Researching and Research Methods PDF

Chapter 6 Researching and Research Methods Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Today you will !  Begin Your Research  Define Your Research Subject  Formulate a Research Question or Hypothesis  Develop a Research Methodology [characteris...

Chapter 6 Researching and Research Methods Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Today you will !  Begin Your Research  Define Your Research Subject  Formulate a Research Question or Hypothesis  Develop a Research Methodology [characteristics of an outline]  Evaluate sources  Triangulate Materials Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Beginning Your Research Did you start to research and collect information? Have you faced Information Glut? How did you overcome that? Time Available to Collect, Interpret, and Synthesize that Information View “Research” as Information Management Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Beginning Your Research Research: is a process of shaping the flow of information so that you can locate and use the information you need. As an information manager, you need to evaluate, prioritize, interpret, and store that information so you can use it effectively. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Types of Resources Which source do you prefer?  Observations, experiments, surveys, interviews, ethnographies, testing  Academic journals, magazine articles, books, websites, research databases, videos, reference materials  Primary Sources  Secondary Sources Copyright 2011 © by Pearson Education, Inc.  An interview that you conduct is which type of source? A. Primary source B. Secondary source C. Quantitative source Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  An interview that you conduct is which type of source? A. Primary source B. Secondary source C. Quantitative source D. Print source Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. 1-Defining Your Research Subject  Develop a Logical Map Identify What You Know Highlight areas that need more research [Violence among children] The subject is too broad to be handled in one research project.  Narrow Your Research Subject [ Effect of Violent T.V. shows on boys] Choose an angle of the subject Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Logical Map / Brainstorm Copyright © 2015, 2012, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.  General Angled research area Subject (narrowed) (too broad) Nuclear Transportation of nuclear waste waste in western states Lung Cancer Effects of secondhand smoke Water Water Usage on the CUFE Usage campus Violence Domestic abuse in rural areas Copyright 2011 © by Pearson Education, Inc.  General Angled research area Subject (narrowed) (too broad) Nuclear Transportation of nuclear waste waste in western states Raptors Bald eagles on the Mississippi Lung Cancer Effects of secondhand smoke Water Water Usage on the TTU Usage campus Violence Domestic abuse in rural areas Copyright 2011 © by Pearson Education, Inc.  General Angled research area Subject (narrowed) (too broad)  Nuclear  Transportation of waste nuclear waste in  Lung western states Cancer  Effects of secondhand smoke  Water  Water Usage on the Usage TTU campus  Violence  Domestic abuse in rural. areas  2-Formulating a Research Question or Hypothesis  A Research Question:  It is a question or statement that is tentatively used to guide empirical or analytical research.  It does not need to be very specific when you begin your research.  It simply needs to give your research a direction to follow..  2-Formulating a Research Question or Hypothesis “What are the effects of violent television on boys between the ages of 10 and 16?” “Is solar power a viable energy source for Cairo?”.   Hypothesis: Best Guess about an Answer to Your Research Question “Boys between the ages of 10 and 16 model what they see on violent T.V., causing them to be more violent than boys who do not watch violent T.V.” “Solar power is a viable energy source in summer, but cloudiness in the winter makes it less economical than other forms of renewable energy.”.  What is the problem that you are proposing [Topic ] ? “Research question”  What is your claim / answer to the question? “ Hypothesis” Copyright 2011 © by Pearson Education, Inc.  3-Developing a Research Methodology _Step-by-Step Procedure That You Will Use to Study Your Subject Map out a methodology Purpose > How are we going to achieve this purpose? Describe your methodology Outline form - State your expected findings Use and revise your methodology Note deviations in your methodology Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  3-Developing a Research Methodology Map out a methodology Methodology for Researching Nuclear Waste Transportation: Collect information off the Internet from sources for and against nuclear waste storage and transportation. Track down news stories in the print media and collect any journal articles available on nuclear waste transportation. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  3-Developing a Research Methodology Map out a methodology Methodology for Researching Nuclear Waste Transportation (cont’d): Interview experts and survey members of the general public. Study the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico to see if transportation to the site has been a problem. Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Describe your methodology Copyright © 2015, 2012, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.  Which of the following is true of research methodologies? A. You should avoid deviating from your research methodology B. You should formulate only one or two steps for your research methodology C. You should state your expected findings D. All of the above Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Which of the following is true of research methodologies? A. You should avoid deviating from your research methodology B. You should formulate only one or two steps for your research methodology C. You should state your expected findings D. All of the above Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  What is an outline? An outline is a general plan of what you are going to write. You can compare making an outline to drawing plans to build a house.  Benefits of an Outline An outline of an essay can be very helpful for many reasons: More organized Paragraphs more focused on the ideas in your thesis statement Saves time for writers Shows logical relations between ideas (e.g. contrast, addition, result) Connects body paragraphs to the thesis statement  How to Develop an Outline Division  Topic: Why study technical communication I. Importance of technical communication A. Communication skills rank higher than other skills B. Engineers seeking a promotion need good writing skills Tip: Each heading should be divided into 2 or more paragraphs. 4-Triangulating Materials Reliable Research Draws from 3 Kinds of Information Electronic sources [Websites - research databases – videos - television - radio - blogs] Print sources [Books – journals – magazines - newspapers] Empirical sources (Studies can be: quantitative > trends qualitative > behavior [Experiments - Field Observation – Interviews – Surveys – Ethnographies - Case Studies] Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Quantitative research is the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations.  Quantitative research is the opposite of qualitative research, which involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio). Copyright 2011 © by Pearson Education, Inc.  Reliability of Data 3= confident – reliable 2= less confident – reliable Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  A survey is which type of source? A. Electronic B. Empirical C. Secondary D. Print Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  A survey is which type of source? A. Electronic B. Empirical C. Secondary D. Print Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  A survey is which type of source? A. Electronic B. Empirical C. Secondary D. Print Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  5- Appraising Your Information Evaluate your sources Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Evaluating Sources  Understand the RHETORICAL STANCE or argumentative perspective of each source.  Sometimes the rhetorical stance is easy to determine if you are dealing with experts in the field who are well known for their opinions and affiliations. However, many times you will not be familiar with the names or ideas of the sources. EVALUATE  What are examples of rhetorical stance?  Rhetorical stance - Wikipedia  It involves choices in tone, style, and language to persuade, inform, entertain, or engage the audience.  Rhetorical stance can include elements such as the use of ethos (establishing credibility), pathos (appealing to emotions), and logos (logical reasoning) to shape the overall impact of a Copyright 2011 © by Pearson communication. Education, Inc. Evaluating a Website  Bias Vs. Objectivity  Who is the author?  Is it a personal website or is it institutionally affiliated? What sort of authority does it draw on?  Am I biased?  Verification of information  Up to date?  "Institutional Affiliation"  You can use this phrase to refer to the organization or institution with which a person is affiliated. For example, "Dr. Frank Sanchez is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, his institutional affiliation.". Copyright 2011 © by Pearson Education, Inc.  A survey is which type of source? A. Electronic B. Empirical C. Secondary D. Print Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Avoiding Plagiarism