Chapter 2 Flashcards
Foundations of a study:
- research topic
- related purpose and questions
Research topics:
- narrowly focused
- clearly defined focal areas related to a important complex problem
Identification of a research topic comes from the researcher’s:
- interests
- experience
- coursework
- academic background
- talking with profs, grad students
In order to choose a research topic, you need to be familiar with…
- existing research
- critical review of what has been done, what’s missing, strengths, weaknesses
What are the 5 things to consider when drafting your topic into a problem?
- specifics of the topic
- populations
- time periods
- locations
- theory and practice applications
The research problem represents the ____ ____ for the study.
foundational need
The research problem describes ….
- the context for the study
- issues that exist in literature, theory, or practice
The research problem answers the question….
“Why does this research need to be conducted?”
What is the most important step in writing your research problem, and how can we accomplish it?
- gain knowledge about what is already known on the topic
- research review papers
- meta-analysis
- textbook chapters
Name some reasons why a topic has not been explored.
- limited scope or interest
- too challenging to study appropriately
- takes to much time
- not feasible
- unethical
Your research problem should be:
- challenging, but neither too difficult or too easy
- worthwhile and important
- feasible (time, expertise, resources)
Generally, research problems can have _____, _____, and _____ bases.
- descriptive
- predictive
- explanation
Descriptive base for research problem:
- need for describing a phenomenon, event, condition, or circumstance
- no attempt is made to link info or explain outcomes
Give an example for using descriptive base for research problem.
describing PA among adults in Canada
Predictive base for research problem:
- need to identify relationships among variables
- may be able to propose a direction of relationship (certain variables may predict an outcome)
Variables:
attributes or characteristics that may vary over time or across cases
Give an example of using predictive base for research problem.
- many risk factors for sports injury
- training, ROM, anxiety, environment, sport
- researchers can combine these to assess this person’s risk of injury
Explanation base for research problem:
- make claims about cause and effect
- attempt to answer problems of why events and behaviours happen
Give an example of using explanation base for research problem.
advances in sport equipment, why it happened
Theory:
- explanation of observed patterns
- supposition about a relationship among phenomena
Theory is generally derived from:
- observations
- experimentation
- reflective thinking
Theory is composed of:
verifiable, testable statements or propositions
Theory often includes…
relational statements that connect 2 or more variables
Theory of planned behaviour:
exercise can be directly explained by one’s intentions to engage in the behaviour
What is the problem with the theory of planned behaviour?
- intention to behaviour gap
- some people don’t exercise even thought they have every intention to and have high perceptions of behavioural control
Fitts’ law:
- characterization of human movement used by researchers in motor control and learning
- speed accuracy trade off occurs
Use of theory in the development of the problem will differ depending on…
the researchers’ philosophical worldviews and research approach
How is theory used in quantitative approaches?
generally used to guide the entire research process
How is theory used in qualitative approaches?
- may be used to inform the research problem and purpose
- can e used as an outcome during the research process (gathering of data informs a theory)
What are the 2 types of reasoning?
- inductive
- deductive
Inductive reasoning:
using observations of specific events and circumstances to make predictions about general principles that are tied together and united into theory
Deductive reasoning:
- start with concrete generalized information often contained within a theory
- use this information to explain specific events or circumstances
What is lit review?
synopsis of what researchers know based on studies that have already been done on similar, relevant topics
What is the purpose of a lit review?
situate the current study within an ongoing textual discussion/dialogue
In the lit review, we should try to include critical papers that:
- justify your chosen topic
- narrate the problem
- identify complementary and juxtaposing perspectives
What are the 2 sections of research that are important to pay attention to?
- abstract
- discussion
What are 2 ways of organizing the literature?
- literature map
- annotated bibliography
What are the 3 main parts of a lit review?
- introduction
- body
- conclusion
Describe the introduction to a lit review.
- creates interest, sell your idea
- context
- 1 paragraph
- summarize stats
- identify variables/phenomena
Key variables:
important focus in a quantitative study
Central phenomena:
- main concept
- key construct or focal area
Describe the body to a lit review.
- what is/isn’t known
- logical flow of ideas
- key variables/central phenomenon
- sample
- context
- historical period
- say why your topic hasn’t been done
- summary
Describe the conclusion to a lit review.
- summary of existing studies
- ends with purpose statement, research questions, and/or hypothesis
What is the main goal of a lit review?
identify the gaps in the literature (deficiencies) that set the foundation for the current research study
What is the most important statement in research study?
purpose statement
6 study variables:
- independent variable
- dependent variable
- moderator variable
- control variables
- mediator variable
- extraneous variables
Independent variable:
- variable that is manipulated (treatment variable)
- when the problem is founded on prediction, the IV is also identified as the predictor or correlate
- ex. playing surface
Dependent variable:
- variable that is being affected
- represents the outcome being assessed as a result of the IVs
- DV often the main focus of the study (researchers are interested in changing)
- ex. sports injury
Moderator variable:
- AKA categorical variable, effect moderator
- variable of interest that can’t be manipulated
- common: sex, race/ethnicity
Control variables:
- variables that could influence the outcome or results of the study
- measured variables
- not a main focus
- ex. level of competition, type of athletic footwear
Mediator variable:
- variable that is proposed to at least partially explain the relationship between an independent and dependent variable
- ex. playing surface as mediator in relationship between weather conditions and sport injury
Extraneous variables:
- unmeasured variables
- not controlled
- often ID in the discussion where researchers attempt to make sense of their findings
- often measured in future studies
- ex. FMS, flexibility, psychological variables can influence risk of injuries
Central phenomenon is used in ______ study.
qualitative
What is the aim of the central phenomenon?
aim to advance one’s understanding of it rather than trying to understand associations among variables or comparing groups
____ _____ will help to ID what variables or central phenomenon should be studied. Pay close attention to the ____ sections.
- lit searches, theories
- discussion, future directions
Hypothesis:
prediction that is derived from theory, literature, or speculation about the outcome of a study
Research hypothesis:
- AKA alternative hypothesis
- quantitative
- statement about what group might have higher scores
- research studies conducted to test the hypothesis
- results of the study either refute or support the research hypothesis
Null hypothesis:
- independent and dependent variables are not related
- there are no significant differences between groups
Research questions are often used in _____ studies.
qualitative
Research question:
- broad inquiry statement about the central phenomenon
- questions that can be asked at the broadest level of a study
We should typically ask ____ research questions, each of which can be followed up with a few ______.
- one or two
- sub-questions
In a mixed methods study, the elements of ____ and _____ are combined.
- research hypotheses
- research questions
