Objectives of selecting a research question Activity

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Objectives of selecting a research question
Activity

• Develop a topic, research question hypothesis
• read summaries of research
• Learn to
• broaden/narrow a topic
• Identify good search terms for topic
• Develop RQs, SRQs Hypothesis on topic

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How to narrow your topic?

• Good answers
• E.g., Stress
• Types of stress (e.g., job, academic)
• Causes of stress (e.g., industry type)
• Effects of stress (e.g., health symptoms,
  depression)
• Errors
• Did not identify a specific type, cause or effect

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How to broaden your topic

• E.g., Goal setting appraisal systems at PWC
• Goal-setting appraisal systems within financial
  services institutions
• HRM practices within international organizations
• Not
• employee compensation (off topic)
• E.g., Leadership style of PM Harper
• Leadership styles of Conservative vs. Liberal
  leaders (or N. American vs. European leaders)
• Not
• social behavior (too vague/broad)
• politics

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Students work in pairs

• What is the topic of your research project?
• Based on the examples, is it too narrow/too
  broad? How can you make it at the appropriate
  level?
• Where did you go wrong in narrowing/broadening-
  What is the error in your logic?

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After choosing a topic, develop research questions

• Research question vs. Focused research question
  vary at level of detail
• e.g. RQis there a relationship between
  networking career outcomes?
• e.g., FRQAre students who participate in
  networking activities before graduation more
  likely to be happier in their chosen careers?
• e.g., FRQWhy is there a relationship between
  networking and career outcomes

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Students work in pairs

• What is the research question being answered by
  your paper?
• Based on the feedback you have so far, is it
  focused enough? How will you make it focused?

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After choosing a research question, develop a
Hypothesis

• Research question vs. hypothesis
• RQ In what ways can absenteeism be reduced?
• Hypo Employee where-about charts reduce the
  amount of absenteeism
• Most students did this well

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After choosing a topic, generate keywords to
search for research qs

• To generate keywords correctly identify what is
  the topic really investigating?
• Then generate good keywords for each concept

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Correctly identifying terms in the topic
E.g., In what ways can students manage their
time better is really asking you to identify the
Causes of Time Management
Factor 1
Good Time Management
Factor 2

• Good terms
• Time management (perception/estimation)
• Study habits/skills
• Organizational skills
• Off topic terms
• Academic stress or students students (effects)

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Correctly identifying terms in the topic
E.g., Do men women have different styles of
communication is really asking you to
investigate the relation between gender
communication styles
Gender
Communication Styles

• Good terms for Communication Styles
• Listening Styles
• Non Verbal / Verbal Communication

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Correctly identifying terms in the topic
E.g., When are certain motivational tactics more
effective than others is really asking you to
investigate factors that change the relation
between motivation performance
Motivational Tactics
Performance
Other factors

• Generate good terms for
• Motivational Tactics
• Performance
• Other factors

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Students set goals

• Identify what is your topic investigating?
• Causes? too many causes? ? specify one
• One Linksgood!
• Too many links ? specify one
• What are good keywords to use when generating
  articles for you topic

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Be systematic logical, after generating
accurate keywordsExample search

• or to combine keywords generated under job
  stress SEARCH 1
• or to combine keywords generated under
  turnover- SEARCH 2
• and to combine results from searches 1 2

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What is an effective search strategy?

• Use operators systematically
• Uses relevant/good quality search terms
• Generates a manageable number of hits

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After conducting a systematic logical search of
existing research using accurate keywords
identify relevant good articles

• How to decide you have good sources?

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Good Academic Sources

• Give you verifiable facts
• Give you explanations for facts
• But
• Being written clearly or simply are not
  sufficient criteria of goodness

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Good Academic Sources give you verifiable facts

• Examples of facts
• What is the nature of influence?
• What is the relationship between influence
  career success?
• How are they verifiable?
• References within text
• While making claims, reporting results etc.
• References at end of text
• Complete info on source (journal name, article
  name, year, issue, volume, page)
• Findings can be replicated

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How are the facts determined?

• By observation
• Surveys, questionnaires
• Behavioral observations
• Interviews with participants
• E.g., Keys Case trained research assistants to
  use structured interviews
• Interviews with experts
• Archival data
• Aggregating data from other studies
• e.g., meta-analysis

Review of MGTB23, 27, 29
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Are the facts valid Reliable?

• Nature of sample
• Representativeness
• Size, demographic features of sample match
  populations features
• Instruments used for measurement are
• Reliable
• Is the keys case method of using structured
  interviews reliable?
• Valid
• Is the keys case method of using structured
  interviews valid?

Review of MGTB23, 27, 29
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Good Academic Sources give you explanations for
facts

• By answering the questions Why? How? What does
  this mean?
• E.g., What does it mean to be influential?
• Why are certain influence tactics successful with
  certain types of targets vs. others

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How are explanations created

• Using current/previous data
• Building on previous explanations to develop
  current explanation
• Using Logic
• Beware of unsubstantiated opinions!

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Types of explanations
Concept
Structure/process
Counter-intuitive idea

• Defines concept
• Gives examples, counter examples
• Identifies features of concept

Explains why or how variables are related

• Discuss old theory
• Identify invalid assumptions of old theory
• Show how new theory explains new old evidence

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Examples of Good academic sources

• Reports of original research
• Original reviews of previous research
• Quantitative Meta-analysis
• e.g., see Performance Evaluation lecture
• Qualitative reviews
• New theories that build on previous empirical
  research or try to explain counter evidence with
  a new explanation

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Examples Counter examples Of Good Academic
Sources

• Use criteria presented before to determine if
  following examples are good academic sources
• MGTC24 text
• MGTB23/29 text
• Rowan Article
• Keys Case Article

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What you learned today

• Broaden/narrow a topic
• Develop Research questions, focused research
  question hypotheses on topic
• Identify good search terms for topic
• Logically combine them

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References

• On how to critically evaluate an academic source
• www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skil
  l26.htm