Test 1

Professor Gumus Gulcin

Evidence-based practice

designed to encourage practitioners to employ practices that are based on research evidence to date.

Evaluation research

Studies designed to assess the impact of specific programs, policies, or legal changes.

Exploratory research

is a ground-breaking research on a relatively unstudied topic or in a new area.

Quantitative research

statistical analysis of data

Qualitative research

interpretation of actions, words, meanings.

Literature review

is a compilation, summary, and synthesis of the existing literature that is related to a research topic of interest.

Systematic review

focuses on a specific question or issue and uses specific pre-planned methods to identify, select, assess, and summarize the findings of multiple research studies.

Meta-analysis

is the use of statistical methods to combine the results of similar studies quantitatively to draw general conclusions.

Observational

researchers observe and gather data on some phenomenon that’s already happening

experimental studies

researchers do intervene or use statistical methods to try to mimic an intervention

Research

is a systematic investigation that is designed to contribute to public knowledge.

Research is a

systematic inquiry

Our focus is on

social research and peer reviewed research, based on logical and observational methods, a public effort

Social research methods can help us

explore, describe, and explain aspects of the social world and evaluate if programs and policies work

Peer review

a system for ensuring the accuracy and methodological integrity of published research studies

based on logical and observational methods, a public effort

about one or more topics or concepts that can be answered through research.

Where do research questions come from?

Practical problems in the field, current events, theoretical models, literature reviews, requests for research proposals, etc.

Theory

a system of interconnected ideas that condenses and organizes knowledge about the social world.

What does theory do

Explains how and why something is, Provides a compact way to think about the social world

Constructs

provide the building blocks of theory

Operationalization

A construct needs to be translated into its manifestation(s).

Dependent variable

Characteristic believed to change in response to changes in another variable. Affected by another variable.

Independent variable

Characteristic believed to cause change in other variables. Affects change in another variable.

Our focus is on causal relationships

correlation versus causation

Positive relationship

As one variable ↑, the other variable also ↑, As one variable ↓, the other variable also ↓

Negative (inverse) relationship

As one variable ↑, the other variable ↓

Hypotheses

A specific statement of prediction as to how two or more variables are expected to relate to one another.

Unit of observation

the unit from which information is collected

Unit of analysis

the unit at which conclusions are drawn.

Induction

← Facts acquired through observation

Deduction

→ Explanations and predictions

Deductive reasoning

Move from more general (theory) to specific (observation), Testing existing pre-established theory and hypotheses.

Inductive reasoning

Move from specific (observation) to more general (theory), Allows us to generate new theories & hypotheses.

Theory

frames how we think about a research topic.

Does not remain fixed over time

Theory

Knowledge

does not advance on the basis of one test of a single hypothesis. It develops over time as many researchers test and re-test many hypotheses.

Descriptive studies

describe a particular phenomenon

Relational or correlational studies

look at relationships between two or more variables (not necessarily causal!)

Causal (or explanatory) studies

examine causal relationships, i.e., when one variable causes a change in another.

Causation ≠

correlation

Confounding factors

Also called as omitted factor, omitted variable, common cause; might be a third variable that is omitted

Reverse causality

referred to as endogeneity