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Published byFelicia Diamond Modified over 10 years ago
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Quantitative Methods for Researchers Paul Cairns paul.cairns@york.ac.uk
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Objectives Need for write up Structure of write-up 2
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Why write up? 3
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Formal structure Title and abstract Aims = lit review Method Results Discussion 4
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Literature Defines the community Importance/interest Implicit standard Implicit style QUAN, Paul Cairns
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Method section Aim and hypothesis Participants Variables Design Materials Procedure 6
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Matching Exercise Aim and hypothesis Participants Variables Design Materials Procedure Construct Internal External Ecological 7
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Results Report descriptives Report all tests – not just the “interesting” ones Don’t do anything else 8
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Discussion Interpreting results Honest criticism Design => Results – Even if not the result you wanted! Further work 9
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Three writing tools RQ Fantasy abstract Method 10
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Write now! Known structures What will sig show? Is it valid? Forces a dialogue – With self or supervisor 11
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Experiments as evidence If – X has really changed – Y has been properly measured – Nothing else has changed – The result was significant Then – Evidence that X causes Y 12
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Value? Modest but cumulative One severe test Isolation of phenomena Strong pillars 13
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Not black and white Experiments are not proof – Validity – Assumptions Experiments have a frame – Eg speed of gravity 14
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Health warnings Craft skill Simpler is better – Doing it – Interpreting it – Communicating it Experiments as evidence Software packages are deceptively easy 15
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Q & A Any question about any aspect Very general or very specific Any research method! 16
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Useful Reading Cairns, Cox, Research Methods for HCI: chaps 6 Rowntree, Statistics Without Tears Howell, Fundamental Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences, 6 th edn. Abelson, Statistics as Principled Argument Silver, The Signal and the Noise 17
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