Week 2: Individual Assignment Week 2
Week 3 Discussion Question 1
What are three major factors to consider when evaluating the scientific merit of quantitative studies? What are three major factors to consider when evaluating the scientific merit of qualitative studies?
My Answer
The three major factors of evaluating the scientific merit of quantitative studies consist of:
(1) Data collection using frequencies and graphs: a data set or collection using bar graphs, histograms, line graphs, and scatterplot (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010, p. 391).
(2) Hypothesis testing using measurements: testability and reliability using different types of measurements (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010, p. 430).
(3) Analyzing the relationships in practice and design: comparing the data to see if it makes sense in real world terms (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010, p. 434).
The three major factors of evaluating the scientific merit of qualitative studies consist of:
(1) Coherence: this factor looks into whether the study makes sense with all the data that is involved. (Willis, 2007, p. 166)
(2) Consensus: an overall agreement that the data presented in the study is sound. (Willis, 2007, p. 166)
(3) Instrumental utility: this factor investigates if the study demonstrates replicable use and applicable knowledge. (Willis, 2007, p. 167)
References
Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Willis, J. W. (2007). Foundations of qualitative research: Interpretive and critical approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Week 3 Discussion Question 2
Why is it important to review literature before identifying a research problem?
My Answer
I believe reviewing the literature before identifying a research problem is important to a study, especially in qualitative research. The literature should be reviewed and interpreted to the researcher’s perspective to grasp and understanding of the research (Willis, 2007, p. 160). Reviewing the literature also helps to understand possible perspectives from others as well. Reviewing the literature also allows the researcher to ask questions towards the aspects of the literature that does not make sense or that appear to be assumptions (Willis, 2007, p. 162). Most importantly, reviewing the literature is important for ethical and factual reasons. Any questions or perceptions on the literature should be followed up by the actual data presented and proven in the literature.
References
Willis, J. W. (2007). Foundations of qualitative research: Interpretive and critical approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Weekly Reflection - Week #3
In this week, I have learned that there are several differences that attribute to qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Before this week, I had the assumption that most of the techniques used in these methods were similar in that they both collected data and interpreted it but the interpretations are different and I can see how using mixed methods would be difficult but needed for a thorough study. Distinguishing between the two methods is an important aspect to remember as I will be using them in the future of my studies and probably my dissertation as well. I also learned that data or literature should be reviewed and interpreted so as to have the most accurate information. This data can be used to interpret and also for ethical standards. It also allows the researcher to further their investigations by asking more questions. This process helps the researcher and the study to evolve.
Week 3: Individual Assignment Week 3
Practice of Research
Week 4 Discussion Question 1
What are some important considerations in determining an appropriate data analysis approach?
My Answer
I believe that one of the important considerations in determining an appropriate data analysis approach is to understand what type of research question is being asked. Depending on what is being investigated, the researcher should determine if the data analysis be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. The quantitative approach is used with numerical data and, for example, finding data based on the demographics of a society might be more useful than qualitative (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010).
Another consideration is to understand which approach the researcher has the most knowledge in. If the researcher is more knowledgeable in one approach than another, they will need to learn more about the one they understand the least or drive the research towards the approach they do understand the best. If the researcher understands the qualitative approach and find interpretive research his/her forte, then using this approach might be more beneficial than a quantitative approach (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010).
Reference: Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.).Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Week 4 Discussion Question 2
What is the importance of drawing conclusions about your findings in terms of where they fit into the body of research within a field of study?
My Answer
The conclusion can help the researcher to find the data that is needed or not needed for the study. For example, “any conclusions reached regarding a nontestable hypothesis do not represent scientific knowledge” (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010, p. 89) and this indicate that the information from the conclusion should not be used if scientific data is required. The conclusions that are to be used should present accurate and valid data to benefit the study and research (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010). The data from the conclusion should follow the information used in the approach and methods from the research so that others can attempt to duplicate the research (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010).
Reference: Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.).Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Weekly Reflection - Week #4
My Answer
In this week, I have learned some of the important considerations that a researcher needs to consider and some of the basic ways to identify the difference between qualitative and quantitative research approaches. With consideration to a research, the researcher needs to look out for several factors, including a clear understanding of the research, an understanding in the researcher's strengths, the risk involved with possible mistakes that may arise, as well as obtaining and distributing ethical forms of consent to the sample in the study (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010). I have also learned that there are several factors towards distinguishing the differences between the qualitative and quantitative approaches. From the introduction through the conclusion, each approach demonstrates differences in their procedures for deriving and displaying information.
Reference: Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.).Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Week 4: Individual Assignment Week 4
Week 5 Discussion Question 1
What does it mean to read literature critically? What critical elements should be examined when reading literature? Why is reading literature critically important for researchers?
