Week 1 - Study Guide - Vocabulary

Question 1

Applied Research

Answer 1

a type of scientific inquiry that aims to solve practical, real-world problems by using existing knowledge to develop solutions

Question 2

Research Problem

Answer 2

a clear statement that identifies a specific issue or gap in knowledge

The problem is unambiguous, specific and focus

Question 3

Research Objective

Answer 3

a specific, measurable goal that a research study aims to achieve, outlining what the researcher wants to accomplish within the project and providing a clear direction for data collection and analysis

Question 4

Research Question

Answer 4

a question that a research project aims to answer. It is a vital part of both qualitative and quantitative research. A good research question should be:Clear: Specific enough that the audience can understand its purpose without needing additional explanation

Focused: Narrow enough to be answered thoroughly within the space allowed

Concise: Expressed in as few words as possible

Complex: Not answerable with a simple “yes” or “no”

Question 5

Exploratory Research Question

Answer 5

a question designed to gain a deeper understanding of a topic where the researcher doesn’t have a clear picture yet, often focusing on “what,” “how,” and “why” aspects of a phenomenon, aiming to identify patterns, relationships, or themes that warrant further investigation.

Question 6

Descriptive Research Question

Answer 6

a question designed to accurately portray the characteristics, frequencies, or trends of a specific phenomenon, typically focusing on “what,” “how,” “where,” “when,” and “who” aspects without attempting to establish causal relationships;

Question 7

Causal Research Question

Answer 7

a question that seeks to identify a cause-and-effect relationship between variables

Question 8

Theory

Answer 8

A theory is a description of and logic for a system of relationships among defined constructs that act upon or are associated with one another.

Question 9

Framework

Answer 9

A framework is a general structure of categories, like a typology, or relationships among categories of constructs
a structured approach or conceptual model that guides the entire research process, outlining the key concepts, relationships between variables, and theoretical underpinnings that will be used to investigate a research question,

Question 10

Model

Answer 10

A model is a graphic or function representation of the construct and the relationship by a theory or the categories of a framework.

Question 11

Theoretical Framework

Answer 11

a structured set of existing theories and concepts that a researcher uses to guide their study

Question 12

Logical Consistency

Answer 12

the idea that all elements of a study, including the research question, methodology, data analysis, and conclusions, align logically with each other

Question 12

Boundary Condition

Answer 12

the specific parameters or circumstances that define the limits of a theory or study, essentially outlining the “who, where, and when” aspects of where a theory is applicable, and indicating when its findings might not generalize beyond those boundaries;

Question 13

Falsifiability

Answer 13

the principle that a scientific hypothesis or theory is considered valid only if it can be potentially proven false by empirical evidence

Question 14

Parsimony & Sufficiency

Answer 14

parsimony” refers to the principle of choosing the simplest explanation that adequately fits the data, while “sufficiency” means that the data collected is enough to fully address the research question, essentially capturing all necessary information without unnecessary redundancy

Question 15

Proposition hypothesis

Answer 15

“proposition” is a general statement that suggests a potential relationship between concepts, often theoretical and not directly testable, while a “hypothesis” is a specific, testable prediction derived from a proposition that can be empirically verified through research using data collection and analysis

Question 16

Construct Variable

Answer 16

a specific, measurable aspect of an abstract concept (called a “construct”) that can be studied and analyzed within a research study

Question 17

Active vs Attribute Independent Variable

Answer 17

an “active independent variable” refers to a variable that the researcher can manipulate or change during the study, while an “attribute independent variable” is a characteristic of participants that cannot be altered, like age, gender, or socioeconomic status, which can only be measured and considered in the analysis but not actively changed by the researcher

Question 18

Independent Variable

Answer 18

the variable that a researcher actively manipulates or changes in an experiment to observe its effect on another variable

Question 19

Dependent Variable

Answer 19

the variable that is measured and observed to see how it changes in response to manipulations of an independent variable

Question 20

Moderator

Answer 20

a third variable that influences the strength or direction of the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable

Question 21

Mediator Variable

Answer 21

a variable that explains the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable by acting as an intermediary in the causal chain, meaning the independent variable influences the mediator, which then influences the dependent variable, essentially revealing the “why” or “how” behind the observed relationship between the two main variables.

Question 22

Control Variable

Answer 22

a variable that is kept constant throughout a study, meaning it is not manipulated or changed, to ensure that any observed effects are solely due to the independent variable being tested, rather than other potentially influencing factors

Question 23

Association vs Causal Hypotheses

Answer 23

An “association hypothesis” simply states that there is a relationship between two variables, while a “causal hypothesis” goes further by claiming that one variable directly causes changes in another, implying a cause-and-effect relationship between them

Question 24

Directional vs Non-Directional Hypothesis

Answer 24

A directional hypothesis in research specifies the expected direction of a relationship between variables, predicting whether one variable will be greater, lesser, or different from another, while a non-directional hypothesis simply states that a relationship exists between variables without indicating the specific direction of that relationship

Question 25

Null vs Alternative Hypotheses

Answer 25

a “null hypothesis” states that there is no significant difference or relationship between variables, essentially assuming the status quo, while an “alternative hypothesis” proposes that a significant difference or relationship does exist, representing the researcher’s actual prediction based on their research question