Research Methods II

The Research Process….and research questions

Dream is the spark of passion; talent is the firework of its expression; perseverance, the sacred fire of its accomplishment.

Daniel Chabot

Game Plan Review Thesis assignment: What is a CC

thesis? An introduction to the research process

Types of research and methods Getting Started

Generating a Research Question BREAK Library Session 10:30 and 12:30:

Searching electronic databases (we will divide into 2 groups; 22 at 10:30; 13 at 12:30)

CC Thesis Average Length? References?

Books Articles General Interest Websites

Footnotes per page Table of contents

Topic Research Question Method

How did they get there?....the research process

Formulate and clarify your research question

Chapter 1

Review the Literature/TheoryChapter 2

Formulate your research design

Chapter 3

Analyze your dataChapter 4

Write your Results and DiscussionChapter 5

Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods

Answer research question MeasureSample

Goals of Research Exploratory

Examine feasibility for further study, to provide illumination on a process or problem

Descriptive To understand a common or uncommon

occurrence by observing the details Explanatory

Explain the cause or non-occurrence of a phenomenon

Show causal connections and relationships between variables

The Research Onion

PositivismRealism

Interpretivism

Objectivism

Subjectivism

Pragmatism

Functionalist

InterpretiveRadical

humanistRadical structuralist

Inductive

Deductive

Data collectionand data analysis

Longitudinal

Cross-sectional

Multi-method

Archival research

Ethnography

Groundedtheory

Actionresearch

SurveyExperiment

Mixedmethods

Mono-method

Casestudy

Techniques and procedures

Time horizons Choices Strategies Approaches Philosophies

Research Strategies: Experimental research Create a hypothetical situation and

observe behavior to test an hypothesis (typically using an experimental group and a control group)

Example: What is the impact of a “buy two, get one free promotion” on consumer purchasing behavior?

Research Strategies: Survey research Collecting data from a sample population

to test theory Allows collection of a large amount of data

from a sizeable population in highly economical way

Example: Employee’s attitude on a new personnel system, Organization’s implementation of innovative practices

Research Strategies: Case Study Research In depth investigation of an individual,

group or institution Widely used in business to analyze

successes and failures Aimed at finding out “why”. Example: How has Starbucks managed its

rapid expansion in the 1990s? How are strategy models implemented in organizations?

Research Strategies: Action Research Research in action (versus research about

action) Typically a researcher is working on a problem

in an organization Involves practitioners as partners Iterative nature of process (diagnose, plan,

take action, evaluate, diagnose, plan, take action, evaluate…..)

Results can inform other contexts

Research Strategies: Archival Research Makes use of administrative records and

documents as the principle source of data Allows research questions which focus on

the past and changes over time to be answered Can be exploratory, descriptive or explanatory

Example: relationship between money supply and interest rates

The Research Onion

PositivismRealism

Interpretivism

Objectivism

Subjectivism

Pragmatism

Functionalist

InterpretiveRadical

humanistRadical structuralist

Inductive

Deductive

Data collectionand data analysis

Longitudinal

Cross-sectional

Multi-method

Archival research

Ethnography

Groundedtheory

Actionresearch

SurveyExperiment

Mixedmethods

Mono-method

Casestudy

Techniques and procedures

Time horizons Choices Strategies Approaches Philosophies

Data Analysis Inferential Statistics

Correlation Regression T-test, Chi-Square or Analysis of Variance

(ANOVA) Qualitative Analysis

Data Analysis: Correlation Analysis Provides an indication as to how 2 or more

things are related to one another Involves collecting and analyzing data to

determine whether, and to what degree variables move together

Does not imply causality although often interpreted that way

Examples: family wealth and educational attainment, height and weight

Data Analysis: Regression Analysis More sophisticated form of statistical

analysis which controls for the effects of other variables in a relationship hypothesized to be causal

Examples: relationship between money supply and interest rates, relationship between leadership and satisfaction

Data Analysis: Test of differences T-tests, Chi-Square, ANOVA Used for comparing means among groups- often

used in demographic comparisons ANOVA Example – does the level of training

impact the speed of completing a task?

Level of training n meanAdvanced 10 24.2Intermediate 15 27.1Beginner 12 30.2

Data Analysis: Qualitative Analysis Content Analysis

Categorize data Recognize relationships

Pattern Matching Time-series/chronological analysis

So where do you start? Research Ideas/Topics How do I get research ideas?

Your own strengths and interests Look at past projects Discuss with peers/advisor Keep a notebook of ideas Mind mapping/brainstorming Explore personal preferences

Attributes of a Good Research Topic/IdeaCapability – is it

Feasible? Are you fascinated by

the topic? Do you have the

research skills? Achievable in the time

frame? Do you have the

access to the data you need to study the topic?

Appropriate—is it worth while?

Can you find a link to theory?

Can you state your objectives clearly?

Will your research topic provide fresh insights?

Test your idea…. Goldilocks test…

Too big, too small, too hot, too cold Russian Doll

Breaking down the original statement to the very heart of the idea

It’s pay me now – or pay me later…..

The next step – develop a research question How do I develop a good research

question? Review current literature

Unanswered questions Conflicting results Interesting contexts

Characteristics of a good research question Problem-oriented Analytical (versus descriptive) Interesting and significant Amenable to analysis Feasible

Examples of research questions: How do different levels of education affect

unemployment rates? How does watching television commercials

affect the buying behavior of adolescents? Will students who know how to “take” a

test improve their scores? How does parental employment affect

children’s cognitive development?

Exercise Write down 2 good research questions and

1 bad question on the following topics: Group 1: Beer consumption Group 2: Graduate salaries Group 3: Energy conservation Group 4: Employee loyalty/turnover Group 5: Text messaging

Administration Homework:

Research topic assignment Literature Review reading/assignment

Focus on the structure of the lit review (how was it organized, what method did they use, how did they use figures, tables). Also what did you like about the review, what did you dislike?

Be prepared to present your findings to the class tomorrow

10:30 and 12:30 today: Library TLC-1; basement of library. **MANDATORY**

Group Name Student Lit review Published Lit review Sarah 1 4 Zeke 2 3 Luke 3 2

1

Ramsey 4 1 David 1 3 Russ 2 2 Nicholas 3 1

2

Jackson 4 4 Treye 1 2 Sam 2 4 Tim 3 3

3

Borge 4 1 Ben 1 4 Parker 2 3 Alice 3 2

4

Tristan 4 1 Chase 1 1 Kelly 2 2 Brian 3 3

5

Jeff M 4 4 Annie 1 3 Alex 2 4 John 3 1 Nate 4 2

6

Ian 4 2 Eddie 3 4 Jarrell 2 3 Allison 1 1 Jeff Z 4 2

7

Kristen 3 1

Homework Reading Assignments

Back-up

From Idea – to Research Question – to Hypothesis

Idea: Student learning Research Question: How does faculty

sleep deprivation impact student learning? Hypothesis: There is a negative

relationship between faculty sleep deprivation and student learning

What is an hypothesis? A proposition that is empirically testable Example: Increasing flex time options

increases quality of life Need to concretely define concepts (e.g.,

quality of life (QOLI) ) Hypothesis testing can lead to support or

refutation of a theory

Attributes of a good hypothesis Stated in declarative form Posits a relationship between variables Reflects a theory or body of literature Is brief and to the point Is testable

Examples of Hypothesis Publicly traded firms will have higher

growth rates than privately held firms State-owned firms will have a greater

share of the domestic market than publicly traded or privately held firms

Job satisfaction will be positively related to organizational citizenship behaviors