My Answer
Reading literature critically means that the researcher analyzes and examines the data and how that data is presented to the readers (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). The data should be validated and in each approach the data should make sense. Reading the literature critically also means a possibility of interpreting the data or validating it to see if the data is true through alternative resources. One of the critical elements that should be examined when reading literature is the source. One should ask where the data is coming from. Another critical element is whether the data sounds like truth or is it an over-elaboration of a study that wants to place the focus on the researcher’s hypothesis. Lastly, one should examine what type of analysis the research is demonstrating. If the research is a survey, the data needs to be very critically analyzed to demonstrate the most accurate results or the entire study will become questionable (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). For these reasons, reading literature critically is important for researchers. In addition, the researcher’s reputation will also be at risk if there are inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the data and literature.
Reference:
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Week 5 Discussion Question 2
When writing literature reviews, what are common practices you must avoid because they are forms of plagiarism? What must you do instead?
My Answer
The literature review discusses the background of the study. The researcher must try avoiding certain common practices as they may lead to plagiarism. One common practice is utilizing the library as a resource for finding facts for the study (Neuman, 2005). Citing and referencing the resources helps to prevent plagiarism. Another common practice is data collection. If the researcher inadvertently enters data from another resource that’s from an associate or assistant (Neuman, 2005), they are also plagiarizing. This type of data should also be cited and referenced in the study. In addition, stating the exact terms or sentences that the resource is providing along with citing and referencing the source will help to avoid plagiarizing materials and data for the study (Neuman, 2005).
References:
Neuman, W. L. (2005). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Weekly Reflection - Week #5
My Answer
In this week, I have learned that observing the literature critically is a very important job of the researcher. Looking to analyze the data is important in one's own research. There is a necessary element of ethics that the researcher should obtain from their own writings and so it is important to make sure that the data presented in the literature is accurate and valid. Another thing that I have learned is that plagiarism can happen even with common practices. There are several ways to avoid plagiarism, such as citing and referencing other literature and taking notes from resources but also referring those resources as well so that it is noted in the research study that it was obtained from someone other than the author of the study. Critically analyzing literature is a bit time consuming and complex but in the end it helps with a more ethical and better study.
Week 5: Individual Assignment Week 5
Week 6 Discussion Question 1
What are descriptive statistics? What are inferential statistics? How is each one of these types of statistics used in quantitative research studies?
My Answer
Descriptive statistics is used to “describe numerical data” (Neuman, 2005, p. 347). There are three different types of descriptive statistics: “univariate” to “describe one variable”, “bivariate” to describe two variables, and “multivariate” to describe more than two variables (Neuman, 2005, p. 370). Each of these types describes the variables associated with the statistical technique. On the other hand, inferential statistics is used when the researcher needs to find the probability of a random sample (Neuman, 2005). For example, inferential statistics would be used to find the probability of a case in a population and to find its significance (Neuman, 2005). Each of these is used in quantitative research studies as each type of statistical analysis is reliant on the numerical values of the sample.
Reference
Neuman, W. L. (2005). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Week 6 Discussion Question 2
What are some important considerations when selecting an existing data collection instrument? When might it be best to develop your own instrument?
My Answer
Selecting an existing data collection instrument depends on the scenario in which it will be used in. There are four different scenarios: “face validity”, “content validity”, “criterion validity”, and “construct validity” (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010, p. 92). Face validity will be used to find the face value of a characteristic that the researcher is looking for their measurements (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). The content validity will be used to find the skills or achievements of a population (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). Criterion validity is used to find the relationship between the population and their skills or achievements (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). Construct validity is used as an observatory measure when the researcher cannot directly analyze a pattern in a population’s behavior (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). The researcher may need to develop their own instrument if the current available instruments or scenarios do not fit the current needs of the research study. As time goes on, methods and tactics evolve. The instruments too should evolve to meet the current standards of the times.
Reference
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Weekly Reflection - Week #6
This week I learned a lot about several definitions. From the different types of qualitative and quantitative studies to the different types of statistics that can be used. I learned a little about descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, as well as different ways to collect data. I also learned the differences between experimental, ex post facto, and correlation studies in quantitative studies too. It has been a very detailed week.
Week 6: Individual Assignment Week 6
Week 7 Discussion Question 1
What considerations must one take into account when dealing with qualitative research?
My Answer
There are many considerations when dealing with qualitative research. One of the considerations I must take into account is where the information is coming from for the qualitative research (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010). The information should make sense and contain reputable or honest data.
Another consideration is that it should be validated (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010). This can be done through peer-reviews to see if the data makes sense and has been known in other cases. This can also be done through other resources that have stated and proven similar facts.
A third consideration is that the data is non-numerical and exploratory (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010). Many times there is some confusion between qualitative and quantitative research as qualitative research focuses on narrative or pictures while I would prefer more numerical data.
Reference
Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Week 7 Discussion Question 2
What are some different methods for collecting qualitative data?
Case studies, interviews, surveys, observations, and discussions through email, forums, and blogs are some different methods for collecting qualitative data (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010).
When would you use which method to collect qualitative data?
Most of the methods would be used to analyze the behaviors of a demographic. The data collection of qualitative research focuses on the descriptive information to understand a particular scenario through social context (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010).
How might the type of data collected be different?
