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Page Layout Research Process and Quantitative Research Design Tutorials and Handouts WelcomeWhen you begin to think about research and developing a methodology plan for research, you may feel some anxiety. You may even feel a little overwhelmed. Let me assure you that such feelings are normal. A helpful strategy for alleviating anxiety and overwhelming feelings is to break a large task into smaller tasks. Let me tell you a modified version of the fable of the bundle of sticks.A father hands his son a bundle of sticks and asks his son to break all sticks in half. The son takes the bundle in his hands and attempts to break them. He fails. He does not break even one. His father walks over to him, takes the bundle, and unties it. He hands his son one of the sticks and asks his son the break it. The son easily breaks the sticks. Then, again the father asks, “Can you break all the sticks in half?” The son assures his father that he can complete the task. He takes one stick at a time and breaks it in half. The point is that breaking a large task into smaller increments can lead to the successful completion of the goal.As you review the contents of the tutorials and handouts below, you will see that we are going to do this. That is, we are going to break down writing a quantitative methodology plan into small tasks. Each task will build upon the next and finally lead to successful completion of a plan.?Although the order and organization of the plan you need to write may vary, most research plans include the same basic elements. It is important to recognize that a methodology plan developed for empirical research needs to be derived from the literature and fill a “gap” in the literature. This literature must be primarily peer-reviewed, for example a peer-reviewed journal article has been reviewed by several experts in the field and approved before it was accepted for publication. A problem statement and purpose statement usually precede the discussion of the research methods. The following are the basic elements of a quantitative research plan, and are the elements that are discussed here: The Theoretical Framework and Literature ReviewProblem Statement Purpose Statement Research QuestionsResearch and Null Hypothesis(es) Identification of VariablesResearch Approach and Design Validity and LimitationsParticipantsSetting Instrumentation ProceduresData AnalysisEach of these topics are discussed in separate tutorials and handouts, and each handout contains four primary sections:Introduction. The introduction provides an overview of the chapter. Topical Discussion. The topical discussion overviews the research on the topic of interest and provides information about how it relates to the development of your research plan. There are also tips and recommendations provided here. Case Application. The case application section takes each topic and demonstrates how it can be applied to the case of “Charlie.” Application: Developing My Research Plan. The purpose of the application section is to help you plan your research proposal by transferring learning from the book to your own research plan. This will set you up to success. Step 1: Identifying Your Topic and Ensuring it is a Researchable IdeaTopic Selection Tutorial Identifying Your Topic and Ensuring it is a Researchable Idea?HandoutStep 2: Build a Literature Review and Identify a Theoretical FrameworkTheoretical Framework TutorialLiterature Review TutorialBuild a Literature Review and Identify a Theoretical Framework HandoutArticle Critique FormsStep 3: Selecting Your Research Approach, Problem, and PurposeSelecting Your Research Approach, Problem, and Purpose HandoutStep 4: Selecting and Justifying Your Research DesignResearch Design TutorialResearch Design PowerPoint HandoutSelecting and Justifying Your Research Design Handout Step 5: Writing Well Developed Research QuestionsResearch Question TutorialResearch Question PowerPoint HandoutWriting Well Developed Research Questions Handout Step 6: Writing Your HypothesesHypotheses TutorialHypotheses PowerPoint HandoutWriting Your Hypotheses Handout Step 7: Identifying, Labeling, and Defining Your VariablesVariables TutorialVariables PowerPoint HandoutIdentifying, Labeling, and Defining Your Variables Handout Step 8: Considering Validity and Discussing LimitationsConsidering Validity and Discussing Limitations HandoutRecommended Research Design and Analysis Resources Quantitative Research DesignThe first two text below are often considered seminal in the area of quantitative research design: Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J.C. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research on teaching. In N. L. Gage (ed.),?Handbook of research on teaching. Chicago: Rand McNally.Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research Creswell, J.W.?Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.Kazdin, A.E. Research Design in Clinical Psychology (4th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2003.Social Science Research Design and Statistics: A Practitioner's Guide to Research Methods and SPSS Analysis, J. R., & Wallen, N. E.?How to design and evaluate research in education. San Francisco: McGraw-Hill.Gay, L. R.?Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application. Columbus, OH: Merrill.Single Subject DesignKazdin, A.E. Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.Barlow DH, Hersen M. Single case experimental designs: strategies for studying behavior change. New York: Pergamon, 1984.Scale DevelopmentDeVellis, R. F. (2003).?Scale development: Theory and applications?(2nd?ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Survey ResearchDillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2009).?Internet, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method?(3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Statistical Analysis The three texts below are the most widely used multivariate analysis books in the field:Applied Statistics: From Bivariate Through Multivariate Techniques Stevens, J. (1996).?Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences?(3rd ed.). Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L.?Using multivariate statistics. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.This book is an important text for understanding statistical power: Cohen, J. (1988).?Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.This book is an excellent (and often humorous) resource for understanding the theory and SPSS application for most analyses: Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (Introducing Statistical Methods series) Other recommended booksGravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2000).?Statistics for the behavioral sciences. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.SPSS & Other Analysis SoftwareGreen, S. B., & Salkind, N. J.?Using SPSS for Windows and Macintosh: Analyzing and understanding data. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Fields, A.?Discovering statistics using SPSS.??Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.Pallant, J.?SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS.?Open University Press.Qualitative?Research?Designs (Survey Books)Note: Once you choose a design, it is important that you identify a primary source.?Creswell, J. Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. London: Sage.?Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y.S. Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.?Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Patton, M. (1987). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. London: Sage Publications.?PhenomenologyMoustakas C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Van Maanen, J. 1988 . Tales of the field. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience. New York, NY: State University of New York Press.Grounded TheoryStrauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Glaser B. (1992). Basics of grounded theory analysis: Emergence versus forcing. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.Glaser, B.J. & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.Case StudyYin, R.K. Applications of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGe Publications.Yin, R. K. Case study research: Design and method (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. ................
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