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Slide 1

LIS 570

Phase 1: Step 1
Selecting, narrowing, formulating a problem

Slide 2

Outline

• Starting points

• Narrowing and clarifying

• Stating the problem

• Explanatory research

• Hypothesis

• Non-causal/Causal

• Descriptive research

• Research Objective

Slide 3

Asking the right questions

• Research is a disciplined way of answering questions

• Researchable questions

• limited in scope, narrowed in focus and confined to a certain time place and set of conditions

• some objective, tangible, countable evidence or data can be gathered which are relevant to the question

Slide 4

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• Starting point

• Select a problem

• Something vexing, perplexing, unknown

• Suitable for empirical research

• Narrow and clarify the problem

Slide 5

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• What do I want to know about this topic?

• Description or explanation?

• Descriptive research (De Vaus)

• What is the time frame of our interest?

• What is the geographical location of our interest?

• Are we aiming for broad description or do we want to compare and specify patterns for subgroups?

• What aspect of the topic are we interested in?

• How abstract is our interest?

Slide 6

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• Explanation

• Are we looking for causes or consequences?

   

  ? -> Increase in divorce rate

  Increase in divorce rate -> ?

Slide 7

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• Explanation

• List possible causes or consequences and then collect relevant data

• previous research

• the facts

• our hunches

• talk to informants

Slide 8

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• Explanation - exploring a simple idea

• e.g. instead of asking what has caused? We ask has X caused?

                    Decline in religion -> increase in divorce

Slide 9

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• Explanation - exploring a more complex idea

Slide 10

Narrowing and clarifying the problem

• Summary..

• For descriptive research be clear and specific about what you want to describe

• For exploratory research ask..

• What am I trying to explain?

• What are the possible causes?

• Which causes will I explore?

• What are the possible mechanisms?

Slide 11

“unpacking” the question (Bouma)

• What are the major concepts?

• What is happening here?

• What are the issues?

• Is one thing affecting, causing or producing a change in something else?

• Why is this so?

• Consult what has already been written or researched about the problem

Slide 12

Unpacking the question

• Identify and note the many issues about the problem that you have chosen and make the choice to study one.

• Then….Clarify the research question(s)

• Restate the issue as a researchable question

• hypothesis

• research objective

Slide 13

Hypothesis

• “. . Asserts a Relationship Between Concepts”

• Expectation about Events

• Exists/Does Not Exist
  Level of Income -> Time Spent on Lecture

• There is a relationship between level of income and types of activities engaged in

Slide 14

Types of Relationships               

• Hypotheses Assert a Type of Relationship

• Positive (Direct) Relationship

• Negative (Indirect)

Slide 15

Non-Causal Relationship Words

• Related (Relationship)

• Associated (Association)

• Correlated

• Linked

• “Goes with”

• Income is positively associated with time spent

• There is a negative correlation between income and time spent

• There is no association between income and time spent

Slide 16

Causal Hypotheses

• Asserts that one Concept (Idea) is the cause of the other

• Level of income determines time spent

Slide 17

Types of Causal Hypotheses

• Positive/Negative

Slide 18

Establishing Causality                     

• Three Basic Requirements

• A relationship between the concepts needs to be established

• Has to be the correct time order

• All other reasons for the relationship must be able to be eliminated

• Ed Level    Health Aware  Time
  
  

Slide 19

Causal Words

• Determine - The Level of Income Determines Time

• Affect

• Effect - The Level of Income Has an Effect on Time

• Influence - Level of Income Has a Negative Influence

• Decrease/Increase

• Leads to

Slide 20

Summary

• Hypotheses can take many forms

• Causal/Non-Causal

• Positive/Negative

• Relationship Exists or Does Not

• Causal hypotheses distinguish between caused and causal variables

Causal                                      Caused

X                                                         Y

Independent                            Dependent

Slide 21

Research Objectives

• When the goal of the research is descriptive rather than explanatory

• To determine the leisure time activities of people

• To determine the types of activities engaged in

• To determine the amount of time spent on leisure time activities

Slide 22

Summary

• Without a clear statement of the problem, the research undertaken will be confused and ambiguous. It is impossible to proceed to the next stage of the research process in a satisfactory way without such a statement.