Source: Fraenkel, J.R., and Wallen N.E. How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education (Sixth Edition)
Ways of Knowing:
- Many ways to obtain information, including sensory experience, agreement with others, expert opinion, logic, and the scientific method.
- The scientific method is considered by researchers the most likely way to produce reliable and accurate knowledge.
- The scientific method involves answering questions through systematic and public data collection and analysis.
Types of Research:
(Quantitative - work with numbers/assumption of a single reality)
- Experimental Research: involves manipulating conditions and studying effects.
- Correlational Research: involves studying relationships among variables within a single group and frequently suggests the possibility of cause and effect.
- Causal-Comparative Research: involves comparing known groups who had had different experiences to determine possible causes or consequences of group membership.
- Survey Research: involves describing the characteristics of a group by means of such instruments as interview questions, questionnaries, and tests.
(Qualitiative Research - work with words/assumption of multiple realities)
- Ethnographic Research: concentrates on documenting or portraying the everyday experiences of people, using observation and interviews (other forms of qualitiative research include the case study, biography, phenomenology, and grounded theory).
- Case Study: a detailed analysis of one or a few individuals.
- Historical Research: involves studying some aspect of the past.
(Other/Mixed Methods)
- Action Research: type of research by practitioners designed to help improve their practice.
General Research Types:
- Descriptive Studies: describes a given state of affairs (qualitative approaches, such as ethnographic and historical methodologies are primarilly descriptive).
- Associational Research: investigates relationships (i.e. correlational and causal-comparative methodologies).
- Intervention Studies: assesses the effects of a treatment or method on outcomes.
- Meta-Analysis: attempts to synthesize the results of all the individual studies on given topic by statistical means.
Key Terms: Action Research, Associational Research, Assumption, Causal-Comparative Research, Chaos Theory, Correlational Research, Critical Researcher, Data Analysis, Descriptive Studies, Ethnographic Study, Experimental Research, Historical Research, Hypothesis, Instruments, Intervention Studies, Literature Review, Meta-Analysis, Mixed Methods Research, Population, Problem Statement, Procedure, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Research, Sample, Scientific Method, Single-Subject Research, Subject, Survey Research, Variables
- Many ways to obtain information, including sensory experience, agreement with others, expert opinion, logic, and the scientific method.
- The scientific method is considered by researchers the most likely way to produce reliable and accurate knowledge.
- The scientific method involves answering questions through systematic and public data collection and analysis.
Types of Research:
(Quantitative - work with numbers/assumption of a single reality)
- Experimental Research: involves manipulating conditions and studying effects.
- Correlational Research: involves studying relationships among variables within a single group and frequently suggests the possibility of cause and effect.
- Causal-Comparative Research: involves comparing known groups who had had different experiences to determine possible causes or consequences of group membership.
- Survey Research: involves describing the characteristics of a group by means of such instruments as interview questions, questionnaries, and tests.
(Qualitiative Research - work with words/assumption of multiple realities)
- Ethnographic Research: concentrates on documenting or portraying the everyday experiences of people, using observation and interviews (other forms of qualitiative research include the case study, biography, phenomenology, and grounded theory).
- Case Study: a detailed analysis of one or a few individuals.
- Historical Research: involves studying some aspect of the past.
(Other/Mixed Methods)
- Action Research: type of research by practitioners designed to help improve their practice.
General Research Types:
- Descriptive Studies: describes a given state of affairs (qualitative approaches, such as ethnographic and historical methodologies are primarilly descriptive).
- Associational Research: investigates relationships (i.e. correlational and causal-comparative methodologies).
- Intervention Studies: assesses the effects of a treatment or method on outcomes.
- Meta-Analysis: attempts to synthesize the results of all the individual studies on given topic by statistical means.
Key Terms: Action Research, Associational Research, Assumption, Causal-Comparative Research, Chaos Theory, Correlational Research, Critical Researcher, Data Analysis, Descriptive Studies, Ethnographic Study, Experimental Research, Historical Research, Hypothesis, Instruments, Intervention Studies, Literature Review, Meta-Analysis, Mixed Methods Research, Population, Problem Statement, Procedure, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Research, Sample, Scientific Method, Single-Subject Research, Subject, Survey Research, Variables
The Research Problem/Research Questions:
- The research problem (often stated as questions) is the focus of a research investigation.