The data might be different from each other in that more details can be derived from some methods more than others. For example, if an interviewer asked their sample questions in person, they might be able to get more questions in than a survey would.
Reference
Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Weekly Reflection - Week #7
In this week I have learned that we are almost done with class! How scary is that! This course went by too fast. I felt that I have learned a lot about qualitative research and even think I might be better off with qualitative research than I thought I would. My initial thoughts of qualitative research was mostly that it's a descriptive-type of research but I think that qualitative research might be even more challenging than that. After doing the individual assignment, I feel that case studies are more of what I was looking to do than what I thought. I still might have a mixed method in the future but I like how qualitative research and case studies are structured and I want to learn more about this.
Week 7: Individual Assignment Week 7
Week 8 Discussion Question 1
One ethical issue is honesty with professional colleagues. What is your understanding of the issue? Why is it important to every researcher?
My Answer
A few weeks ago, my new boss told me that he didn’t want to tell his clients that he would be uploading updated content to their website. I felt and told him that this was highly unethical behavior. Since I have known the clients for the longest, I told him that there is no need to withhold information from them. If we tell them the scenario, although they are not technical, they will understand the circumstances and we can freely update the content with their knowledge and they will not argue with it. The reason he wanted to withhold the information from them is because he’s new to the project and he made some mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and some clients are more understanding than others. Once I explained this to him, he felt confident that he would be able to update the content and let the client know. They are the type of clients that get more upset when they don’t know what is going on. At the same time this scenario was going on, I was also learning about ethics in this class. So my understanding of ethics in a professional environment goes straight to my workplace.
I feel that ethical behavior goes beyond the workplace and can be seen almost anywhere. As a doctorate student and future professor, I hope that this is as important to other researchers and students as it is to me. In addition to ethics with colleagues, the clients are similar to that of participants in that they can also suffer from psychological issues due to not knowing what to anticipate in a study (Christensen, Johnson, & Turner, 2010). The clients will be upset if they to do understand what is going on. Participants may also get upset if researchers were not honest about the study they are doing. This is why honesty and ethical behavior is so important.
Reference:
Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2010). Research methods, design, and analysis (11 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Week 8 Discussion Question 2
In Week One, you were assigned the Collaborative Institutions Training Initiative (CITI) training, which was to be completed by this week. Why does that training exist? What are the ethical responsibilities of researchers as it relates to the people, contexts, or situations they are researching?
My Answer
Training like CITI exists for several reasons. One reason may be to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the student. The student can see where their strengths are and can possibly take action on how to improve their weaknesses. This training also exists as practice for when students need to take the actual certification. Additionally, it can allow the trainers to evaluate where the students standing is with understanding ethical principles with their work, their participants, the risks of certain behaviors, and how to improve the research study. The ethic responsibilities of researchers is to make sure to allow the participants of the study to be aware of what they are being involved with, and to make sure the participants do not endure psychological or physical strain during the research.
Weekly Reflection - Week #8
My Answer
In this week, I learned about the ethical behaviors of researchers and what to look out for when deriving data from human subjects. There are many things that we, as researchers and students, will need to pay attention to for our studies. For example, we will have to pay attention to the people we provide the questionnaires to so that we can make sure that they are under any psychological harm or stress. Also, we need to let the human subjects know what the intentions of the study are before they participate. I believe that keeping our data valid and ethical is one of the most important aspects of the research design.
Week 8: CITI Certification Week 8
Week 8: Individual Assignment Week 8
Note: I am still waiting on Week 8 grades.
Grade Report: RES/711
Grade Summary (Week 1-Week 7)
| |
| Total Percentage: | 98.77% | |
| Your Total Score: | 80 |
| : | 81 |
Week 7
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 7 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
|
| Discussion Week 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 7 Subtotal : | 13 | 13 |
| Cumulative Week 7 Subtotal : | 81 | 80 |
|
Week 6
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 6 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
|
| Discussion Week 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 6 Subtotal : | 13 | 12.5 |
| Cumulative Week 6 Subtotal : | 68 | 67 |
|
Week 5
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 5 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
|
| Discussion Week 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 5 Subtotal : | 11 | 11 |
| Cumulative Week 5 Subtotal : | 55 | 54.5 |
|
Week 4
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 4 | 8.0 | 7.5 |
|
| Discussion Week 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 4 Subtotal : | 11 | 10.5 |
| Cumulative Week 4 Subtotal : | 44 | 43.5 |
|
Week 3
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 3 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
|
| Discussion Week 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 3 Subtotal : | 11 | 11 |
| Cumulative Week 3 Subtotal : | 33 | 33 |
|
Week 2
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 2 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
|
| Discussion Week 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 2 Subtotal : | 11 | 11 |
| Cumulative Week 2 Subtotal : | 22 | 22 |
|
Week 1
|
| | |
| Individual Assignment Week 1 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
|
| Discussion Week 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Participation Week 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Weekly Reflection Week 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
|
| Week 1 Subtotal : | 11 | 11 |
| Cumulative Week 1 Subtotal : | 11 | 11 |
|
