Research Questions: Characteristics and Importance

LECTURE 1: Research Questions

• A research question is the core question a study aims to answer.
• A clear research question focuses the research, stating precisely what needs investigation.
• Good research questions guide writing a hypothesis and objectives for a thesis, dissertation, or research paper.
• They provide clarity to the writing and help readers understand the research topic and objectives.
• Before creating a research paper, and often before a study, a concise statement of the study's goals is written.

LECTURE 1: Characteristics of a Good Research Question

• A good research question offers clear and specific details, allowing readers to understand the purpose.
• The question's scope needs to be focused and narrow to fit the paper's length.
• The question should be concise, expressing main ideas in few words, like in a hypothesis.
• The question needs depth and precision; it can't simply be answered with a 'yes' or 'no.' Further analysis of arguments and evidence is required.
• The question should be arguable or testable, open to scrutiny and further investigation with specific questions and counterarguments.

LECTURE 1: Specific and Focused Research Questions

• Research questions that are too broad or include too many factors or variables are inappropriate for a single study.
• A sample data set that is too large or an excessively long experimental timeline can indicate a question is too broad or unfocused.
• A precise research question brings together data and observations to either support or refute a hypothesis.
• A vague research question can lead to a different research problem or hypothesis overlooked in the introduction.
• Examples for a broad vs. focused research question are provided.

LECTURE 1: Research Questions Based on Literature

• Effective research questions are answerable and verifiable based on existing research.
• Research should be grounded in existing academic consensus.
• Conspiracy theories or unsupported ideas are not appropriate for research paper topics.
• Research questions must align with and be searchable within established research.
• Examples of research questions based and not based on literature are provided.

LECTURE 1: Realistic Research Questions

• Research questions must be realistic in terms of time, scope, and budget.
• The procedures and timeframe must realistically be achievable for a student or lab technician.
• Research requiring future technology, expensive resources, or follow-up studies is problematic.
• Research at large universities is frequently publicly funded, requiring adherence to budget and timeframe restrictions.
• Examples are provided for unrealistic and realistic research questions.

LECTURE 1: In-Depth Research Questions

• Research papers, theses, and dissertations are usually long (dozens or hundreds of pages), requiring in-depth research questions.
• A good research question must be complex enough to warrant this length, withstanding peer review and replicability by other researchers.
• Examples of superficial and in-depth research questions are presented.

LECTURE 2: Defining Hypothesis

• A hypothesis is a preliminary, educated guess about a research's outcome.
• It's derived from a problem question and expresses the researcher's expected explanation.
• A hypothesis should offer a statement supported by a justification or clarification.
• It pinpoints the key variables under investigation and details the relationship between them.

LECTURE 2: Usage of the Term Hypothesis

• Originally, "hypothesis" referred to a clever idea or a helpful mathematical approach.
• Modern usage defines a hypothesis as a provisional idea requiring evaluation.

LECTURE 2: Problems vs. Hypotheses

• A research problem is typically a question.
• A hypothesis answers that question by suggesting a possible solution.
• A problem cannot usually be tested; a hypothesis can be tested, proven/disproven.
• Both hypotheses and problems contribute to knowledge, either supporting or opposing existing theories.
• A hypothesis should be formulated after stating the problem and reviewing the research related to it.
• A hypothesis is formulated when a researcher entirely understands the theory and evidence surrounding the problem.

LECTURE 2: Purpose & Function of a Hypothesis

• A hypothesis explains relationships between variables that can be empirically tested.
• It shows the researcher possesses a sufficient background for suggesting new knowledge.
• It steers the investigation and gives continuity to the research process.

LECTURE 2: Characteristics of a Hypothesis

• A hypothesis needs explanatory power, explaining the phenomenon under investigation.
• It must be verifiable, with methods in place for testing and measurement.
• Stating the hypothesis should use simple, understandable language.
• A hypothesis must correspond to and align with existing knowledge.

LECTURE 2: Types of Hypotheses

• Hypotheses are classified based on how they're derived (inductive or deductive) or their nature (research hypothesis, statistical/null hypothesis).
• Inductive hypotheses are based on observations, while deductive hypotheses begin with established facts or previous knowledge.
• A research hypothesis suggests a particular relationship between variables.
• A statistical/null hypothesis posits a lack of relationship between variables.

LECTURE 2: Formulating a Research Hypothesis

• Research questions direct the formulation of research hypotheses.
• Defining variables and their associations (relationships or differences) are essential for formulating a hypothesis.
• Hypotheses are testable statements, often including predictions about how variables interact.
• Examples are provided of hypotheses written in a testable, prediction-focus manner.

LECTURE 2: How Hypotheses Are Written

• Hypotheses use tentative words like "may," suggesting possible relationships.
• Clearly worded hypotheses explain how a researcher will prove it.
• In contrast, simple predictions are not hypotheses.
• Examples illustrate appropriate/inappropriate formulations.

