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Research Methodology - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Examples
        
        Variable: gender/ Values/Levels: female and male (2 values)
        
        . Variable: social class Values/Levels: high, medium, low (3 values)
      - An independent/treatment variable
        
        a variable that
        is manipulated to examine its impact on a dependent variable
      - A dependent/outcome variable
        
        a variable that is
        measured to see whether the treatment or manipulation of the independent variable had an effect.
      - Research problem: Whether there is a difference between males and females in their English scores on some proficiency test
        
        Independent variable [cause/treatment]: gender
        Dependent variable [effect/outcome]: English scores on some proficiency test
      - control variable
        
        a variable that has a potential
        influence on the dependent variable, and needs to be removed
      - extraneos variable
        
        a variable that has an
        unpredictable impact on the dependent variable.
      - moderator variable
        
        a variable that is related to the
        dependent or independent variable, masking the true relationship between the independent and dependent
        variable.
  - - - A Null Hypothesis (H0 : µ1= µ2)
        
        a prediction that there is no
        relationship or no significant difference between groups on a variable in the general population.
        
        E.g
        
        There is no relationship between IQ and income.
        
        There is no significant difference in the average score of 9th graders and that of 12th graders on the MT memory test.
      - Research Hypothesis (H1)
        
        a prediction that there is a
        relationship or a significant difference between groups on a variable in the sample.
        
        Nondirectional Research Hypothesis (H1 : x̄1 ≠ x̄2)
        
        a
        prediction that there is a difference between groups on a variable,but the direction of the difference is not specified.
        
        E.g
        
        There is a relationship between IQ and income.
        
        There is a significant difference in the average score of 9th graders and that of 12th graders on the MT memory test.
        
        Directional Research Hypothesis (H1: x̄1 > x̄2) or (H1: x̄1 <x̄2)
        
        a prediction that there is a difference between groups on a
        variable, and the direction of the difference is specified.
        
        E.g
        
        IQ has a positive effect on income.
        
        The average score of 9th graders lower than that of 12th graders on the MT memory test.
    - - be stated in declarative form
      - posit a relationship between variables
      - reflect a theory or a body of literature that they are based on
      - be brief and to the point
      - be testable
  - - - A group of individuals with
        some common defining characteristic that the researcher can identify and study.
    - - A good sample
        
        The sample should represent the target population as much as possible.
        
        The results based on the sample can be generalized to the target population.
      - : A subgroup selected from the target
        population to generalize about the target population.
- - - - looking for something important when it simply
        is not to be found
      - • plagiarizing other people’s work
      - falsifying data to prove a point
      - • misrepresenting information
      - • misleading participants
    - - To gather evidence for theories
      - To discover new knowledge, or contribute to developing knowledge in a field of study
      - To provide information and knowledge needed for problem solving and making decisions
      - To inform policy debates, and provide information to policy makers
      - To expand your knowledge base
      - To challenge yourself
      - To gain hands-on experience completing a research project
      - To earn academic credit/scholarships/…
    - - 1.is doable
      - 2.is based on some logical rationale
      - 3.is an apolitical activity that is for the betterment
        of society
      - 4.is tied to theory, and based on the work of
        others
      - 5.generates new questions, or is cyclic in nature
      - 6.is incremental
      - 7.is generalizable in other settings
      - 8.can be replicated
  - - - Asking a question or identifying a need that arises as the result of curiosity, and to which it becomes necessary to find an answer..
      - The question can be broad or specific.
    - - Important factors are the ones that have to be
        examined to answer the question.
      - The factors might range from the simplest to
        more complicated measures.
    - - A hypothesis results when the questions are transformed into statements that express the relationships between factors/variables.
    - - Once a hypothesis is formed, the next step is to collect information or empirical data that will confirm or refute the hypothesis.
      - The data should reveal as much of the truth
        about the world as possible.
    - - • A set of tools are used to analyze the data.
      - • The tools allow researchers to separate the
        effects of the factors being studied from other unrelated factors.
    - - Based on the analyzed data, the results are
        examined.
      - The results may confirm or refute the
        hypothesis.
    - - The theories that guide the research in the first place can be modified based on the results of the research.
    - - New questions can be a simple variation on a
        theme, or a refinement of the original question
  - - - Correlational research
        
        A method of research used to determine
        relationships between two or more variables.
        
        E.g. Whether there is a relationship between
        engagement ring size and divorce rates
      - Descriptive research (Survey research)
        
        Research that describes a phenomenon/event is occurring in the present without attempting to determine what causes the phenomenon.
        
        E.g. What is the average reading ability of 5-
        year-olds when they first enter kindergarten?
      - Historical research
        
        A methodology for examining how events that have occurred in the past affect events in the present and future
        
        E.g. What did primary school pupils read in the past and
        what are the implications for the present?
      - Qualitative research
        
        Research that examines phenomena within the cultural
        and social context in which it takes place
        
        E.g. How do expectations for academic performance and
        behavior by teachers at school and immigrant parents at home contribute to shaping the ethnic identity of an
        immigrant Vietnamese student?
      - Research in which no manipulation of variables is involved, and no cause-and-effect relationship is studied.
    - - Quasi-experimental research
        
        To test for casual relationships without having full control
      - True-experimental research
        
        To test for true cause-and-effect relstionships
      - Research that examines cause-and-effect relationships through the use of control and treatment groups.