Research Foundations Module 3

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Quantitative Research Question

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a question about the relationship that exists between two or more variables

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Descriptive Questions

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Seek to answer questions

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Predictive Questions

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ask whether one or more variables can be used to predict some future outcome

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Causal Questions

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compare different variations of some phenomenon to identify the cause of something

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Ontology

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research’s inherent understanding of reality and truth as perceived by the researchers themselves

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Epistemology

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overall understanding of how knowledge is created or shared

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Determinism

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all events are fully determined by one or more causes

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Components of Research Process

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1. Purpose 2. Research Questions 3. Assumptions 4. Sampling Methods 5. Data Collection Methods 6. Research Methods 7. Quality Criteria 8. Data Analysis 9. Report Writing

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Sampling

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the process of drawing a sample from a population

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Equal Probability of Selection Method (EPSEM)

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each individual in the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample

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Quantitative Observation

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the standardization of observational procedures in order to obtain reliable quantitative data, such as counts or frequencies and percentages

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Experimental Research

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manipulating variables in a controlled environment to isolate the causal effects of a particular variable or set of variables

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Non-Experimental Research

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These methods generally can describe relationships or patterns of relationships, but do not easily allow for causal inferences

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Estimation

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estimate the characteristics of populations based on their sample data

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Hypothesis Testing

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test specific hypotheses about populations based on their sample data

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Variable

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a condition or characteristic that can take on different values or categories such as age, grade point average, test scores, and gender

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Constant

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something that does not change, but takes on a single value

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Quantitative Variable

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varies in degree or amount of a given variable within a given phenomenon, usually provided in numerical form

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Categorical Variable

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a variable that varies in type or kind, generally relating different groups

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Independent Variable

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presumed to cause a change to occur in another variable

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Dependent Variable

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presumed to be influenced by one or more independent variables

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Intervening (Mediating) Variable

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occurs between two other variables in a chain of cause-and-effect

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Moderator Variable

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changes (i.e., moderates) the relationship between other variables

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Extraneous Variables

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variables other than the independent variable of interest (e.g., teaching approach) that may be related to the outcome

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experimental research (2)

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identify causal relationships because it allows researchers to observe, under controlled conditions, the effects of systematically changing one or more variables

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Manipulation

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intervention studied by an experimenter

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Confounding Variables

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extraneous variables that were not controlled for by the researcher and are the reason a particular result occurred

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nonexperimental research (2)

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no manipulation of an independent variable. There also is no random assignment to groups by the researcher—as random assignment is only possible in the strongest of the experimental designs

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Causal-Comparative Research

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examines the relationship between one or more categorical independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables

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Correlational Research

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the researcher studies the relationship between one or more quantitative independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables

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Correlation Coefficient

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numerical index that provides information about the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables

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Positive Correlation

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present when scores on two variables tend to move in the same direction

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Negative Correlation

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present when the scores on two variables tend to move in opposite directions