Class 6: Research Methods

Class Notes

Research Model

1. Select a topic
2. Define the problem
3. Review the Literature
4. Formulate a Hypothesis
1. Hypothesis is a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation
5. Choose a research method
6. Collect the Data
7. Analyze the results
8. Share the results (which leads to formulating more ideas for research)

Research Methods

1. Surveys- see the readings "Sense and nonsense about surveys" and "Finding a Partner"
1. Independent Variable- a manipulated variable in an experiment or study whose presence or degree determines the change in the dependent variabl
2. Dependent Variable- the observed variable in an experiment or study whose changes are determined by the presence or degree of one or more independent variables
3. Sampling Validity- a term describing a measure that accurately reflects the concept as it is intended to measure
1. If I wanted to know how much sleep you get on average, it wouldn't make sense to ask you today how much sleep you got last night.  You may have gone to bed early because you were tired, or you may have stayed up late finishing a project.  The answers would be skewed.
2. Experiments- see the readings "From summer camps to glass ceilings" and "The Behavioral Study of Obedience"
1. Experiment group is the group that undergoes the intervention, such as the group who receives a drug in a medical study.
2. Control group is the group that does not undergo the intervention, such as the group who receives a placebo in a medical study.
3. Sometimes there isn't a control group, but that a part of the experiment is manipulated.
3. Content Analysis- see the reading "Doing Studs"
4. Qualitative Research- see the readings "THe Promise and Pitfalls of Going into the Field," "Managed Heart," "Young Children's Racial and Ethnic Definitions of Self," "Meanwhile Backstage: Behavior in Public Bathrooms"
1. Includes ethnography, interviews, observations, and case studies

Activity

Doing research is a difficult task.  Imagine you want to do a study that hypothesizes that more sleep throughout the semester leads to a higher G.P.A. What research method do you think is the best for this study?  What is the independent variable?  And dependent variable?  If you wanted to collect survey research about this question, how would you phrase the questions?  Give the survey to some of your friends-- do they understand what the question is asking?  Are they interpreting the question the same way you mean for them to interpret it?  Do they have appropriate choices to answer the questions?

Works Cited