Foundations of Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What is research?

A

A type of systematic investigation that is empirical in nature and is designed to contribute to public knowledge.

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2
Q

What are the steps of research?

A
Step 1: The Problem
Step 2: Sample
Step 3: Measure 
Step 4: Design
Step 5: Analyze 
Step 6: Conclude
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3
Q

What parts make up the theory of research?

A

External Validity
Construct Validity
Internal Validity
Conclusion Validity

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4
Q

What parts make up the practice of research?

A

Sampling
Measurement
Design
Analytics

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5
Q

What is the research enterprise

A

The macro-level effort to accumulate knowledge across multiple empirical systematic public research projects (broader and cross-project based).

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6
Q

What is translational research?

A

The systematic effort to move research from initial discovery to practice and ultimately to impacts on our lives. (i.e. translating the discovery to practical use)

Includes: 
Basic Research 
Applied research 
Implementation & Dissemination research
Policy research
Impact research
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7
Q

What is the research-practice continuum?

A

The process of moving from an initial research idea or discovery to practice, and the potential for the idea to influence our lives or the world. (translation occurs during this process).

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8
Q

What is basic research?

A

Research that is designed to generate discoveries and to understand how the discoveries work. (remember: more theoretical study)

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9
Q

What is applied research?

A

Research where discovery is tested under increasingly controlled conditions in real-world contexts. (remember: real world study)

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10
Q

What is implementation and dissemination research?

A

Research that assesses how well an innovation or discovery can be distributed in and carried out in a broad range of contexts that extend beyond the original controlled studies.

If it survives applied research testing this process sees if it can be implemented and disseminated to a broad range of contexts)

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11
Q

What is research impact?

A

Research that assesses the broader effects of a discovery or innovation on society. (what is the impact on larger society/context)

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12
Q

What is policy research?

A

Research that is designed to investigate existing policies or develop and test new ones. (social change)

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13
Q

What is research synthesis?

A

A systematic study of multiple prior research projects that address the same research question/topic & that summarizes results in a manner that can be used by practitioners. (putting together different results from various research studies - helps to get a broader view)

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14
Q

Meta-analysis

A

Type of research synthesis that uses statistical methods to combine the results of similar studies quantitatively in order to allow general conclusions be made. (remember: statistics, quantitative)

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15
Q

Systematic Review

A

A type of research synthesis that focuses on a specific question or issue and uses preplanned methods to identify, select, assess, and summarize the findings of multiple research studies.

(might involve meta-analysis…panel of experts discuss the research literature and reach conclusion s about how well a discovery works to address a problem).

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16
Q

Guideline

A

A systematic process that leads to a specific set of research based recommendations for practice that usually includes some estimates of how strong the evidence is for each recommendation. (i.e. what type of research will I use? Basic, applied, etc?

17
Q

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

A

A movement to encourage or require practitioners to employ practices that are based on research evidence as reflected in research synthesis or practice guidelines. (goal is too achieve better integration of research and practice. Controversy - what type of research, guidelines, etc?)

18
Q

Evolutionary Epistemology

A

The branch of philosophy that holds that ideas evolve through the process of natural selection.

19
Q

Research for proposals (RFPs)

A

A document issued by a government agency or other organization that, typically, describes the problem that needs addressing, the contexts in which it operates, the approach the agency would like you to take to investigate the problem, and the amount the agency would be willing to pay for such research. $$$

20
Q

Literature Review

A

A systematic compilation and a written summary of all the literature published in scientific journals and is relevant to a research topic of interest. Included in the introduction section of a research write-up.

21
Q

Peer Review

A

A system for researching potential research publications where authors submit potential articles to a journal editor who solicits several reviewers who agree to give a critical review of the paper.

The paper is sent to these reviewers with no identification of the author so that there will be no personal bias (either for or against the author). Based on the reviewers’ recommendations, the editor can accept the article, reject it, or recommend that the author review and resubmit it.

22
Q

Theoretical

A

Pertaining to theory. Concerned with developing, exploring, or testing the theories or ideas that social researchers have about how the world operates.

23
Q

Empirical

A

Based on direct observations and measurements of reality.

24
Q

Probabilistic

A

Based on probabilities.

25
Q

Causal

A

Pertaining to cause-effect relationship. Hypothesis or relationship. Something is causal if it leads to an outcome or makes an outcome happen.

26
Q

Causal Relationship

A

A cause-effect relationship. Does your treatment/program cause X?

27
Q

Descriptive Studies

A

A study that documents what is going on or what exists.

28
Q

Relational Studies

A

A study that investigates the connection between two or more variables.

29
Q

Causal Studies

A

A study that investigates a causal relationship between two variables.

30
Q

Cross-Sectional Study

A

A study that takes place at a single point in time.

31
Q

Longitudinal

A

A study that takes place over time.

32
Q

Repeated Measures

A

2 or more waves of measurement over time.

33
Q

Time Series

A

Many waves of measurement over time.

34
Q

Relationship

A

Association between two variables - correlational in essence

35
Q

Third variable or missing variable problem

A

An unobserved variable that accounts for a correlation between 2 variables