Research Questions

1. Research Questions REH 6306 Edwin D. Bell

2. Objectives of the Presentation • Understand why research questions are so important to your action research. • Demonstrate the ability to formulate and focus a research question.

3. Definitions • Area of focus/Purpose = particular processes in the organization that the research wants to examine, e.g., providing services to clients with certain disabilities (Bellini & ?, 2009; Mills, 2007). • Dependent variable = the variable(s) that is/are measured in the research study (Salkind, 2008). • Independent variable = the variable(s) that is/are manipulated in the research study (Salkind, 2008). • Intervening variable = the other variables that are logically related to the area of focus.

4. Definitions (continued) • Research question = The question about a relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable, which guides the selection of the sample, research design, data collection techniques, and data analysis (Flick, 2009).

5. Definitions (continued) • Status variables = characteristics which describe participants in the research study which have a hypothesized relationship to the dependent variable ( Bellini & ?, 2009)

6. Definitions (continued) • Triangulation = “This refers to the combination of appropriate research perspectives and methods that are suitable for taking into account as many different perspectives as possible” (Flick, 2009, p. 101).

7. Where Do Research Questions Come From? • “The decision about a specific question mostly depends on the researchers’ practical interests and their involvement in certain social and historical contexts. Everyday and scientific contexts both play a part” (Flick, 2009, p. 98).

8. What is the Purpose of A Research Question? • It helps narrow the perspective of the focus of a study, e.g., Successful rehabilitation counseling to something that the researcher can manage, Is there a relationship between the gender of the counselor and the reported satisfaction with counseling services from female clients.

9. Purpose (continued) • What groups (sample) do you select answer this question? • What designs and methods will you use with these groups to answer the question, e.g., what data will you collect and where will you get it? • What techniques will you use to analyze the data to answer the question (Flick, 2009).

10. Assignment • Given your review of the relevant literature, write a draft purpose statement. • Given your literature review, write a research question for your action research study. • Post these two items on the Blackboard discussion Board for your team. • Review the posting of the members of your team and provide feedback on how well their postings match the definitions in this presentation and how well you understand the research question.

11. Assignment (continued) • Come to a consensus on the statement of purpose and the research question for your team’s action research project.

12. References Flick, U. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research, 4th Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Mills, G. E. (2007). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher, 3rd Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Salkind, N. J. (2008). Statistics for people Who (Think They) Hate Statistics, 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.