- Research questions should be feasible, clear, significant, and ethical.
- Research questions often suggest a relationship to be investigated.
Defining Terms in Research:
- Three common ways to clarify ambigious or unclear terms: use of constitutive definitions, definitions by example, or operational definitions.
- Constitutive definition: uses additional terms to clarify meaning.
- Operational definition: describes how examples of a term are to be measured or identified.
Key Terms: Empirical Referent, Constitutive Definition, Operational Definition
- The research problem (often stated as questions) is the focus of a research investigation.
- Research questions should be feasible, clear, significant, and ethical.
- Research questions often suggest a relationship to be investigated.
Defining Terms in Research:
- Three common ways to clarify ambigious or unclear terms: use of constitutive definitions, definitions by example, or operational definitions.
- Constitutive definition: uses additional terms to clarify meaning.
- Operational definition: describes how examples of a term are to be measured or identified.
Key Terms: Empirical Referent, Constitutive Definition, Operational Definition
Variables:
- Variable: a characteristic or quality that varies amont the members of a particular group.
- Constant: a characteristic or quality that is the same for all members of a particular group.
- Independent Variable: presumed to effect or influence other variables (can either be manipulated by the researcher or selected).
- Dependent Variable: presumed to be affected by one or more independent variables.
- Moderator Variable: secondary independent variable researcher selectes because he/she thinks it may affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variable.
- Extraneous Variable: an independent variable that may have unintended effects on a dependent variable in a particular study (not controlled by researcher).
Hypothesis:
- Hypothesis: refers to a prediction of results usually made before a study commences.
- Hypothesis may be significant, directional, or nondirectional.
Key Terms: Bias, Categorical Variable, Constant, Dependent Variable, Directional Hypothesis, Experimental Variable, Extraneous Variable, Hypothesis, Independent Variable, Manipulated Variable, Nondirectional Hypothesis, Outcome Variable, Quantiative Variable, Treatment Variable, Variable
- Variable: a characteristic or quality that varies amont the members of a particular group.
- Constant: a characteristic or quality that is the same for all members of a particular group.
- Independent Variable: presumed to effect or influence other variables (can either be manipulated by the researcher or selected).
- Dependent Variable: presumed to be affected by one or more independent variables.
- Moderator Variable: secondary independent variable researcher selectes because he/she thinks it may affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variable.
- Extraneous Variable: an independent variable that may have unintended effects on a dependent variable in a particular study (not controlled by researcher).
Hypothesis:
- Hypothesis: refers to a prediction of results usually made before a study commences.
- Hypothesis may be significant, directional, or nondirectional.
Key Terms: Bias, Categorical Variable, Constant, Dependent Variable, Directional Hypothesis, Experimental Variable, Extraneous Variable, Hypothesis, Independent Variable, Manipulated Variable, Nondirectional Hypothesis, Outcome Variable, Quantiative Variable, Treatment Variable, Variable
Basic Ethical Principles:
- "Ethics" refer to questions of right and wrong.
- Researchers must be aware of a number of ethical principles when pursuing investigations.
- Children must be given special consideration by researchers and present problems for researchers that are different than those of adult subjects.
Key Term: IRB (Institutional Review Board)
- "Ethics" refer to questions of right and wrong.
- Researchers must be aware of a number of ethical principles when pursuing investigations.
- Children must be given special consideration by researchers and present problems for researchers that are different than those of adult subjects.
Key Term: IRB (Institutional Review Board)
Literature Review:
- A literature review helps researchers learn what others have written about a topic. It also lets researchers see the results of older, related studies.
- Researchers need to be familiar with three basic types of sources (general references, primary sources, and secondary sources).
Key Terms: Abstract, Boolean Operators, Descriptors, General Reference, Index, Literature Review, Primary Source, Search Engine, Search Terms, Secondary Source, Web Browser
- A literature review helps researchers learn what others have written about a topic. It also lets researchers see the results of older, related studies.
- Researchers need to be familiar with three basic types of sources (general references, primary sources, and secondary sources).
Key Terms: Abstract, Boolean Operators, Descriptors, General Reference, Index, Literature Review, Primary Source, Search Engine, Search Terms, Secondary Source, Web Browser
