1. Research Problems
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2. Research Problems for Quantitative Research

3. Inductive Logic of Research in Qualitative Studies
Generalizations are made, or Theories to Past Experience
And Literature
Researcher Looks for Broad Patterns, Generalizations, or
Theories from Themes or Categories
Researcher Analyzes Data to Form Themes
Or Categories
Researcher Asks Open-Ended Questions of Participants
Or Records Field Notes
Researcher Gathers Information

4. The Deductive Approach in Typical Quantitative Research
Researcher Tests or Verifies a Theory
Researcher Tests Hypotheses or Research Questions
From the Theory
Researcher Defines and Operationalizes
Variables Derived from the Theory
Researcher Measures or Observes Variables Using an
Instrument to Obtain Scores

5. A Primer for Thinking About Research
Three general questions when thinking about designing research (Creswell 2003):
What knowledge claims are being made by the researcher?
What strategies of inquiry will inform procedures?
What methods of data collection and analysis will be used?

6. Knowledge Claims Positivism/Post-positivism Constructivism
Often starts with theory; deductive
Constructivism
Often does not start with theory; inductive
Advocacy/Participatory
Literally advocates action in a specific area
Pragmatism
The ‘problem’ is the key issue; specific methods chosen based on the nature of the problem(s)

7. Empirical observation and measurement Constructivism
Positivism
Determinism
Empirical observation
and measurement
Constructivism
Social and historical
construction
Theory generation
Advocacy/Participatory
Political
Change-oriented
Pragmatism
Problem-centered
Real-world practice
(Creswell 2003)

8. Strategies of Inquiry Qualitative Quantitative Ethnographies
Case studies
Narrative research
Quantitative
Surveys
Experiments

9. Approaches to Research Design Process
Elements of Inquiry
Knowledge Claims
Strategies of Inquiry
Methods
Approaches to Research
Design Process
Questions
Data collection
Data analysis
Qualitative
Quantitative
Mixed Methods
Adapted from (Creswell 2003)

10. Research Problems and Questions
Justification
Research Question
Testable Hypothesis 1
Testable Hypothesis 2

11. Three Criteria for a Research Problem
What are we going to learn as the result of the proposed project that we do not know now?
Why is it worth knowing?
How will we know that the conclusions are valid?

12. Justifying Research Problems
Explain what is not known about the problem.
Why does the problem matter?
Provide documentation that this is actually a problem.
Available statistics?
Available literature that shows that this is a needed area of inquiry?

13. What is not a Justification?
No one has looked at it before.
Literature has failed to address the issue.

14. Defining Research Questions
What is a research question?
“an interrogative sentence or statement that asks: What relation exists between two or more concepts?”
A good problem can produce many research questions.
The research question(s) can be restated in one or more ways to produce testable hypotheses.

15. The Research Question Common mistakes in defining research questions
Very broad area of interest
Too narrow
Cannot be measured
Not interesting to the researcher

16. Turning Research Questions into Testable Hypotheses

17. Testable Hypotheses
Once a research problem has been identified and one or more research questions emerge, specific hypotheses are used to relate specific variables
What is the role of operationalization at this point?
Hypotheses should specify at least two variables and the relationship between them:
E.g., Hypothesis 1: As Internet use increases, time spent with family members decreases.

18. Hypothesis
“hypothesis statements contain two or more variables that are measurable or potentially measurable and that specify how the variables are related” (Kerlinger 1986)
A good research question will produce one or more testable hypotheses.
Testable hypotheses predict a relationship between variables (not concepts).
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19. Propositions and Hypotheses
Propositions link concepts together with specific relationships
Hypotheses link variables together with specific relationships
Drug Use
Violence
Number of Times
Person Consumed
Drug X over Time T
Observed ‘violent acts’
Over time Y
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20. Conditions of Causality
Covariation
Non-spurious relationship
Logical time ordering
Mechanism to explain how X causes Y X Y
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21. Causation and Causal Paths
Direct causal paths
Reciprocal causation
Indirect causation X Y X Y X Z Y
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22. Theoretical Model with Variables
Socioeconomic
Status
Academic Ability
Academic
Achievement
Math skills
Language
skills
Income
Job
Prestige
Grades
Level of
Schooling attained
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