...INTRODUCTION Welcome to Research Rundowns, a blog intended to simplify research methods in educational settings. I hope this site can serve as a quick, practical, and more importantly, relevant resource on how to read, conduct, and write research. The contents are an expansion and revision of my class materials, intended for use as a refresher or as a free introductory research methods course. Topics are organized into five main sections, with subsections (in parentheses): * Introduction (INTRO)–a brief overview of educational research methods (3) * Quantitative Methods (QUANT)–descriptive and inferential statistics (5) * Qualitative Methods (QUAL)–descriptive and thematic analysis (2) * Mixed Methods (MIXED)–integrated, synthesis, and multi-method approaches (1) * Research Writing (WRITING)–literature review and research report guides (5) Most subsection contains a non-technical description of the topic, a how-to interpret guide, a how-to set-up and analyze guide using free online calculators or Excel, and a wording results guide. All materials are available for general use, following the Creative Commons License. Introduction (INTRO)–a brief overview of educational research methods 1. What is Educational Research? (uploaded 7.17.09) 2. Writing Research Questions (uploaded 7.20.09) 3. Experimental Design (uploaded 7.20.09) ------------------------------------------------- Experimental Design The basic idea of experimental design involves...
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...Master Grind The viability of launching a new App for DCU Ruth Sheridan, Alicia Greene, Pamela Doyle & Pedro Fernandez de Santaella Applied Market Research (MG208) Lecturer: Fergal Brophy DCU Global Business March 22nd 2015 Applied Market Research (MG208) Lecturer: Fergal Brophy DCU Global Business March 22nd 2015 Executive Summary 3 Description of hypothetical Product 4 Research Objectives 6 Research Methodology 7 Secondary Research 7 Quantitative Research 9 Questionnaire 9 Observation 10 Qualitative Research 11 Focus Group 11 One-to-One Interviews 12 Data Collection (Findings) 14 Quantitative Survey 14 Quantitative Observation 17 Focus Group 17 One-to-One Interview Personas 19 Analysis of Findings (Key Takeaways) 21 Quantitative survey 21 Observation 21 Focus Group 22 One-to-One Interviews 22 Conclusions and Recommendations 23 Limitations 24 References 25 Appendices 26 Appendix 1 26 Additional Information on One-to-One Interviews 26 Appendix 2 28 Additional Graphs. 28 Appendix 3 30 Master Grind Post-Graduate Survey 30 Master Grind Student Survey 32 Appendix 4 35 Focus Group theme sheet 35 Group reflection 37 Infographic 39 Executive Summary In the first week of semester two of the Market Research module MG208 in DCU we were designated a task; to come up with a new and innovative business venture that would be of benefit to the students of DCU. We wanted to solve a problem that students who...
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...I. Research problems A.The need to communicate what will be studied in clear, concise, and unambiguous terms B.One or more sentences indicating the goal, purpose, or overall direction of the study C.General characteristics 1.Implies the possibility of empirical investigation 2.Identifies a need for the research 3.Provides focus 4.Provides a concise overview of the research D. Two ways of stating the problem 1.Research problems: typically a rather general ………overview of the problem with just enough ………information about the scope and purpose of the ………study to provide an initial understanding of the ………research 2.Research statements and/or questions: more ………specific, focused statements and questions that ………communicate in greater detail the nature of the ………study 3.Examples a.General research problem 1.The purpose of this study is to investigate ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the attitudes of high school students to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,mandated drug testing programs b.Statements and questions 1.This study examines the differences between ………………males' and females' attitudes toward ………………mandated high school drug testing ………………programs. 2.What are the differences between freshmen, ……………….sophomore, junior, and senior students' ……………….attitudes toward mandated high school drug ……………….testing programs...
