ONLINE MODULE 1

define research

the creation of knew knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way as to generate new concepts , methodologies and understandings

what is basic research

its is pure or fundamental research

it is an entirely theoretical approach, aiming to expand the knowledge base of a field

what is applied research

it is where we use theories to develop new techniques and technologies

it is often a follow up of basic research, when we want to solve a specific practical issue

describe quantitative data

we collect and convert data into a numerical form, allowing us to make statistical calculations to draw conclusions

we want to determine the extent to which there is a relationship between variables

is hypothesis based

what are the 4 types of quantitative research

descriptive

correlational

causal-comparitive

experimental

describe qualitative research

we look for patterns of meaning by using collected data

it is more general, and not based on hypotheses

describe the 5 types of qualitative research

ethnography - researcher subjects themselves to the environment

narrative - long term with few subjects

phenomenological - understand a particular event

grounded theory - explain factors which have influenced a phenomenon

case study - in depth data about subjects

how might people collect data for quantitative research

surveys with scales or closed ended questions

polls

experimentally

document review

how might people collect data for qualitative research

interviews

case studies

expert opinions

open ended surveys

observational research

describe pragmatic research

mixed methods, using methods best suited to the question

hence there is freedom to use any method, technique and procedure

techniques may be used at the same time, or one after the other

describe exploratory research

uncover possible variable relationships

no prior assumptions or hypotheses

describe confirmatory research

hypothesis testing research

determine if a theory is supported by data

researcher has specific about the relationship between the variables under investigation

what are the 8 steps in the research process

1. define the topic

2. narrow down the topic

3. gather background information

4. create the question

5. develop a working thesis

6. find and evaluate sources

7. cite sources

8. write the paper

what makes a good research question

clear and focused

not too broad, but not too specific

not too easy or difficult to answer

it is researchable and analytical

what are the 7 steps in developing a question

1. determine the requirements for your research/question

2. choose a topic

3. conduct pre research

4. narrow down the topic

5. list some potential questions

6. pick the question you are most interested in

7. modify the question to ensure it is focused

define variables

measurable characteristic of an individual or group

what are the 5 variable types

independent

dependent

intervening/mediating

control

confounding

define population

the whole group of people, things, phenomena etc

define sample

a selection from the population that we will study

define sample size

number of people, things, observations etc

given by N

define quality control

efforts and procedures put in place to ensure internal validity, external validity, and reliability

what makes research bad

fraudulent

misleading

poorly conducted and written

made in error

makes extremely small or incremental arguements

no real world application