LECTURE 2: Formalized Hypotheses

• Formal hypotheses contain "if...then" statements, defining the relationship between variables.
• Examples define formalized hypotheses and illustrate a relationship is possible.

LECTURE 3: Research Design

• Research design details the overall plan and strategy that guides a research project.
• A good research design serves as a roadmap.
• It should include methods for data collection, ensuring reliability and validity.
• It's important to choose the appropriate design, considering research aims, objectives, and available resources.

LECTURE 3: Purpose of Research Design Considerations

• Without proper planning, research risks using misaligned methods in data collection, sample selection, and analysis.

LECTURE 3: Categorization of Research Design

• Some sources define research design by the data type (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods).
• Other sources view research design as the set of participant and data collection choices made.

LECTURE 3: Quantitative Research Designs

• Quantitative research collects and analyzes numerical data.
• Descriptive, correlational, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs are common types.

LECTURE 3: Descriptive Research Design

• Descriptive designs aim to describe existing conditions, behaviors, or characteristics.
• There is no researcher intervention during data collection; instead, data is gathered.
• Example scenarios are provided.
• This design aims solely to describe existing conditions; it doesn't investigate relationships or causes.
• Descriptive research is useful for gaining initial insights and often precedes other research designs.

LECTURE 3: Correlational Research Design

• Correlational studies investigate relationships between variables without manipulating them directly.
• They explore if changes in one thing tend to be associated with changes in another.
• Example scenarios demonstrating correlational studies, and their use, are provided.
• Discovering relationships, not causality, is the goal.

LECTURE 3: Experimental Research Design

• Experimental design is used to establish causal relationships between variables.
• The study manipulates one variable and controls other variables to see its effect on the outcome variable.
• Example scenarios demonstrating experimental research methodology and its use are provided.

LECTURE 3: Quasi-Experimental Research Design

• Quasi-experimental designs are used when random assignment of participants to groups is not possible (due to ethical or practical reasons).
• Instead, researchers rely on existing groups or pre-established conditions.
• Example scenarios are provided.

LECTURE 4: Data Collection

• Data collection involves gathering information.
• The process is critical in every type of research, including social science, business, and healthcare, informing analysis and decisions.
• Data collection methods must be appropriate to the type of data collected (qualitative or quantitative).
• Data collection heavily relies on different research, commercial, and governmental sources.

LECTURE 4: Prior Questions in Data Collection

• To begin data collection, analysts must answer these three questions:
• What is the research's purpose?
• What kind of data needs gathering?
• What methods for collection, storage, and processing will be used?
• Qualitative data describes characteristics like color or size; quantitative data uses numbers (statistics, percentages).

LECTURE 4: Why Data Collection?

• Informed decisions and effective plans begin with detailed data.
• Data collection, even for a court case or battle plan, is fundamental to effective actions.
• The modern world, with its abundance of data, necessitates evolving data collection methods.

LECTURE 4: Data Collection Methods

• Different methods for collecting data (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, focus groups) exist.
• Data collection methods can be categorized to better organize the types (e.g., primary and secondary).

LECTURE 4: Primary Data Collection

• Primary data techniques collect original information directly from the source.
• This usually involves direct interaction with study participants/respondents, and can include: surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, or focus groups.

LECTURE 4: Secondary Data Collection

• Secondary data collection analyzes data already collected for a different purpose.
• Sources of secondary data include books, journals, government reports, online databases, and publicly available information.

LECTURE 4: Data Collection Tools

• Specific tools, like word association exercises, sentence completion, and role-playing, help in gathering information or understanding study participants.
• More examples include: in-person surveys, online surveys, mobile surveys, telephone surveys, or observation methods.

LECTURE 5: Reliability and Validity

• Reliability and validity assess research quality.
• Reliability measures consistency; validity measures accuracy.
• Poor methodology, or poor control over bias, can affect both reliability and validity.

LECTURE 5: Reliability and Validity in Research

• Reliability and validity are important concepts for evaluating the effectiveness of a study. Using poor methodologies can lead to research bias.
• These concepts give insights into how well a methodology or technique measures what is intended.

LECTURE 5: Different Aspects of Validity

• Construct Validity: Measures how well a method aligns with existing theories of the concept being measured.
• Criterion Validity: Measures how accurately a method corresponds to other valid measures of the same concept.

LECTURE 5: Reliability and Validity in a Thesis/Dissertation

• Reliability and validity discussions should appear strategically in different sections of the academic paper.
• Demonstrating awareness of reliability and validity in research planning, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion strengthens the paper.

This quiz explores the essential aspects of research questions, outlining their significance in guiding research efforts. You'll learn about the traits that make a research question effective and how it shapes the direction of academic writing. Test your understanding of what constitutes a good research question.