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...bunch of numbers, percentages, groupings? What are statistics? Statistics is the science of learning from data, and of measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty; and provides the navigation essential for controlling the course of scientific and societal advances (Davidian, M. and Louis, T. A., 10.1126/science.1218685). Statistics is considered to be the language of data, usually large amounts of data, broken down and organized so we can make sense of it. Our text says that a knowledge of statistics allows us to differentiate between sound or questionable conclusions. Two Types of Data There are two types of data used in statistics-quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data relates to how much or how many of something, just like in quantity. What is the price of that car? abs.gov.au. (07/2013). These are quantitative data whose values are expressed by numbers. In contrast, qualitative data refers to the quality of values, such as what type or which category, is the quality of your data. The color of the car you’re choosing is an example of qualitative data and does not involve numeric data. Four Scale Levels In order to appropriately summarize and analyze data, we need to be able to differentiate between measuring scales. There are four scales-nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. First, the nominal scale is considered the least sophisticated and is used to categorize or group data by name or label. When using the ordinal scale we are able to categorize...
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...effect of a web-based tutorial on problem formulation ability by using qualitative and quantitative research designs? The business of rental cars can benefit from both quantitative and qualitative research designs by combining both designs for maximum effect. Lender evaluations of start-up business prospects The study was collected in 2003 and 2005 from the data bases in Finnvera, a state-owned financial institution. The data collected allows the qualitative ways authors can examine the information based on personal history and firm-specific characteristics of business prospects, and market position impact firm performance. The weakness of using the qualitative design for lender evaluations is the understanding parts of the data because it can be misunderstood because of personal opinions of the researchers. By using the quantitative design, the researchers can begin to explain the data results and come to a more itemized way of using the data. Lenders struggle with the data results as stated Iselin (1988), “Some studies state that inconsistency in previous findings could result from improper measurement of information loads as well as failure to rule out the effects of confounding variables.” This inconsistency is based on the knowledge of the person doing the research and not general for everyone who reads the data. This problem would be solved if the researchers used both the quantitative and qualitative designs together. By questioning the findings and understanding them...
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...Quantitative and Qualitative Quantitative and Qualitative Research The purpose of this paper is a comprehensive comparison of quantitative vs. qualitative research techniques for MBA 5210 Business Statistics. The paper will weigh the relative merits and demerits of each providing interpretation of the potential applications of qualitative and quantitative research to various fields of study as per the requirements of the paper. Qualitative and Quantitative Overview Researchers have long debated the relative merits quantitative vs. qualitative research techniques have to offer field researchers. It is important that one understand the implications of each in order to weigh the relative importance and relevance of each to the field. Qualitative and quantitative methods have a long history of providing researchers with information regarding specific events, phenomena and subjects. The primary difference between the two forms of investigation is the methods each employs to uncover the ‘reality’ behind a given situation. These separate realities are explored below. Benz & Newman (1998) suggest that qualitative and quantitative research methods align in a continuum. Qualitative research derives its foundation in naturalistic philosophy, whereas quantitative research focuses on positivistic philosophy (Benz & Newman, 1998). Qualitative research is more likely to adopt an individual phenomenological perspective, whereas quantitative approaches tend to emphasize...
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...Y METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH From Theory to Practice Marguerite G. Lodico, Dean T. Spaulding, Katherine H. Voegtle METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH Y METHODS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH From Theory to Practice Marguerite G. Lodico, Dean T. Spaulding, Katherine H. Voegtle Copyright © 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this...
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...Page 1 1 Introduction to quantitative research 1.1. What is quantitative research? Research methods in education (and the other social sciences) are often divided into two main types: quantitative and qualitative methods. This book will discuss one of these two main strands: ‘quantitative methods’, and what distinguishes quantitative from qualitative methods. When you think of quantitative methods, you will probably have specific things in mind. You will probably be thinking of statistics, numbers, and many of you may be feeling somewhat apprehensive because you think quantitative methods are difficult. Apart from the last one, all these thoughts capture some of the essence of quantitative methods. The following definition, taken from Aliaga and Gunderson (2000), describes what we mean by quantitative research methods very well: Quantitative research is ‘Explaining phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods (in particular statistics)’. Let’s go through this definition step by step. The first element is explaining phenomena. This is a key element of all research, be it quantitative or qualitative. When we set out to do some research, we are always looking to explain something. In education, this could be questions like ‘why do teachers leave teaching?’, ‘what factors influence pupil achievement?’, and so on. The specificity of quantitative research lies in the next part of the definition. In quantitative research, we collect numerical...
