Research and Program Evaluation Flashcards
Research
the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data for some purpose such as investigating a problem or answering a question
Evidence-based inquiry
the search for knowledge using empirical data which has been gathered systematically
Quantitative research
- assumes social facts have a single objective reality
- tends to study samples or populations
- researchers try not to influence collection of data (instruments)
- statistical methods comparing and contrasting groups occurs
- researchers examine for causes and relationships
Qualitative research
- assumes multiple realities socially constructed by individuals/groups
- tends to study individual units - person, family, community - in naturalistic setting
- researchers may be primary instrument for collecting data (through observation)
- researchers’ impressions, judgments, feelings may be used
- goal is to describe the nature of things
When to choose qual vs. quant
both kinds of research are valued
- one is chosen over the other because it better fits the assumptions of the researcher and the nature of the problem under investigation
- some professional journals prefer to publish one kind of research over the other
Inductive research
begins at the real world, practical level (small and builds to large theory)
- tends to be descriptive, correlational, historical
- leads to building of theory
- closer to qualitative research
Deductive research
springs from theory which is already established (starts broad and goes smaller to specifics)
- tries to determine what the relationships are between elements of the theory and may be experimental in nature
- closer to quantitative research
Quantitative; Non-experimental designs
Survey
may occur through questionnaires, interviews, etc. and is used to measure attitudes, perceptions, etc.
- ex. Public Opinion Poll
- often has low response rate, below 50%
- unless you know that characteristics of non-respondents are similar to respondents, must be cautious in generalizing
Quantitative; Non-experimental designs
Descriptive
describes an existing state of events
- numbers may be used to characterize groups/individuals
Quantitative; Non-experimental designs
Comparative
investigates whether there are differences between two+ groups
- no manipulation of conditions experienced by each group
Quantitative; Non-experimental designs
Correlational
this research method uses the correlation coefficient to determine the degree of relationship between two+ variables or phenomena
ex. income level and attitude toward counseling
bivariate: correlational data describing the nature of two variables
multivariate: more than two variables
Quantitative; Non-experimental designs
Ex post facto (Causal-comparative)
studies possible causal relationships among relationships ex post facto (after the fact) - no random assignment
- do not manipulate any variables; focus is on what has already happened
- may generate several reasons (causes) for the relationships you discover
- uses t-tests and ANOVAs
Quantitative; Experimental designs
True experiment
characterized by the use of experimental and control groups with random assignment to each
- used to determine cause-and-effect relationships
- ex. 60 college freshmen are enrolled in English class. 30 are randomly assigned to one-hour per week writing lab, and the others comprise a control group. End-of-semester essay exam results are analyzed to see if the lab was associated with better writing skills
Quantitative; Experimental designs
For experiments, there are design variations such as:
- treatment and control group with posttest only
- treatment and control group with pretest and posttest
- two different treatment groups with control groups and posttest
- etc.
Quantitative; Experimental designs
Quasi-experiment
similar to experimental research except that randomization of subjects to treatment and control groups is not possible
- may be that no control or comparison group is available
- result from such research will not be as unequivocal as results from a true experimental study
- ex. a school has two classrooms of 4th graders. Each classroom is taught arithmetic by a different method for the school year. In May, arithmetic achievement is compared for the two classrooms using scores on a national exam
Types of Research - Qualitative
Qualitative
emphasizes gathering data about naturally occurring phenomena (individual’s and groups’ living experiences) and events
- data collection may be in terms of words rather than numbers
Types of Research - Qualitative
Two principal qualitative research designs:
Interactive - Case Study
the case may be a program, activity, set of individuals who are bounded in time and place
Types of Research - Qualitative
Two principal qualitative research designs:
Interactive - Ethnography
a description and interpretation of a cultural or social group/system. Data is typically collected through observation and interviewing
- Issue of observer bias is important
Types of Research - Qualitative
Two principal qualitative research designs:
Noninteractive - analytical research
conducted primarily through document analysis
- ex. historical analysis (collecting and analyzing docs describing former events)
- ex. biographical analysis (written or oral)
- ex. legal analysis (focuses on law and court decisions)
Mixed-Method Research Designs
Mixed-Methods
combine quantitative and qualitative methods in the same research effort
- researcher retains the flexibility to use both types of design
- typically designs are used sequentially (quant. may be gathered first and then qual. used to further explain or elaborate on findings using surveys, interviews, focus groups)
Other Specialized Research Designs and Types
Single-subject design
studies the effects of a program or treatment on an individual or group treated as an individual, usually after a baseline has been established
Other Specialized Research Designs and Types
Action research
conducted in an attempt to improve services or a program
- may be viewed as having an evaluative function
Other Specialized Research Designs and Types
Pilot study
small-scale research effort often used to determine the feasibility of a large scale effort with emphasis on refining procedures and instrumentation
Other Specialized Research Designs and Types
Longitudinal research
collecting data from the same group of individuals over a period of time (panel study)
- ex. studying career development of school children by reinterviewing them every two years until they were high school seniors