The Scientific Process

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• The Scientific Process

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Top Reasons for Research Methods

• Develop a critical thought process
• Develop research skills
• Distinguish fact from non-factual evidence
• Develop an understanding for research reports
• Develop an understanding for the process of
  research

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Distinguishing Between Fact and Fiction

• Parity Claims -- The careful wording of a
  statement that gives the impression that one item
  is better than the other. These dont always
  mean that one item is statistically better than
  the other.

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Processing Report Information

• Research methods helps students understand the
  data that a report or advertisement is claiming
• Three Types of Information
• Parity Claims
• Testimonials
• Statistical Information

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Research and Knowledge

• Research gathers the information necessary to
  answer questions and make decisions
• The processes of gaining knowledge
• Ask questions
• Make initial observations
• Conduct systematic investigations
• Analyze the information gathered
• Interpret the findings
• Integrate the findings with previous knowledge

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Theories

• Theories are statements that explain a set of
  facts
• Theories are strengthened by corroborating
  evidence collected from research
• Review the theories on pages 16 - 22
• A theorys merit can be evaluated by
• The precision of the theories description
• The simplicity of the conditions needed to meet
  the theory
• The testability of the theory through empirical
  research

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Hypotheses and Knowledge

• A hypothesis is the prediction statement in
  research related to a theory
• They determine the nature of the research to be
  conducted
• They state the expected outcomes of the research
  

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Types of Research

• Descriptive research
• Research that explains an occurrence without
  stating cause or prediction
• Predictive research
• Research that shows relationships between
  variables and what will likely happen
• Control related research
• The natural step after predictive research that
  shows how outcomes can change by controlling
  variables
• Explanative Research
• Research that explains WHY the outcomes occur

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The Use of Reason for Answers

• Inductive Reasoning
• Observations from specific research that can be
  generalized to a larger factors
• Progress from the specific to the general
• Deductive Reasoning
• Observations from a general factors that can
  explain specific factors
• Progress from the general to the specific

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The Types Research

• Basic Research
• Applied Research
• Qualitative Research
• Quantitative Research
• Descriptive Research
• Experimental Research
• Longitudinal Research
• Cross-sectional Research

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The Nature of the Research

• Introduction
• Review of Literature
• Trends in the Literature
• Determine Weak Areas in the Literature
• Special Problems
• Special Populations

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Choosing Defining the Problem

• Interesting to YOU
• Enhancement of Previous Research
• New Technologies
• Areas of Weakness in Current Research
• Current Trends
• Recent Discoveries

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Review of the Literature

• Introduction Describing Each Area of the
  Literature Pertinent to Your Research
• Subsections of Each Area
• Summary of Each Article Pertinent to the Area
• Final Summary of the Overall Findings from the
  Articles
• Summary that Links All Articles to the
  Introduction and Your Research

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Research Design

• Time Frame
• Experimental Research
• Descriptive Research
• Historical Research
• Qualitative Research

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Writing the Proposal

• Introduction
• Statement of the Problem
• Purpose of the Study
• Need for the Study
• Limitations
• Strong Points
• Assumptions
• Hypothesis
• Definitions

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Writing the Research Proposal

• Choosing Defining the Problem
• The Nature of the Research
• Research Design
• Defining the Subjects
• Data Collection Methods
• Data Analysis

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Defining the Subjects

• Gender
• Age
• Race
• Special Population

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Data Collection Methods

• Survey
• Cohort Data
• Cross Sectional Data
• Case Study
• Observational
• Previously Collected Data

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Data Analysis

• Level of Significance
• Descriptive (Means SD)
• Correlation Analysis
• ANOVA
• MANOVA
• Regression
• Categorical Modeling

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Experimental Procedures

• General Description of Procedures
• Subjects
• Specific Measurement Techniques
• Instrumentation
• Data Analysis Procedures

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One Example of the Finished Proposal
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Second Example of the Finished Proposal
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Disseminating Knowledge

• Once data is collected, the findings must be
  distributed so that others can benefit from its
  knowledge
• Three ways to disseminate research findings
• Presentations
• Poster Presentations
• Written Reports

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Presentations

• Presentation of findings to groups or
  organizations in a slide format
• The research can receive feedback from peers
  prior to publishing the results
• Current research and recent research can be
  presented in this manor

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Poster Presentations

• A brief written account of the research in a
  poster format
• Usually presented in a forum with other
  researchers
• Allows for personal feedback and questions from
  peers

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Written Reports

• The permanent record of the research
• The research and results are described in detail
• Publications can be accessed by the general
  public

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The Format of For Presenting Research

• Abstract
• A brief one page description of the research and
  the findings
• Introduction and Literature review
• The lead in or hook that explains the previous
  research and the current hypothesis and research
  question
• Methods and Procedures
• A cookbook description of how the research was
  conducted
• Results
• The data analyses and findings
• Discussion and Conclusions
• Relating the results to the hypotheses and
  research question