research methodology Flashcards
the purpose of research
advance knowledge, increase understanding, educate others, inform practice
the focus of research
question & hypothesis
question
focus of research is on evaluating existing information and assessing what is not known or what has been left out
hypothesis
an idea a researcher uses to base his or her research on.
sampling methods
random, systematic, clustered, convenience
random
he research wont discriminatory and means everyone in the population has an equal chance of being chosen.
systematic
researcher chooses the candidates systematically for example on the basis of every fifth person that walks past you.
clustered
the researcher includes various subgroups in the sample. For example, one year 11 CAFS class from all NSW schools.
Convenience
the researcher chooses he members of the sample group because he or she finds it easy to choose them. For example, a students assignment might have to give five people a questionnaire and they decide to choose their five best friends to complete it, the results will often be bias.
sample group
is the final group of individuals the researcher has chosen to participate in the research, depending on the nature of the research, the group will ideally include a diverse group of people who differ based on factors such as age, sex, location and religion.
sample size
mostly depends on the scale of the study, for example, a student who is sampling her peers for her IRP might have access to 20 interested respondents, whereas TV-network representative who are sampling the network’s viewers might have access to thousands of people.
types of data
primary, secondary
qualitative and quantitative
primary data
involves collecting ‘new’ data that didn’t exist before the research us undertaken, eg; Interview & questionnaire
secondary data
involves collecting data from existing research. He/she will interoperate the data by looking for recurring arguments or themes, eg literature review.
qualitative
More detail about beliefs, feelings, values and attitude.
quantitative
collects numerical data.
sources of data
individuals and groups
print and digital
individuals and groups
researchers can collate and record data from individuals and groups by various means in the form of interviews or questionnaire. and can assess individuals and groups in order to locate primary and secondary methodology. For example, the researcher might be doing the topic of ‘teen crime’ and therefore talk to local police and local councils.
print and digital
researchers can collate and record data from P&D means in the form of a case study (primary) or literature review (secondary) and include any information that can be accessed in hard-copy form or electronically.
reliability
means consistency in relation to the research findings, response must be reliable to be trusted. For example, an unreliable research project conducted on the northern beaches vs the same research project done using people across Australia.
validity
meaning legitimacy in relation to the findings the test has to test the correct thing. Findings include referenced sources of information from people, organizations, electronic sources, libraries and print sources.
ethical behavior
respect, integrity, privacy, bias
respect
Whatever the aspects of the research, the researcher should respect the individuals who are involved and accept their ideas, opinions and beliefs. For example, in emotional topics the researcher should take care to consider the respondent’s feelings
integrity
means maintenance of the researcher’s principle and standards. Ethical researchers will be honest and truthful in undertaking their research. For example, completing your own questionnaire would mean that you’re not maintaining integrity.
privacy
researchers have to consider the privacy of the people who are involved in the research, all information about their respondents confidential.
bias
a one-sided point of view that does not take into account other ideas or opposing view. For example, a woman who is researching religion might have her own preconceived views about the subject. If she uses her ideals, values and opinions to influence her research process and results, she will be demonstrating bias.
research methods
primary: - questionnaire - interview - case studies - observation secondary: - literature review
questionnaire
can be both qualitative (open ended) or quantitative (closed ended) should be clear, concise and not have leading questions
interview
qualitative research method used for obtaining information.
case study
qualitative research method that researchers use to gain a deep understanding of a complex issue.
observation
is divided into 2 approaches 1. Participant observation: occurs when the researcher immerses him/her self in the environment. 2. Non- participant observation: when the researcher observes the functioning of a group from a distance.
literature review
a piece of writing that is aimed at comparing and contrasting other peoples work.
research process
- planning for research
- conducting research
- interpreting research
planning for research
– formulating a research proposal
– managing resources
Formulating a research proposal
a research proposal should contain a ‘plan’ of the intended research, it should also contain; questions, research methods, time frame and a propose
managing resource
evaluate what resources you have available and that you develop a plan for managing and monitoring them. Include things like time, money and materials
conducting research
- accessing sources of data
- collecting and recording data
- documenting actions and issues
accessing sources of data
knowing how to access data and where to source it from is a vital tool. Such as goggle, Bing, Firefox
collecting and recording data
collecting; the process of understanding primary an secondary research, using blog posts, survey monkey and be free from bias. Recording; data effectively so you will be able to revisit it and use it during your analysis and interpretation.
documenting actions and issues
by keeping logs of everything that has happened you will be better able to not only organize your data but if something unforeseeable goes wrong, present ‘proof’ of everything that has occurred.