Week 11 - Research Questions - Developing a Focus for a Study
A presentation at Heritage University at CBC Week 11 in in Pasco, WA 99301, USA by Jacob Campbell
SOWK 486 Fall 2019 Planning: Class 11
Location: CBC Campus - Tuesday T-336 & SWL-220
Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-8:15
Week 11: 10/28/19 — 11/03/19
Reading Assignment: DeCarlo (2018) chapter eight
Topic and Content Area: Research Questions
Assignments Due: Assignment 10: research question is due Friday 11/01/19 at 11:55 PM via My Heritage; Assignment 02: reading quiz for chapter eight is due at 5:30 PM prior to class via My Heritage
Other Important Information: N/A
Agenda
- We will identify the qualities of a good research question.
- We will write good research questions for our proposals.
Characteristics of a good (nomothetic) research question
- It is empirical, not ethical
- It is written in the form of a question
- It is clearly written
- It is not a yes/no
- It has more than one plausible
- It considers relationships among multiple variables
- It is specific and clear about the concepts it addresses
- It contains a target population
Good vs. Bad Research Questions
- What percentage of youth use alcohol in Toppenish, Washington?
- What are the effects of youth alcohol use in the United States?
- How many drinks does the average Toppenish youth drink in a typical week?
- How does parents’ educational level affect the use of alcohol among youth in Toppenish, Washington?
- What is the relationship between youth alcohol use and suicide ideation in Toppenish, Washington?
Good vs. Bad Research Questions
- How does the number of drinks a youth has in a typical week relate to early initiation of sexual behavior?
- How are schools addressing youth alcohol use?
- What are the effects of alcohol prevention programs on the rate of alcohol use among Toppenish high school students?
- What are the causes of domestic violence?
Try it
Write a high-quality research question for your proposal. Check it with a peer to get feedback.
Group Activity
Share your research questions in your group Do they meet the criteria for a good research question Do they have… An independent variable A dependent variable A target population Do they contain any “watch words”… IV watch words: factors, causes DV watch words: effects, outcomes, effective, useful, efficient Etc., so forth,
Qualitative Researech Questions
Nomothetic Questions
What is true for everyone Theory-testing Deductive reasoning Generalizability Prediction Quantitative Independent and dependent variables. Clear causality Doesn’t change during a study
Idiographic questions What is true for a group of people, in one time and place Theory-building Inductive reasoning Understanding Qualitative Many variables, complicated connections. Open to change during a study
Brene Brown - Power of Vulnerability
Watch video
Nomothetic vs. Idiographic
After watching the video…
What do you notice about this kind of research?
- Control & predict vs. listen & understand
- Clean & clear vs. unpredictable & complicated
- Objectivity & math vs. subjectivity & researcher-as-instrument
APA Journal Articles
Discussion and follow up from annotated bibliography
This presentation is focused on developing research questions.
