Lecture 4: Research Questions and Study Purposes 1

Question 1

what does the identification of a research topic usually come from?

Answer 1

interests, experiences, coursework and academic background

Question 2

what is the objective of the research process?

Answer 2

answer research questions that fill gaps within a body of knowledge

Question 3

what is a research topic?

Answer 3

it is narrowly focused and represents a clearly defined focal area related to an important complex problem

Question 4

how do you figure out what’s new?

Answer 4

you need to figure out what research is already out there

Question 5

the research problem represents the foundational need for the _____. Describes the context for the _____. Describes the ____ that exist in the literature, theory and/or practice

Answer 5

study. study. issues.

Question 6

a well-developed research problem should be:

Answer 6

• challenging
• worthwhile and important
• feasible (must be able to get an answer)

Question 7

research questions often begin with?

Answer 7

observations

Question 8

what is a literature review?

Answer 8

a summary of what previous researchers have learned about a particular topic
- assembling literature appropriate to a topic or inquiry tying your research intentions and outcomes FROM similar work of other researchers
- a synopsis of what researchers know based on studies that have already been done on similar, relevant topics

Question 9

why do a literature review in research?

Answer 9

• it helps you refine your question
• identify a theory related to their research questions (eg. Theory of Planned Behaviour)
• propose a hypothesis that predicts the answer to their research questions

Question 10

what is a theory?

Answer 10

an explanation of observed pattens or supposition about a relationship among phenomena

Question 11

what are theories composed of?

Answer 11

verifiable, testable statements or propositions

Question 12

what are theories generally derived from?

Answer 12

• experimentation
• observations
• reflective thinking

Question 13

within quantitative approaches, what is generally used to guide the entire research process?

Answer 13

theory

Question 14

within qualitative approaches, what can theory be used for?

Answer 14

• to inform the research problem and purpose
• as an outcome following the research process (ie. data informs a theory)

Question 15

what is the difference between a theory and a hypothess?

Answer 15

Theory
- a theory has been tested and is generally accepted
- explains events in general terms
- theory develops over time (question –> hypothesis –> conclusion, etc.)

Hypothesis:
- hypothesis is a speculative guess that a researcher will test
- makes a specific prediction about a specified set of circumstances

Question 16

what are the two types of reasoning that the scientific approach includes?

Answer 16

1. Inductive
2. Deductive

Question 17

what is inductive?

Answer 17

you start with observations and you develop a theory

Question 18

what is deductive?

Answer 18

you start with a theory and use the information to explain specific events or circumstances (observations)

Question 19

without this, it is impossible to argue that what you are doing is original and not done before

Answer 19

a literature review

Question 20

whose responsibility is it to find if a research has already been done?

Answer 20

the researcher wanting to conduct that research

Question 21

why conduct a literature review?

Answer 21

• to validate your choice of the research question
• to produce a theoretical or conceptual framework
• to exhibit that you are familiar with up-to-date research regarding the topic
• to identify gaps in the literature
• to provide background information to understand the study

Question 22

a literature review is important for identifying what?

Answer 22

• research topic and problems
• purpose statement
• variables and concepts of interests
• hypotheses and research questions

Question 23

what are the many different formats for literature reviews?

Answer 23

• annotated bibliography
• narrative review
• scoping review
• systematic review
• meta-analysis