Steps in the Research Process

I have a research question, what do I do next?

First things first…..

• Keep IRB issues in mind as you develop a plan– Old data-– New Data– Retrospective data

• Continuing review is required annually until project is closed .

• Anonymous aggregate data (easiest method to obtain approval)

• Questions?

From initial idea to…

• A specific question• Some would argue this is the most difficult

part of developing your project– Find out what is already known.– Identify what is not known, or what you can build

on (e.g. with a different population or technique)

4.4

Using existing Scholarly literature from your discipline to specify your question

• Steps for a literature review:• Identify key terms• Locate literature• Critically evaluate and select the literature• Organize the literature• Write the review

1.5

The Research Process: Data Collection

• Determine the data collection method• Survey (web/paper considerations)• Existing measures (reliability, validity)• Interviews• Under 18, over 18

6

What Permissions Are Needed:Obtaining Permission

• Campus approval (e.g., university or college) and Institutional Review Board (IRB)

• Individual participants • Parents of participants who are not

considered adults

Creswell, 3r edition 6.7

Linking Data Collection to Variables and Questions

Flow of Activities Example

Identify the variable

Operationally define the variable

Locate data (measures, observations, documents with questions and scales)

Collect data on instruments yielding numeric scores

Self-efficacy for learning from others

Level of confidence that an individual can learn something by being taught by others

19 items on a self-efficacy scale from Zimmerman (et al.

Scores of each item ranged from 0-10 with 10 being “completely confident”

Modified Creswell 3rd edition

At the manuscript stage-

• Be aware of how to interpret your findings based on sample size and sampling techniques.

• Probability sampling =techniques to draw samples representative of the population.

• Nonprobability sample available, convenient; also may represent some characteristic the investigator wants to study.

Creswell, 3rd edition Educational Psychology

Populations and Samples

Sample

TargetPopulation

Sample

Population- All teachers in high schools in one city- College students in all community colleges- Adult educators in all schools of education

Sample- All high school biology teachers- Students in one community college- Adult educators in five schools of education in the Midwest

Pedagogical Research

• potential measures of success– Scores on in class exams or standardized

measures– Retention– Survey results (interest, perception of gains in

learning, other “attitudes”)– Measures of skills– ? (other ideas)

John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

Types of Quantitative Sampling

Quantitative Sampling Strategies

Probability Sampling Nonprobability Sampling

Simple Systematic Stratified MultistageRandom Sampling Sampling ClusterSampling Sampling

Convenience SnowballSampling Sampling

Modified from Creswell 3rd edition

The Types of Survey DesignsTime of Data Collection

Study Over Time Study at One Point in TimeLongitudinal Cross-sectional

Attitudesand

Practices

CommunityNeeds

ProgramEvaluation

GroupComparisons

NationalAssessment

Follow students (or instructors) Over time

Choosing instruments: Reliability & Validity

Reliability: Scores from measuring variables that are stable and consistent

Example: Bathroom scale

Validity: Do the items on the scale meaningfully represent your construct?