1 Major topics to be addressed  Types of research  Fundamental concepts

2 I. Types of research  Quantitative vs. qualitative A survey study An experimental study A case study

3 A survey study A survey study is a study in which a questionnaire is usually used and a relatively large number of subjects are involved.

4 What is a questionnaire? Any written instruments that present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react either by writing out their answers or selecting from among existing answers (Brown, 2001:6) Open-ended questions Closed questions

5 II. Fundamental concepts  Variable  Levels of measurement  Operationalization

6 (1) What is a variable? Definition A variable, as its name suggests, is a feature that must vary from person to person or from object to object.

7 What are the variations of a variable given below?  Gender  Anxiety  Motivation  Belief  Language proficiency  Teaching approach  Learning style

8 Level of measurement  Nominal scale  Ordinal scale  Interval scale Qualitative in nature and numbers do not have numeric values An rank order: ranks in a competition The distance between every two consecutive points on a scale is equal.

9 Scaling techniques  Likert scales are widely used in questionnaire design  simple, reliable and versatile  3, 5, or 7 options form a continuum. 5 options

10 Frequency scale Do you guess the meaning of new words when reading English novels for pleasure? 1 = Never 2 = Occasionally 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Very often

11 Degree of agreement scale 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Uncertain 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree

12 Semantic differential scale How much do your parents encourage you to study French? Not at all __: __: __: __: __: __: __ Very much They also used a similar method to find out the subject's impressions of French people from France: Interesting __: __: __: __: __: __: __ Boring Brave__: __: __: __: __: __: __ Cowardly Handsome__: __: __: __: __: __: __ Ugly

13 Definition of a variable A variable needs to be defined conceptually and operationally. A conceptual definition is a theoretical explanation that helps clarify people’s understanding of the variable investigated. It is also called a construct. An operational definition specifies exactly what you have to do in order to measure something that has been defined conceptually. Such a definition is characterized by explicitness which makes possible not only measurement but also evaluation and replication.

14 Communication strategies CD OP Refer to measures that have been taken to deal with communication problems They can be divided into Achievement strategies vs. avoidance strategies. Measures taken to solve a problem to reach the original goal Measures taken to avoid solving a problem Achievement & avoidance strategies in four skills Questionnaire items concerning achievement strategies and avoidance strategies

15 Tasks for before-questionnaire design  Specify the variable(s) you want to investigate  Define the variable(s) conceptually

16 Research questions  What strategies do Chinese university students use in reading English?  What strategies do Chinese university students use in writing a composition in English?

17 Questionnaire construction contest  Construct a questionnaire to answer the research question given. In addition to a complete questionnaire, you should also include the following information: –Types of information you would like to obtain; types of scaling techniques you would like to employ; the categories you plan to have; types of respondents

18 Questionnaire design contest  A panel of judges (6 tutors + 6 representatives from 6 six classes)  10-minute presentation  10-minute question-answer section Small Class contest Big class contest