The Family of Variables in Quantitative Studies Probable Cause (X)
Independent Variables •Treatment •Measured
(Y) Intervening Variables
Effect (Z) Dependent Variables
Control Variables Moderating Variables
Confounding Variables GE3143
Families of Variables • Dependent Variables: An attribute or characteristic influenced by the independent variable.
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Families of Variables • Independent Variable: An attribute or characteristic that influences or effects an outcome or dependent variable. – Treatment Variable – Measured Variable – Control Variable – Moderating Variable
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Intervening Variables • Intervening Variables (Mediating Variables): An attribute or characteristic that “stands betweenâ€? the dependent and independent variables.
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Example of an Intervening Variable Step 1
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Example Convenient office hours
Student seeks help from faculty
for students
Step 2 Example
Step 3 Example
Independent Independent Variable Variable
Intervening Variable
Convenient office hours for students
Student becomes willing to take risks
Independent Variable
Intervening Variable
Convenient office hours for students
Student becomes willing to take risks
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Dependent Variable Student seeks help from faculty
Families of Variables • Confounding Variables (Spurious Variables): Attributes or characteristics that the researcher cannot directly measure because their effects cannot be easily separated from the other variables, even though they may influence the relationship between the independent and the dependent variable. GE3143
Theories as Bridges Between Independent and Dependent Variables
Independent Variables
Dependent Variables GE3143
Elements of quantitative purpose statement • Variables – Independent Variable (1st position in sentence) – Dependent Variable (2nd position in sentence) – Control and/or mediating variable (3rd position in sentence) – Research site – Participants GE3143
Quantitative Research Questions • 3 types: – Describe results to your variables – Compare two or more groups on the independent variable in terms of the dependent variable – Relate two or more variables
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Research Hypotheses • Three types: – Null hypothesis – Directional alternative hypothesis – Non-directional alternative hypothesis
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How do You Design Qualitative Purpose Statements and Research Questions?
• Understand how these statements and questions differ from quantitative research • Understand the role of a central phenomenon in qualitative research • Understand qualitative research as an emerging process
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Differences between quantitative and qualitative purpose statements and research questions Quantitative - more closed 1. Probable Cause/Effect (“Why did it happen?”) 2. Use of theories (Why did it happen in view of an explanation or theory?”) 3. Assessing differences and magnitude “How much happened?” “How many times did it happen?” “What were the differences among groups in what happened?” GE3143
Qualitative - more open-ended 1. Descriptive (“What happened?”) 2. Interpretive (“What was the meaning to people of what happened?”) 3. Process-oriented (“What happened over time?”)
Explaining or predicting variables versus exploring or understanding a Central Phenomenon
Quantitative Explaining or Predicting Variables X
Qualitative Understanding or exploring a Central Phenomenon
Y
The independent variable (X) influences a dependent variable (Y)
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Y In-depth understanding of Y; external forces shape and are shaped by Y
Was that learning experience awhile ago adequate?
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