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...Communication Research Com3706 Portfolio Assignment Task 5.10 Semester two 2013 Table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 1MAIN ISSUE 1 2RESEARCH CRITERIA 1 3EXTENT OF THE RESEARCH ISSUE 2 4 POPULATION 2 5 ASSUMPTIONS AND SUB-PROBLEMS 3 6 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 3 7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4 8 THEORETICAL APPROACH 4 9 RESEARCH DESIGN 7 CONCLUSION 8 SOURCES CONSULTED 8 ADDENDUM A: SELF-REFLECTION9 INTRODUCTION In this assignment the nine creative characteristics in eight different advertisements, will be explored and describe by means of content analysis. 1MAIN ISSUE Explore and describe, by means of qualitative and quantitative content analysis, the characteristics of nine creative concepts and their creative application in eight different adverts, found in two different publications: cross sectional. 2RESEARCH CRITERIA Relevance: Advertising is directly related to marketing, which makes the issue relevant to communication science. Researchability: The issue can be researched by collecting and exploring the creative concepts of eight different advertisements from two different magazine or newspaper publications. Feasibility:The investigation is feasible as there are not many resources necessary, and it is easy and inexpensive to purchase two magazine or newspaper publications. Ethical acceptability: The research deals with eight advertisements from two publications, it will therefore be ethically acceptable because no...
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...RESEARCH PROCESS A PAPER WRITTEN BY : IVIE ELOGHOSA OGBEIDE(ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT,UNIBEN) INTRODUCTION. Research process has been conducted from the time since human being was first created and it is a never ending process. More than hundreds of definitions of research have been available in written form in different books, encyclopedias, dictionaries and in research literature. These definition may have difference in wordings but meanings are similar.This paper is going to look at the meaning of research,its aim and purpose,types,characteristics and the processes or steps involved in a research. The word "research" is used to describe a number of similar and often overlapping activities involving a search for information.It is a systematic investigation to establish facts. Research can be defined as the search for knowledge or as any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories. The primary purposes of basic research are documentation,discovery,interpretation,or the research and development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knoledge.Research is the seeking of knowledge in systematic, organized manner. The system that a researcher follows to find out the facts that are hidden and not known to people, determines the validity, genuineness and reliability of research. A research is biased or fake if there is no validity or reliability in the research process...
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...COURSE DESCRIPTION This course evaluates the process of conducting business research for improving decision making within an organization. Students will learn to apply an understanding of commonly employed business research techniques to improve a situation, solve a problem, or change a process. Other topics include problem framing, data collection, data analysis, and data presentation. Week 1 - Topic 1: Recognizing the Situation Objectives Recognize a situation, problem, issue, or opportunity that needs addressing. Determine the significance, scope, magnitude and feasibility of finding a solution to the situation, problem, issue, or opportunity. Identify ethical issues involved in business research. Describe the business research process. Materials Week One Student Guide Sample Examination to prepare for Final Examination EBOOK COLLECTION: Business Research Methods, Ch. 1 EBOOK COLLECTION: Business Research Methods, Ch. 2 EBOOK COLLECTION: Business Research Methods, Ch. 3 EBOOK COLLECTION: Business Research Methods, Ch. 4 ARTICLE: Week One Topic Searches Assessment Individual Assigment: Current Events in Business Research Write a 300-word summary of the business research process by describing the business research process from your experience in the workplace or in an article you find through the University Library. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Please see the instructor's syllabus for this week's assignments. Week 2 - Topic 1:...
