Developing a Research Plan Flashcards
(31 cards)
null hypothesis
hypothesis that states that no effect will occur in a study or no relationship between variables will be found
nondirectional research hypothesis
hypothesis that states that there will be some sort of effect discovered in the results of a given research study, without stating the nature of the difference or relationship
directional research hypothesis
hypothesis that not only states that an effect will be found but also specifies the direction or nature of that effect
observational case study
case study that involves the examination of a particular organization or some aspects of the organization
participant observation
the act of not only observing as a researcher but also participating in the group or setting as an equal, active member of that group or setting.
observer as participant
when the researcher is primarily an observer but has some level or interaction with the participants.
participant as observer
the researcher continues to observe but also has considerable opportunity to interact with the participants in the study
full participant
the researcher is simultaneously a fully functioning member of the “community” as well as a researcher
constant comparative method
research design for studies that involve multiple data sources; data analysis begins early and is nearly completed by the end of data collection
observational research
quantitative research design focused on a description of a specific aspect of behavior
survey research
quantitative, descriptive design involving the acquisition of information from individuals representing one or more groups; specifically asking questions and then tabulating responses
correlational study
nonexperimental study; determines the degree of relationship that exists between two or more variables
correlation coefficients
quantitative measure resulting from a correlational study; reports the direction and the strength of the relationship
Pearson correlation coefficient
common measure of the relationship between two variables; symbolized by r
positive correlation
correlation coefficient whose value is greater than zero; indicates that as values on one variable increases, the values of the other variable increase
negative correlation
correlation coefficient whose value is less than zero; indicates that as values on one variable increases, the values of the other variable decrease
group comparison designs
quantitative research design; attempts to investigate cause and effect relationships by comparing groups that differ in treatment condition
causal comparative research
quantitative research designed used to explore reasons behind existing differences between two or more groups
preexperimental designs
quantitative research designs seen as precursors to true experimental designs in that they lack several key details
one-shot case study
experimental design; involves a single group which is exposed to an experimental treatment and then post tested after the passage of time
one-group pretest-posttest design
preexperimental design; involves two groups of participants which are pretested, exposed to different treatment conditions, and then posttested after the passage of time
quasiexperimental designs
closest relative to true experimental designs; the only difference being that there is not random assignment of participants to groups
pretest-posttest control group design
similar to the one-group pretest-posttest but it includes the addition of a control group for comparison purposes
explanatory mixed-methods design
quantitative data is collected first, followed by the collection of qualitative data in order to help support, explain, or elaborate on the quantitative results