1. Planning a Research Project Chapter 4

2. Sources and Examples of Research Questions Research Question Questions about one or more topics or concepts that can be answered through research A research question can be about local or global governments, individuals or organizations, and an entire society

3. Sources and Examples of Research Questions Hypothesis A testable statement about how two or more variables are expected to be related to one another A research question is similar to a hypothesis, except that a hypothesis presents an expectation about the way two or more variables are related, but a research question does not

4. The Impact of Values on Science “value free” science

5. Personal Experiences Personal interests may influence the selection of a topic or questions

6. Research and the Social, Political and Economic World Knowledge is socially constructed – so too is research Change in society influences amount of research on topics

7. Sources and Impacts of Research Funding Research can be very expensive Funding is hard to come by Government and private sources of funding

8. Practical Matters Researchable question A question that can be answered with research that is feasible

9. Practical Matters Literature Review The process of searching for, reading, summarizing, and synthesizing existing work on a topic or the resulting written summary of a search

10. Practical Matters Literature Review Academic sources Keywords  The terms used to search for sources in a literature review

11. Practical Matters Literature Review Using the literature in a study Feasibility  Whether it is practical to complete a study in terms of access, time, and money

12. Practical Matters Literature Review Access The ability to obtain the information needed to answer a research question Gatekeeper Someone who can get a researcher into a setting or can facilitate access to participants

13. Practical Matters Literature Review Time and Money Time and costs vary by method of data collection

14. Practical Matters Practical matters Research costs All monetary expenditures needed for planning, executing, and reporting research

15. Practical Matters Practical matters Time expenditures The time it takes to complete all activities of a research project from the planning stage to the final report

16. Summary Research questions can vary in scope and purpose A review of the literature is essential Planning a study Time Money Access to data

17. Quiz – Question 1 Develop three research questions for a project about the use of social media among college students.

18. Quiz – Question 2 We can expect that the interest in certain research topics will change over time. This is due to: a. different sources of funding. b. changing political, social, and economic elements. c. changing personal factors. d. all of the above e. none of the above

19. Quiz – Question 3 Some topics that may be interesting and important but gaining access to the population may be very difficult. Which of the following presents the greatest obstacles? a. College students living in a dormitory b. Individuals who are members of a bowling league c. Children who are hospitalized for minor illness d. Individuals who are members of a secret cult e. Singles who go on singles’ cruises