Midterm Notes over Chapter 5

Phase 1: Selecting a Manageable Research Project
A. Begin with a question. As you conduct the literature review, you will refine the tentative question into a testable research question or hypothesis.
B. 2 general types of questions that lend themselves to research in the helping professions.
1. questions that emerge from one's natural curiosity to know and understand.
2. Questions that the researcher hopes will provide information to increase our understanding of a situation.
C. Keep in mind a feasibility checklist - Literature on the topic exists; previous research on the topic is found; we can better define the area we wish to study; scales or measures to help answer the question exist; & there is a population available for us to study.
Phase 2: Conducting the literature review… - Write up a paper on what we found in the literature on the topic from your library search - that's called writing up the literature review.
A. Covering the areas important to my study…
1. articles, books and research studies that cover the general and specific background of the area I wish to do research… find most recent studies, especially by the leaders in the field.
2. Articles, books and research studies that support the importance of the study
3. related articles, books and research studies that explicate theoretical considerations that might be employed within my study
4. Hypothesis that have been tested in previous research studies.
5. articles, books and research studies that examine or use measures to test hypotheses in similar research studies.
6. articles, books and research studies that use different methodological approaches to study similar problems…
B. Common mistakes in the literature review
1. Becoming overwhelmed by the swamp of literature.
2. trying to base a study on a mass media article
3. using loosely related literature.
Phase 3: Formulating the hypothesis or a testable research question. - Stating the research question or hypothesis before collecting our data helps us avoid finding what we are looking for in our data - when there is nothing there.
A. Null hypothesis: a proposal based on theory, stating that there will be NO relationship between characteristics. The null hypothesis is the reverse of the hypothesis. For example, if we hypothesize that there is a relationship between poor family/social bonds and whether a child participates in delinquent behavior, the null hypothesis is that there is NO relationship between poor family/social bonds and a child participating in juvenile behavior.

B. Four criteria for hypothesis developmen.
1. hypothesis stated accurately, clearly and without ambiguity
2. hypothesis describe a single relationship? Compound, complex and multiple type relationships used as a hypothesis can be almost impossible to test.
3. Hypotheses stated so that they are testable? In terms of values on scales and measures…
4. will appropriate scores or values be available to quantitatively test the hypothesis?
C. Research question vs. hypothesis - In explanatory research, a research question can often be the basis for stating several hypotheses. Each hypothesis states one possible answer for the research question.
1. Research question: How many adolescents in juvinile detention were born to teenage mothers?
2. Rephrased as a hypothesis: More adolescents in juvenile detention will have been born to teenage mothers (mothers who gave birth to a child while a teenager) than to older mothers.
3. Research question: Do caregivers who report that they feel overburdened by the necesity of caring for their frail elderly relative express an interest in institutionalizing their relative?
4. Rephrased as a hypothesis: Caregivers who score significantly higher on the Subjective Burden Inventory will indicate higher levels of interest in the institutionalization of their frail elderly relative.
Phase 4: Selecting a research method…
A. Ten common research methods…
1. the historical study - reconstruct the past objectively and accurately. Qualitative
2. Field study - gather and analyze descriptive observations of individuals and groups in a given natural setting. Qualitative.
3. Descriptive study - systematically describing a problem, population, or characteristics of interest, most often based on actual counts of characteristics and events. Qualitative or quantitative.
4. Correlation study - mathematically determine extent to which one or more variables correspond with variations in another variable.
5. Causal study - mathematically test for case-and-effect relationships between independent and dependent variables.
6. Experimental study - method in which two or more groups of subjects that are identical on all variables, but the experimental group is exposed to a treatment intervention, while the control group is not exposed. After the experiment, the groups are compared to determine the effect of the treatment intervention.
7. Quasi-Experimental study - experimental method that does not meet all the criteria to be called a true experimental design.
8. Time-Series study - method to investigate patterns and sequences of growth or change as it occurs over time.
9. Applied research study - utilized to assist in the development of new interventions, programs, and knowledge that will help alleviate some type of human problem. May use several of the methods previously mentioned.
10. Evaluation research study - determine the effectiveness of a model program, and existing program, or an agency. Does not invovle a fixed set of steps.
Phase 5: Choosing the population or a sample
A. Do the participants have ownership of the problem or situation you are going to study?
B. Are the people you wish to study accessible, and will they cooperate?
C. Entire population or sample?
D. Checked to see if your research study would fall under the auspices of an Institutional Review Board or Human Subjects Committee?
E. 6 Considerations for choosing a sample…
1. generalization.
2. Cost of precision
3. availability (of participants)
4. attrition rate (those who will drop out of study or not cooperate)
5. geographic location (the bigger the location, the different techniques used and more the cost)
6. knowledge of the population (researcher should have some knowledge of the population being studied)
Phase 6: Choosing scales or measures to test your hypothesis…
A. What demographic data will be needed to clearly describe the participants?
B. What demographic data will be needed to help test hypothesis? (control variables)
C. Which measures/scales are the best measures to test the hypotheses for the quantitative study?
D. What is the best layout and wording for the questionnaire?
E. Which data-gathering method is the best approach for testing the hypothesis and for meeting the needs of the participants?
Phase 7: Data Gathering
A. 5 approaches to collecting data
1. personal intervies
2. group administration
3. mailing questionnaires
4. telephone interviews
5. case record interviews (using archival data)
B. Make sure informed consent is given.
Phase 8: Analyzing the data - steps for analyzing data:
A. Use a questionnaire to organize the statistical analysis.
B. Begin the statistical analysis by finding the frequency distribution of each item and scale on your questionnaire.
C. Conduct a bivariate analysis. Examine the relationship between pairs of questions.
D. Check the reliability of each scale you used in your study. List the reliability coefficients of your measures/scales.
E. Test your hypothesis about variables found in one group using multiple regression analysis.
Phase 9: Drawing conclusions from the analysis. - your major task in phase 9 is to draw conclusions from your data analysis. When drawing conclusions, you will need to tell the people's story revealed in your data.
A. Review procedures used to do the research. Compared to the ideal, what limitations did the research have?
B. Use the frequency data on demographic items to skethc a mathematical, demographic picture of the participants of your study.
C. Examine the outcome of the statistical tests of the hypothesis. Make notes on the coefficients between the hypothesized independent and the dependent variables.
D. Make notes on any other relationships identified in your bivariate analysis that are of interest, even if you did not include them in a hypothesis.
E. Make notes on how your statistical findings are supported by similar or previous research you found in the literature.
F. Quantitative reports and papers clearly distinguish between the findings section and the discussion section of the report or paper. The findings section is the report of the statistical analysis and tests (in quantitative research papers). The discussion section is the conclusions drawn from the statistical findings.
à In the findings section, it is easy to be caught up in interpreting what you observed rather than writing an unadulterated description of what the data analysis produced. This mistake becomes obvious when you find yourself repeating in the discussion section what you said in the findings section.

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