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Research Methods Overview
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Research Methods Overview
Research Methods Overview
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1
Question
What are research methods?
Answer
Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of your research design.
2
Question
What are the two key decisions to make when planning research methods?
Answer
First, decide how you will collect data. Second, decide how you will analyze the data.
3
Question
What types of data are considered when determining research methods?
Answer
Qualitative vs. quantitative, primary vs. secondary, descriptive vs. experimental.
4
Question
What is qualitative data?
Answer
Qualitative data takes the form of words and is used for questions about ideas, experiences, and meanings.
5
Question
What is quantitative data?
Answer
Quantitative data takes the form of numbers and is used for developing mechanistic understanding or hypothesis testing.
6
Question
What is primary research?
Answer
Primary research is any original data that you collect yourself for the purposes of answering your research question, e.g., through surveys, observations, and experiments.
7
Question
What is secondary research?
Answer
Secondary research is data that has already been collected by other researchers, e.g., in a government census or previous scientific studies.
8
Question
What are the pros of primary research?
Answer
Primary research can be collected to answer specific research questions, and you have control over the sampling and measurement methods.
9
Question
What are the cons of primary research?
Answer
Primary research is often more expensive and time-consuming to collect and requires training in data collection methods.
10
Question
What are the pros of secondary research?
Answer
Secondary research is easier and faster to access, and you can collect data that spans longer timescales and broader geographical locations.
11
Question
What are the cons of secondary research?
Answer
You have no control over how the data was generated, and it requires extra processing to ensure it works for your analysis.
12
Question
What is descriptive research?
Answer
In descriptive research, you collect data about your study subject without intervening. The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method.
13
Question
What is experimental research?
Answer
In experimental research, you systematically intervene in a process and measure the outcome. The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design.
14
Question
What are the pros of descriptive research?
Answer
Descriptive research allows you to describe your research subject without influencing it and is accessible for gathering more data on a larger scale.
15
Question
What are the cons of descriptive research?
Answer
Descriptive research has no control over confounding variables and cannot establish causality.
16
Question
What are the pros of experimental research?
Answer
Experimental research allows for more control over confounding variables and can establish causality.
17
Question
What are the cons of experimental research?
Answer
Experimental research may influence the research subject in unexpected ways and usually requires more expertise and resources to collect data.
18
Question
What types of data collection methods are there?
Answer
Methods include experiments, surveys, interviews, observations, ethnographies, archival research, and secondary data collection.
19
Question
What is operationalization in research?
Answer
Operationalization means turning abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations.
20
Question
What is a sampling plan?
Answer
A sampling plan involves defining a population (the group you want to draw conclusions about) and a sample (the group you will actually collect data from).
21
Question
Why is standardizing procedures important in research?
Answer
Standardizing procedures helps ensure the reliability of your data and avoid common research biases.
22
Question
What is a data management plan?
Answer
A data management plan outlines how to organize and store your data, including anonymizing sensitive information and performing systematic data entry.
23
Question
What are best practices for collecting data?
Answer
Record all relevant information as it is obtained, double-check manual data entry for errors, and assess the reliability and validity of quantitative data.
24
Question
What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative data collection methods?
Answer
Qualitative methods include interviews and focus groups, while quantitative methods include experiments, surveys, and statistical analysis.