1. Chapter Two
Tools of Research

2. Research Tool vs Research
Methodology
Research Tool: A specific mechanism or
strategy the researcher uses to collect,
manipulate, or interpret data.
Research Methodology: The general
approach the researcher takes in
carrying out the research project.

3. The Six General Tools of Research
The library and its resources
The computer and its software
Measurement techniques
Statistics
The human mind
Language

4. The Library and Its Resources
As a Tool of Research
The library of the quiet past
The library of the stormy present

5. How to Access Information Quickly and Efficiently
Library Catalogs
Indexes and Abstracts
Reference Librarian
Library Shelves

6. Principle Systems for Classification
of Knowledge
Dewey decimal system: Classifies knowledge
according to 10 basic areas of human knowledge,
each divided decimally. The principle classification
system in public libraries and probably the most
generally accepted system worldwide.
Library of Congress system: Classifies knowledge
by alphabetical categories. The principle
classification system used in college and university
libraries.

7. The Computer and Its Software As a Tool of Research
World Wide Web (WWW)
- Web pages
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
- Web browser
- Web link
Electronic Mail
News
- list servers

8. Guidelines: Getting Started on E-mail
Get an account on a computer system.
2. Find out how to access the system and obtain the needed software to do so.
3. Find the addresses of people you wish to contact.
4. Connect to the computer system that services
your account and send a short message
to a friend.

9. Measurement as a Tool of Research
Measurement: limiting the data of any
phenomenon—substantial or insubstantial—
so that those data may be interpreted and,
ultimately, compared to a particular
qualitative or quantitative standard.
* Substantial measurements = those things being
measured that have physical substance.
* Insubstantial measurements = exist only as concepts,
ideas, opinions, feelings, or other intangible entities.

10. Four Scales of Measurement:
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio

11. Nominal Scale of Measurement
Measures data by assigning names to them
Things can be measured nominally in an infinite
number of ways
Simplistic
Divides data into discrete categories
Statistical procedures = mode, percentage,
chi-square test

12. Ordinal Scale of Measurement
Think in terms of symbols (>; <)
Allows data to be rank-ordered
Statistical procedures = median, percentile rank,
Spearman’s rank-order
correlation

13. Interval Scale of Measurement
Has equal units of measurement
Zero point established arbitrarily
Rating scales, such as surveys, assumed to
fall on interval scales
Statistical procedures = means, standard
deviations, Pearson
product moment
correlations

14. Ratio Scale of Measurement
Characterized by equal measurement units
(similar to an interval scale)
Has an absolute zero point (0 = total absence
of the quality being measured)
Can express values in terms of multiples and
fractional parts
Ratios are true ratios (ex. Yardstick)
Relatively rare outside the physical sciences

15. Summary of the Four Scales of Measurement:
Nominal scale: One object is different from another.
Ordinal scale: One object is bigger or better or more
of anything than another.
Interval scale: One object is so many units (degrees,
inches) more than another.
Ratio scale: One object is so many times as big or
bright or tall or heavy as another.

16. Validity and Reliability of Measurement
Validity = the extent to which a
measurement instrument measures
what it is intended to measure.
Reliability = the consistency with which a
measurement instrument yields a
certain result when the entity being
measured hasn’t changed.

17. Statistics as a Tool of Research
Principle Functions of Statistics:
1. describe the data, and
2. draw inferences from the data
Descriptive Statistics summarize the general nature of the data obtained.
Inferential Statistics help the researcher make
decisions about the data.

18. The Human Mind as a Tool of Research
Critical Thinking
Deductive Logic
Inductive Reasoning
The Scientific Method
Theory Building

19. Critical Thinking = evaluating
arguments in terms of their
accuracy and worth. May take a
variety of forms:
- verbal reasoning
- argument analysis
- decision making
- critical analysis of prior research

20. Deductive Logic: begins with one
or more premises—statements or
assumptions that the researcher
initially takes to be true; valuable
for generating research hypotheses
and testing theories.

21. Inductive Reasoning: begins with an
observation of a specific event to draw
conclusions about entire classes of
objects or events (i.e., observe a sample
and then draw conclusions about the
population from which the sample has
been taken).

22. The Scientific Method: the means
whereby insight into the unknown is
sought by
1. identifying a problem that defines the goal of
one’s quest;
2. positing a hypothesis that, if confirmed,
resolves the problem;
3. gathering data relevant to the hypothesis; and
4. analyzing and interpreting the data to see
whether they support the hypothesis and
resolve the research question.

23. Theory Building: is based on
facts rather than naïve beliefs
and subjective impressions about
the world:
- involves thinking actively and
intentionally about the phenomena at
hand,
- yields hypotheses to be tested,
- tends to be a slow process,
- usually involves collaboration with
others.

24. Language as a Tool of Research
Language enables effective thinking.
Words enhance thinking by:
- reducing the world’s complexity,
- allowing abstraction of the environment,
- enhancing the power of thought,
- facilitating generalization and inference
drawing in new situations.

25. Communicating Effectively Through Writing
Say exactly what you mean.
Keep your primary objective in mind at all times.
Provide an overview of what you will be discussing.
Organize ideas into general and more specific categories by using headings and subheadings.
Use transitional phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to help readers follow your train of thought.

26. Communicating Effectively Through Writing, continued
Use concrete examples to make abstract ideas more understandable.
Use appropriate punctuation.
Use figures and tables for clarification.
At the end of chapters and major sections, summarize what you’ve said.
Anticipate having to write multiple drafts.