04 G4.najatikah Specifying A Purpose And Research Questions Or Hypothesis 5b4h2i

SPPP 3042 RESEARCH METHODS IN EDUCATION NUR NAJWA BINTI NOOR AZMAN (A16PP0054) NOR ATIKAH BINTI HASSAN (A16PP0039)

CHAPTER 4

SPECIFYING A PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS OR HYPOTHESES

INTRODUCTION • Purpose statements, research questions and hypotheses provide critical information to readers about the direction of a research study. • They also raise questions that the research will answer through the data collection process. • In this chapter you will learn about purpose statements, research questions and hypotheses and how to write them for both quantitative and qualitative research.

Example Literature review on school violence and writes down a statement that represents the central direction of her study: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH STATEMENT

• “I would like to study the reasons why students carry weapons in high schools.”

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STATEMENT

• “I would like to study students’ experiences with weapons in high school.”

DISTINGUISHING AMONG VARIOUS FORMS OF DIRECTION IN RESEARCH

PURPOSE STATEMENT

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

PURPOSE STATEMENT • Is a statement that advances the overall direction or focus for the study. • Researchers describe the purpose of a study in one or more succinctly formed sentences. • It is typically found in the statement of the problem section. • It often appears as the last sentence of an introduction.

Researchers typically state it beginning with the phrase “The purpose of this study is …..”

RESEARCH QUESTIONS • Research questions are questions in quantitative or qualitative research that narrow the purpose statement to specific questions that researchers seek to answer. • Researchers typically develop them before identifying the methods of the study. (the types of data to be collected, analyzed and interpreted in a study) QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTION “Do Parent-Teacher Internet communications affect student performance in the classroom?”

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTION “What types of Internet experiences do parents have with teachers about the performance of the parents’ children?”

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES • Hypotheses are statements in quantitative research in which the investigator makes a prediction or a conjecture about outcome of a relationship among attributes or characteristics. An illustration of a hypothesis is:

Students in high schools in the school district in which parents and teachers communicate through the Internet will have higher grades than students whose parents and teachers do not communicate through the Internet.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES • Is a statement of intent used in quantitative research that specifies goals that the investigator plans to achieve in a study. • Investigators have clearly identified objectives. • Like hypotheses and research questions, objectives are found at the end of the statement of the problem section. “The objectives in this study are…..” For instance, the following represent objectives for a study:

1. To describe the frequency of Internet communication between parents and teachers regarding the parents’ children in high school social studies classes. 2. To describe the types (or categories) of Internet communication between parents and teachers. 3. To relate frequency and types of communication to student achievement in the class as measured by performance on test.

PURPOSE STATEMENT - Overall direction

RESEARCH QUESTION

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

- Raise questions to be answered

- Make prediction about expectations

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES - State goals to be accomplished

WHY ARE THESE STATEMENTS AND QUESTIONS IMPORTANT? These statements are signposts similar to a thesis statement or objective in term papers you may have written.

Without clear signposts, the readers will be lost throughout your study.

The readers will not know the central ideas addressed in your study.

You can also identify the most appropriate methods for collecting data from the purpose and the questions.

To write good purpose statements and research questions, we will begin with some concepts that you need to know, and then establish the building blocks for writing these statements and questions into a study.

HOW DO YOU DESIGN QUANTITATIVE PURPOSE STATEMENTS, RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES? • To write quantitative purpose statements, research questions and hypotheses, you need to understand the important and use of variables. • We start with their definition, talk about the various types used in quantitative research and then discuss their use in broad theories or explanations

Specify Variables • A variable is a characteristic or attribute of an individual or an organization (a) that researchers can measure or observe (b) and varies among individuals or organization studied. • They are key ideas that researchers seek to collect information on to address the purpose of their study. Consider the following examples of variables typically studied in educational research:

 Leadership style (by s)  Achievements in science (by students)  Interpersonal communication skills (of counselors)

The Family of Variables

DEPENDENT VARIABLES

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

CONTROL VARIABLES

MODERATING VARIABLES

CONFOUNDING VARIABLES

DEPENDENT VARIABLES (PEMBOLEH UBAH BERSANDAR)

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (PEMBOLEH UBAH TAK BERSANDAR)

- Is an attribute or characteristic that is dependent on or influenced by the in dependent variable.

