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Selecting Researchable Topics and Questions
Chapter 4
Introduction
Research Question Questions about one or more topics or concepts that
can be answered through research A research question can be about local or global
governments, individuals or organizations, and an entire society
Introduction
Research Topic A concept, subject or issue that can be studied
through research
Discussion - Question
Create a research question about the social impact of living through a natural disaster. Do you know people who lived through a
natural disaster such as a hurricane, a tornado, a tsunami, or the like?
In what ways do you think their lives have changed?
Do you think their experiences are typical or unusual?
Introduction
Hypothesis A testable statement about how two or more
variables are expected to be related to one another
Introduction
Research question vs. Hypothesis A research question is similar to a hypothesis,
except that a hypothesis presents an expectation about the way two or more variables are related, but a research question does not
Research projects that have explanatory or evaluation purposes typically begin with one or more hypotheses, most exploratory and some descriptive projects start with a research question
Introduction
Focal research “Studying Women’s Lives: Family Focus in
the 30s ” Hoffnung had personal experiences and
professional interests that set the stage for her study of women’s lives
Research provides basic information about the social world and understandings that can be applied to creating social policy
Quiz – Question 1
Identify ethical issues from the focal research. How were the ethical issues handled?
Introduction
Sources of research questions The selection of a research question is often
the result of many factors Personal interests, experiences, values, and
passions The desire to satisfy scientific curiosity Previous work -- or the lack of it -- on a topic The current political, economic, and social
climates Being able to get access to data Having a way to fund a study
Introduction
Values and Science Value Free?
Research in the 19th and much of 20th century science was considered “value-free”
Today, values, both social and personal, are part of all human endeavors, including science
Group interests and values can influence research, especially influential during the creating and evaluation of hypotheses
Social and personal values are not necessarily bad The danger comes when scientists allow their values to introduce
biases into their work that distort the results of scientific investigation
Introduction
Personal Factors Personal interests often influence researchers’
specific research topics Having a strong personal interests can lead to
the willingness to the make the necessary investment of time and energy
Research by Hoffnung (2000) Personal interest in career and motherhood
influenced her work
Introduction
Research and the Social, Political and Economic World Change in society influences amount of
research on topics E.g. Gender, Sexual Orientation
Before the 1970s, few studies focused on women, as a result of the women's movement in the late 1960s and early 70s, scholars began to study women and their lives
Current events focus attention: e.g. natural disasters, swine flu, etc…
Introduction
Research Funding “It is always difficult to raise money for social
science research; after all, it neither directly saves thousands of lives nor enables one to kills thousands of people” (Fischman et al., 2004).
Many research projects are funded through private foundations, government agencies, local and state institutions, or corporate sponsors
Introduction
Research Funding Funding research expresses a value choice
The particular values associated with a specific project affect funding as the appropriations process for research is part of a larger political process
The availability of funding and economic support can influence a study
The questions asked The amount and kind of data collected The availability of the resulting research report
Developing a Researchable Question
Researchable question A question that can be answered with
research that is feasible
Developing a Researchable Question
Transforming a research question to a researchable question Narrow down the broad area of interest into something
that is manageable
Developing a Researchable Question
• Example: Cell phones You cannot study everything connected to cell phones You could study the effect of cell phones on family
relationships You cannot study all age groups, but you can study a
few You might not be able to study people in many
communities, but you might be able to study one or two
You would not be able to study dozens of behaviors or attitudes that change overtime, but you could study some current attitudes and behaviors
In the community in which I live, how does cell phone use affect parent-child relationships; more specifically, how does the use of cell phones affect parents’ and adolescents’ attempts to maintain and resist parental authority?
Developing a Researchable Question Reviewing the Literature
The process of searching for, reading, summarizing, and synthesizing existing work on a topic or the resulting written summary of a search
Developing a Researchable Question Reviewing the Literature
Academic Sources To start a literature review, you will need to figure
out which literature or sources you want to search Books, articles, and government documents are the most
common sources Popular literature, including newspapers and magazines,
might be good sources of ideas, but academic journals will be more useful in your literature review
Developing a Researchable Question
Reviewing the Literature Keywords
The terms used to search for sources in a literature review
With common keywords you will generate a large number of sources – you can limit the search to title and abstracts only
You can use multiple keywords by including “and” between terms
Developing a Researchable Question
• Reviewing the Literature Using the literature in a study
Helps researcher to identify their own research question or hypothesis
Examine what previous researchers have used Provide context for your own work Provides an overview of the current state of
research and narrows your inquiry
Developing a Researchable Question
Practical matters Feasibility
Whether it is practical to complete a study in terms of access, time, and money
Developing a Researchable Question
Practical matters Access
The ability to obtain the information needed to answer a research question
Developing a Researchable Question
Practical matters Research costs
All monetary expenditures needed for planning, executing, and reporting research
Although many research projects are grant funded a grant is NOT necessary
Developing a Researchable Question
Practical matters Time expenditures
The time it takes to complete all activities of a research project from the planning stage to the final report
Summary
Research questions can vary in scope and purpose
A review of the literature is essential Planning a study
Time Money Access to data
Quiz – Question 2
We can expect that the interest in certain research topics will change over time. This is due to
a. different sources of funding.b. changing political, social, and economic
elements.c. changing personal factors.d. all of the abovee. none of the above
Quiz – Question 3
Some topics that may be interesting and important but gaining access to the population may be very difficult. Which of the following presents the greatest obstacles?
a. College students living in a dormitory
b. Individuals who are members of a bowling league
c. Children who are hospitalized for minor illness
d. Individuals who are members of a secret cult
e. Singles who go on singles’ cruises
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