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...Two persistent critiques of quantitative experimentalism are (a) the lack of isomorphism between its measures and "reality" and (b) its failure thus far to produce "truths" useful to educational practice. These critiques have long been commented on. As early as 1918, B. R. Buckingham wrote: We may labor ingeniously at our analyses of results and may bring from afar the most potent methods which statistical theory has evolved, but we shall accomplish little if our instruments are as grossly defective as some of those which are now being employed appear to be. (p. 132) Buckingham's concern continues to be echoed by contemporary researchers: If multiple independent anecdotes are to be trusted, the computers too often have been processing in stolid seriousness worthless data produced by children who were staging mass boycotts, or deliberately sabotaging the process or making jokes out of their answers. Anecdotes of similar scandals are available for questionnaires, attitude scales and interviews. (Campbell, 1978) Too often, then, the link between results and "reality" is assumed rather than systematically investigated. Consequently, the empirical bases of educational practice are too frequently half-truths and pure fictions. BASIC PROBLEMS We quite agree with the first critique, that quantitative concepts are not isomorphic with quantitative measures. As Bateson (1980, p. 133) noted, "I can, in a sense, see the dog discriminate, but I cannot possibly see his 'discrimination...
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...Research Methodologies in Supply Chain Management Herbert Kotzab ´ Stefan Seuring Martin Mçller ´ Gerald Reiner (Editors) Research Methodologies in Supply Chain Management In Collaboration with Magnus Westhaus With 71 Figures and 67 Tables Physica-Verlag A Springer Company Professor Dr. Herbert Kotzab Copenhagen Business School Department of Operations Management SCM-Group Solbjerg Plads 3 2000 Frederiksberg Denmark hk.om@cbs.dk PD Dr. Stefan Seuring PD Dr. Martin Mçller Supply Chain Management Center Institute of Business Administration Faculty of Business, Economics and Law Uhlhornsweg 26111 Oldenburg Germany stefan.seuring@uni-oldenburg.de martin.mueller@uni-oldenburg.de Dr. Gerald Reiner Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration Department of Production Management Nordbergstraûe 15 1090 Vienna Austria gerald.reiner@wu-wien.ac.at Cataloging-in-Publication Data Library of Congress Control Number: 2005924508 ISBN 3-7908-1583-7 Physica-Verlag Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must...
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...p97). Do you agree? Introduction The statement that "There is no hope of doing perfect research," (Griffiths, 1998, p97) was made by Morwenna Griffiths, a professor and writer, in her book Educational Research for Social Justice: Getting off the Fence. What the statement basically meant was that we cannot ever expect our research to be of a level where we can say it's at its ultimate best. There are several reasons for this and seeing not only the logic in the statement, but also having personally experienced it, I too have to agree. What is research and why can’t it be perfect? Research is basically a collection of information which we choose to develop, store or manipulate. There are two sorts of research, qualitative and quantitative. The former deals more with theoretical findings while the latter can be viewed as collection of information, mostly statistical. Keeping these two sorts of research and that basic definition in mind the basis for that statement is made quite clear and self-explanatory. The endless limits of research For one thing, research can never be complete or absolute. If we consider the world of information to be an ocean, we can consider our research to be the water in a bucket. As long as I'm on one end of the ocean, I will never know what the other end might hold. I might miss out on something that contradicts or better explains what I'm currently considering as my best example. Of course if one were to span the entire length and width...
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...BRIEFING Non-European Labour Migration to the UK AUTHOR: DR SCOTT BLINDER PUBLISHED: 30/01/2012 NEXT UPDATE: 30/01/2013 1st Revision www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk BRIEFING: Non-European Labour Migration to the UK This briefing examines labour migration to the UK among people who are not from the European Economic Area (EEA). Labour migrants are those whose primary reason for migrating or whose legal permission to enter the UK is for employment. Key Points Non-EEA labour migration increased over the 1990s and early 2000s but has declined since a peak in 2004-2006. Skilled and highly-skilled workers (Tier 1 and 2 of the Points-Based System) take up slightly less than half of entry visas issued for work. A majority of non-EEA labour migrants coming to the UK are male; a majority of newly arriving labour migrants are aged 25-44. The largest numbers of non-EEA labour migrants are nationals of Asian countries, followed by the Americas; labour migration among Africans has declined since at least 2004. Understanding the evidence Labour migration involves people coming to the UK for the purpose of paid work. Depending on the source of data, measures of labour migration might involve people who say that they are coming to the UK because of a definite job or to look for work (International Passenger Survey data), or people who have permission to enter the UK through a workrelated visa (administrative data on visas and passenger entries). IPS and administrative...
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