- Is an attribute or characteristic that influence or affects an outcome or dependent variable.

- Example: achievement scores on a test / math scores

- Example: number of trials / time on math instruction

MODERATING VARIABLES (PEMBOLEH UBAH / PENGUBAH)

CONTROL VARIABLES (PEMBOLEH UBAH KAWALAN)

CONFOUNDING VARIABLES (PEMBOLEH UBAH MENCELAH)

- Variables constructed by the researcher by taking one variable times another to determine the t impact of both variables together.

- Is another type of independent variable that researchers measure for the purpose of eliminating it as a possibly.

- The researcher cannot directly measure because their effects cannot be easily separated from those of other variables.

- Example: gender (male/female)

- Example: intelligent

- Example: maturity

Example for dependent an independent variables “Do students who spend more instructional time in class on math have higher math scores than students who spend less time?” Independent variable :Time on math instruction Dependent variable :Math scores

WRITING QUANTITATIVE PURPOSE STATEMENT, RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES

1

WRITING QUANTITATIVE PURPOSE STATEMENTS

• The purpose of this study is to test (the theory) by relating (the independent variable) for (participants) at (the research site). • “The purpose of this study is to test Fines’ theory (1996) by relating leadership style to autonomy for teacher in high schools in United State.”

2

WRITING QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• How frequently do (participants) (variable) at (research site)? • “How frequently do African Americans feel isolated on college campuses?”

3

WRITING QUANTITATIVE HYPOTHESIS

• “The more students feel alienated, the more likely they are to carry weapons to school.” NULL HYPOTHESES • There is no difference between (independent variable, group 1) and (independent variable, group 2) in of (dependent variable) for (participants) at (research site). • “There is no difference between at-risk and non-at-risk students in of students achievement on math test scores for third-grade students in a Midwest school district.”

ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES • (group 1, independent variable) at (research site) will have (some difference, such as higher, lower, greater, lesser) on (dependent variable) than (group 2 of independent variable). • “Students who participate in direct learning in four elementary school will have higher achievement scores than students who participate in whole-language learning.”

Quantitative

Qualitative

Hypothesis are used

Hypothesis are not use

Identifies multiple variable

Term variable is not use

Test theories

Theories are typically not tested

Employs a close-ended stance by

Uses more of an open-ended stance

Selecting instruments to collect data before study begins

Often change the phenomena being studied

The emerging process

The central phenomenon The concepts or a process explored in qualitative research.

The intent or purpose of a study and the questions asked by the researcher may change during the process of inquiry based on from participants.

Quantitative

Qualitative

Explaining or Predicting Variables X Y

Understanding or Exploring a Central Phenomenon

Y

The independent variable (X) influences a dependent variable (Y) In-depth understanding of Y, external forces shape and are shaped by Y

What are high school students’ experiences with smoking?

Where do they smoke at the high school?

When they try to quit smoking, where does this occur at the school?

Initial, organizing questions

Shaped questions

Further shaped questions

Start of project

Initial Data Collection

Continued Data Collection

Indicates the intent to explore understand the central phenomenon with specific individuals at a certain research site.

In quantitative research, this purpose statement as a single sentences and typically include it in a study at the end of the introduction.

 Guidelines 1. Use key identifier words to signal the reader. 2. State the central phenomenon you plan to explore 3. mention the participants in the study. 4. Refer to the research site where you will study the participants.  Sample script The purpose of this qualitative study will be to (explore/discover/understand/describe) (the central phenomenon) for (participants) at (research site).

Research questions in qualitative research help narrow the purpose of a study into specific questions.

Qualitative research questions are open-ended, general question that the researcher would like answered during the study.

Guidelines 1. Expect the qualitative questions to change and to emerge during a study to reflect the participants’ view of the central phenomenon. 2. Ask only a few, general questions. 3. Ask questions that use neutral.

4. Design and write two type of qualitative questions: The central question  subquestions

The overarching question you explore in a research study. When you write this question, place it at the end of the introduction to your study, and state it as a brief question. A simple script What is (the central phenomenon) for (participants) at (research site)?

The central question into subquestions to be addressed in the research

Issues subquestions are questions that narrow the focus of the central question into specific (or issues) the researcher seeks to learn from participants in a study

What is (the subquestion issues) for (participants) at (research site).