The Nature and Purpose of Research

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The Nature and Purpose of Research
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• Statement
• HNU professionals greatly influenced by
  research.
• Difference between profession versus research?

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Profession

• The pursuit of knowledge and its dissemination
  is a unique characteristic of a profession.
• whereas

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Research

• Basis for advancing the body of knowledge of a
  profession.
• Systematic attempt to provide answers to
  questions.
• Systematic and objective analysis and recording
  of controlled observations may lead to
  generalizations, principles, or theories.
• Systematic way of asking questions

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Research

• Research is a careful inquiry or examination to
  discover new information or relationships and to
  expand and verify existing knowledge.
• The search for truth!

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Deductive Reasoning

• Uses logic that moves from general to specific
• Enables the researcher to
• organize and synthesize available information
• theorize about the problem
• deduce hypotheses to be tested by the research.

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Example

• All prime ministers are mortal. Stephen Harper
  is a prime minister. Therefore, Stephen Harper
  is mortal
• In other words, two ideas form the basis for the
  conclusionif the relationship between the two is
  true, then the conclusion is true. But, if
  either is falsethe conclusion is also false.

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• Problem we have to accept the information
  contained in the premises as being true without
  really knowing that it is true.
• Example
• All heavy cigarette smokers die from cancer.
  John smokes six packages of cigarettes a day.
  Therefore, John will die of cancer.
• ???

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Inductive Reasoning

• Uses logic that moves from the specific to
  general
• Fundamental principle of scientific method, based
  upon observations of a small group,
  generalizations are made to a larger population.
• Basic principle of scientific inquiry based on
  seeking facts.

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Strong and weak induction

• Strong induction
• All observed crows are black. Therefore, all
  crows are black.
• Weak inductions
• I always hang pictures on nails. Therefore, all
  pictures hang from nails.
• Teenagers are given many speeding tickets.
  Therefore, all teenagers speed.

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• Deductive Every mammal has lungs. All rabbits
  are mammals. Therefore, every rabbit has lungs.
• Inductive Every rabbit that has been observed
  has lungs. Therefore, every rabbit has lungs.

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The Scientific Method

• Definition a way of solving problems and
  acquiring knowledge that involves both deductive
  and inductive reasoning in a systematic approach
  to obtaining data.

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Stages of the Scientific Method
Question Identified
Hypothesis Formed
Research Plan
Data Collected
Results Analyzed
New Questions Arise
Conclusions
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Identifying the question

• What is the research question?
• admitting a question needs to be answered
  insufficient knowledge.
• research question becomes the central focus of
  the research effort.

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Formulating a hypothesis

• Hypothesis a belief, hunch, or prediction of the
  eventual outcome of the research.

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Developing a research plan

• Gathering and analyzing the information that is
  required to test the hypothesis.
• - researcher will design a plan to test,
  measure, weigh, experiment, or observe the
  phenomena of interest to be able the answer the
  research question.

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Collecting and analyzing data

• Research is implemented and data collected.
• - could be testing, observing, conducting an
  interviewwhatever is required when you planned
  the experiment.
• - analyzed the data either analyzed
  statistically (quantitative) or coding and
  categorization the data (qualitative).

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Interpreting results and forming conclusions

• Researcher attempts to interpret and make
  meaningful conclusions.
• - accept or reject the hypothesis?
• - what does it all mean???
• - conclusions attempts to provide an explanation
  of the result.

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Science, Theory, and Research
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Theory

• Integration of many facts into the explanation of
  a phenomenon
• Example theory of obesity

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• A theory establishes a cause and effect
  relationship between variables for the purpose of
  explaining and predicting phenomena (Best Kahn,
  1998)

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Types of Research

• Basic vs. Applied
• Field vs. Lab
• Quantitative vs. Qualitative
• Experimental Research vs. Nonexperimental
  Research

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Basic Research

• Purpose is to discover new or fundamental
  knowledge.
• Practical application is NOT a goal.
• Usually in highly controlled laboratory settings.
• Example physics researcher, subatomic particles

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Applied Research

• Purpose is to find answers to practical problems.
• Practical in nature . . . common in Human
  Nutrition.
• Inferences or generalizations are made to the
  intended population.

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Location of research

• Field research is done outside the tightly
  controlled environment of the laboratory.
  Location school, classroom, gymnasium, park,
  hospital, or any location in the real world.
• Laboratory research is conducted under more
  sterile conditions, which allow researchers to
  exert tighter control over an experiment.

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Quantitative Research

• Designed for the collection and analysis of
  numerical data
• Traditional model of research
• Hypothesis directed
• Research procedures
• Controlling extraneous factors
• Large sample size
• Analyzed statistically
• Seeking generalizations

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Qualitative Research

• Naturalistic paradigm (rely on extensive
  observations and natural settings)
• Reliance on qualitative, non-numerical data
• More subjective approach
• Variety of methodologies
• in depth interviews
• direct observation
• Situational specific, little generalizability

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Experimental Research Vs. Nonexperimental
Research
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Experimental Research

• The purpose of experimental research is to
  investigate cause-and-effect relationships by
  manipulating certain variables to determine their
  effect on another variable attempts to
  establish causality.

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Examples of causality

• The presence of heat causes water to boil.
• A good blow to the arm causes a bruise.
• My pushing of the accelerator caused the car to
  go faster.

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Experimental Research

• manipulation of independent variable
• control of extraneous variables is vital
• often uses a control group
• often uses randomization procedures
• major limitation is often unnatural environment,
  thus limiting generalizability

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Non-Experimental Research

• Tends to observe, analyze, and describe what
  exists rather than manipulating the variable
  under study
• Lack of control is often cited as a limitation
• Various types of non-experimental research (1)
  Causal-comparative, (2) Descriptive, (3)
  Correlational, (4) Historical

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Casual-Comparative Research

• Seeks to investigate cause-and-effect
  relationships similar to experimental research
• However, researcher cannot manipulate the
  independent variable because it is something the
  subject already has
• Example Gender
• Ethnicity
• Medical condition

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Descriptive Research

• Seeks to describe specific phenomena or
  characteristics of a particular group of subjects
• Answers the question what is
• No manipulation of an independent variable

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• Wide range of methodologies
• Surveys
• Direct measurement
• Observation
• Interviews

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Correlational Research

• Seeks to determine whether, and to what extent, a
  relationship exists between two or more variables
• No manipulation of an independent variable
• May be descriptive or predictive in nature
• Cannot establish causality

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Historical Research

• Seeks to explore events and information from the
  past in order to provide a better understanding
  of the present with implications for the future
• Answers the question what was
• Limited to synthesis and interpretation of data
  that already exists

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The Significance of Research in Nutrition
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Research is just another way of looking at the
problems.

• Can help broaden the knowledge and improve the
  practice a tool that nutrition cant do without.