SOWK 459 Week 11 - Research Questions - Developing a Focus for a Study

A presentation at Heritage University in October 2019 by Jacob Campbell and is tagged with Heritage University, BASW Program, SOWK 459w

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

We will identify the qualities of a good research question. We will write good research questions for our proposals.

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

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?

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?

Write a high-quality research question for your proposal. Check it with a peer to get feedback.

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,

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

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

Discussion and follow up from annotated bibliography

Portrait style photo of Jacob Campbell

Dr. Jacob Campbell

11 slides

Description

This presentation is focused on developing research questions.