1. Practical Research by Leedy and Ormrod 10th Edition
Charles C. Tappert
Seidenberg School of CSIS, Pace University

2. Chapter 1 – Research is Not
Merely gathering information
Merely looking for hard-to-locate information
Merely transporting facts from one location to another

3. Chapter 1 Research Has 8 Characteristics
Research originates with a question or problem
Research requires clear articulation of a goal
Research usually divides the principal problem into more manageable subproblems
Research is guided by the specific research problem, question, or hypothesis
Research requires a specific plan for proceeding
Research rests on certain critical assumptions
Research requires the collection and interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve the research problem
Research in, by its nature, cyclical or, more exactly, helical

4. Chapter 1 – Research Cycle

5. Chapter 1 – Six General Tools
The library and its resources
Computer technology
Measurement
Statistics
Language
The human mind

6. Chapter 2 Finding the Research Problem
Look around you
Read the literature
Seek the advice of experts
Attend professional conferences
Choose a topic that intrigues and motivates you
Choose a topic that others will find interesting and worthy of attention

7. Chapter 2 Stating the Research Problem
State the problem clearly and completely
Think through the feasibility of the work the problem implies
Say precisely what you mean
State the problem in a way that reflects an open mind about its solution
Edit your work

8. Chapter 2 Every problem needs further delineation
Dividing the research problem into subproblems
Stating the hypotheses and/or research questions
Identifying the variables under investigation
Independent variable -> dependent variable
Delimiting the research
Defining terms
Stating the assumptions
Importance of the study (so what?)

9. Chapter 3 Review the Related Literature
Role of literature review
Understand the field and what is known
Put your problem into context
Strategies for locating related literature
Library and reference librarians (Michelle Lang)
Indexes and abstracts
Online databases
Conference proceedings
Know when to end the literature review
When you no longer encounter new viewpoints

10. Chapter 4 Planning Your Research Work

11. Chapter 4 Relation between Data and Truth

12. Chapter 4 Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
Characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research

13. Chapter 4 Quantitative vs Qualitative Research
Choose quantitative or qualitative research

14. Chapter 5 Writing the Research Proposal
The problem and its setting
Problem statement, hypotheses, delimitations, definitions, assumptions, importance of study
Review of Related Literature
The data and the treatment of the data
Data needed and means of obtaining the data
The research methodology
Outline of the proposed study
Steps to be taken, timeline, etc.

15. Chapter 6 Qualitative Research
Case study
Analysis of an event or programs
Phenomenological study – perceptions
Interviews, surveys
Grounded theory
Begin with data and develop a theory
Content analysis
Examine a body of material to identify patterns, themes, etc.

16. Chapter 6 Qualitative Research

17. Chapter 7 Historical Research
Examine a sequence of events and develop a rational explanation for the sequence, possible cause and effect relationships, etc.
Examples
Moore’s Law by Gordon Moore
Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns by Ray Kurzweil
The Dot-Com Bubble Reconsidered by Lee Gomes
Cooperation from a Game Theory Perspective by Dietrich Fischer
Online Handwriting Recognition Interfaces by Charles Tappert
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

18. Chapter 8 Descriptive Quantitative Research
Involves describing the situation as it is
Descriptive research designs
Observation studies
Correlational research
Survey research

19. Chapter 9 Experimental Quantitative Research
Look for cause-and-effect relationships
Independent and dependent variables
Dr. Mary Villani (DPS 2006) - keystroke biometric study

20. Chapter 10 Mixed-Methods Research
Both qualitative and quantitative dimensions
Usually require more time and energy than a strictly qualitative or quantitative study

21. Chapter 11 Analyzing Quantitative Data
Exploring and organizing the data
Visual representations – graphs, charts, etc.
Spreadsheets
Choosing appropriate statistics
Descriptive statistics
Nominal (non-numeric), ordinal (numeric), interval (equal units) , and ratio (true zero) data
Normal and non-normal distributions
Parametric (e.g., means, std) and non-parametric statistics
Inferential statistics
E.g., use small sample to estimate the characteristics of a population

22. Chapter 12 Writing the Dissertation
Description of the research problem
Stating the hypotheses and/or research questions
Delimitations, definitions, assumptions
Importance of the study (so what?)
Description of the method
Presentation of the data
Interpretation of the data
Conclusions

23. Chapter 12 Writing the Dissertation