Chapter 3
Answers to
Study Questions
3.1. What sources of research
ideas have been identified in this chapter?
Everyday
life (e.g., your experiences with being the parent of a child in school),
practical issues
(e.g.,
the effectiveness of school vouchers), past research, (e.g., you may want to
examine the conflicting research on the effect of retaining students and
conduct a study that overcomes the weaknesses of these studies), theory (e.g.,
identify a key factor you believe is helpful in motivating students to study).
3.2. How would you get a research idea from
each of these sources?
From
everyday life, practical issues, past research, theory, by being inquisitive,
and by asking questions. You may encounter an everyday experience that is odd
or strange and a research question might arise because you want to find out why
it is strange or odd. Similarly, you can get a research an idea from a
practical issue, from past research, or from a theory by trying to find out why
some issue or phenomenon occurs or if a prediction made by a theory will turn
out to be accurate
3.3.
How do research ideas and questions
differ from ideas and questions that cannot be empirically researched?
Ideas
and questions that can be empirically researched are ones that can be examined
and tested using real world data (e.g., observations, experiment, etc.). Those
that cannot be empirically researched are ones that have to do with which
values are “right” and what values are “wrong” in a moral sense in society. For
example, research cannot answer the question of whether legalized abortion is
morally right or wrong.
3.4 What is the purpose of conducting a
review of the literature in a quantitative study?
A
literature review will tell you whether the problem you have identified has been
researched, give you ideas about how to proceed, assist you in designing the
study, point out methodological problems you might encounter, and identify
appropriate data collection instruments.
3.5.
What is the purpose of conducting a
review of the literature in a qualitative study?
A
literature review in this case can help you generate the tentative or formative
theoretical underpinnings of the study, assist in formulation of good starting
point research question, selection of the study population, and stimulate new
insights and concepts you may wish to investigate. Remember, however, that as
you enter the field to collect qualitative data that you want to be open to
anything that appears relevant. That is, the process of inductive investigation
and analysis is very important in qualitative research.
3.6. What are the information sources you would
use in conducting a literature review and what is the advantage of each?
Books,
journals, dissertations, computer databases, and internet material that you have
evaluated for its quality.
3.7. Why is ERIC such a valuable resource for
educational researchers?
Because
it includes all the entries for the Current Index to Journals in Education and
Resources in Education.
3.8. What is the difference between directories,
search engines, and meta-search engines?
Directories are web pages grouped by
topics or categories. Search engines
are computer software that searches and
identifies web pages related to the search term you select. A meta-search
engine is software that submits your search term to several different
databases at the same time to try to develop a more complete search of relevant
web pages
3.9. What are the advantages and disadvantages
of using the public internet in conducting a literature search?
The
disadvantages are the time required for a search and the potential lack of
credibility or accuracy of the information received. The advantages are the
wealth of information provided and its accessibility 24 hrs a day
3.10. How would you evaluate the validity of
information obtained over the Internet?
By
looking at the source of the information, the purpose of the web page, whether
the information is traceable to factual information, whether there is some
acknowledgement of the limitations of the information, the last date the web
page was revised, and the appropriateness of the information for your purposes
3.11.
What factors should you consider in
determining whether it is possible for you to conduct a study?
The
amount of time taken to conduct the study, the type of research participants
needed, the expense of the study, the expertise required to conduct the study,
the ethics of the study.
3.12.
How do research problems in qualitative
and quantitative research differ?
A
quantitative research problem emphasizes the need to explain, predict, or
describe something whereas a qualitative research problem focuses on exploring
some process, event, or phenomenon.
Note: I am reproducing Figure
3.1 here because it shows the relationship between the topic, problem, purpose,
question, and hypothesis. Basically, it is a process of becoming more specific.
3.13.
How does the statement of the purpose
of a study differ in qualitative and quantitative research?
A
quantitative purpose statement identifies the type of relationship being
investigated between a set of variables whereas a qualitative purpose statement
focuses on exploring or understanding some phenomenon.
3.14.
How do research questions differ in
qualitative and qualitative research, and what is their purpose?
A
quantitative research question is an interrogative sentence that asks a
question about the relation that exists between two or more variables. Its
purpose is to identify the variables being investigated and to specify the type
of relationship, descriptive, predictive, or causal, being investigated. A qualitative research question asks a
question about some process, issue, or phenomenon that is to be explored. Its
purpose is to give focus to what is being investigated and to identify what is
being explored.
3.15.
Why should research questions in
quantitative research be very specific?
Quantitative
research questions should be very specific because a specific question helps
insure that the researcher understands the variables being investigated and it
aids in the design of the research study.
3.16. What is a hypothesis, and what is the one
criterion that it must meet?
A
hypothesis is a formal prediction of the relation that exists among the
variables being investigated. It must be capable of being empirically tested
(i.e., confirmed or refuted).
3.17. Why are hypotheses typically not formulated
in qualitative research, and what is typically used instead?
Hypotheses
are typically not formulated in qualitative research because qualitative research
is conducted for description, exploration, and discovery. Instead of hypotheses, qualitative
researchers pose research questions and some of these research questions even
emerge as the study progresses. On the other hand, while a qualitative
researcher is in the field, some hypotheses may be inductively generated and
later tested.
Here
are some additional study questions that publisher accidentally left out of the
book. They should be included in your study.
3.18. What are the components of a research plan, and what is contained
in each component?
I. Introduction
(it includes a statement of the topic, problem, prior literature, statement of
the
research purpose, the research questions, and any
hypotheses).
II.
Method (it includes information on the research participants, the data
collection instruments,
the apparatus used, if any, in the research study,
and the procedure followed in carrying
out the study; it may also contain a section on
research design).
III.
Data Analysis (it includes information on how you intend on organizing
and analyzing the
data that you collect).
3.19. What is a meta-analysis, and why is the conclusion reached in a
meta-analysis study more valid than the conclusion reached in a single study?
A meta-analysis
is a quantitative technique used to integrate and describe the results of a
large
number
of quantitative research studies. It is helpful because it is based on a large
number of
studies
rather than a single study. In other words, it provides the results of research
replication.