PhD Research Seminar Series: Writing the Method Section

PhD Research Seminar Series:Writing the Method Section Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Outline • APA Guidelines for writing: • Method • Participants • Design • Measures • Procedure Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Research Example • The Effect of Relatedness on Intrinsic Motivation • The data analysis of this research study is described in the Experimental Research Study Example. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Method Overview • Purpose: Describe method of study in detail • Allows reader to determine appropriateness of the method and hence the validity of results • Allows other researchers to replicate the study • Important: Write in a manner so that any reader can perform your exact study based on the information in your Methods. • If your study is based on a previous study, you MUST cite that other study. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Participants • Purpose: Determining the population to which the findings generalize • Include: • Number of Participants • Procedure for selecting the participants • Demographic characteristics • Age • Grade • Sex • Race/Ethnicity • Socioeconomic Status Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Participants Example • Number of Participants • Participants in this study consisted of 84 students. • Procedure for selecting the participants • The participants were enrolled in the undergraduate educational psychology class at a large Midwestern public university. Students were given course credit for participating in the research study. • Demographic characteristics • There were 64 female participants and 20 male participants. The students were typically first-year university students with an average age of 19 years. Most of the participants were white middle-class students. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Design • Purpose: Give an overview of the design of the study. • State the study’s design • Was the study: • Descriptive, • Causal-Comparative, • Correlational, • Experimental, or • Quasi-Experimental? • For Causal-Comparative, Experimental, and Quasi-Experimental Designs: • Identify the Independent Variable(s) • Name and briefly describe the treatments (Experimental and Quasi-Experimental) • Identify the Dependent Variables • Describe the procedure for assigning the participants to the treatment and control groups (Experimental and Quasi-Experimental) or how participants were divided into groups (Causal-Comparative) • For Correlational and Descriptive Designs: • Identify the variables of interest • Describe any procedures used to control for extraneous variables Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Design Example • State the study’s design • A between subject experimental design was used. • Identify the Independent Variable(s) • The independent variable was relatedness between the teacher and student. Relatedness was manipulated in two experimental conditions. In the involvement condition, the teacher made conversation with the participant before and after the task. The teacher also made eye contact, smiled, and laughed because these behaviors facilitate relatedness. In the No Involvement condition, the teacher only communicated to the participant about the teaching task. • Identify the Dependent Variables • The dependent variable was intrinsic motivation in the teaching task. Intrinsic motivation was assessed by two measures: the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory designed and validated by Ryan (1982) and the time the participant spent engaged in the teaching task after the teacher left the room for 10 minutes. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Design Example • Describe the procedure for assigning the participants to the treatment and control groups • Participants were randomly assigned to the Involvement and No Involvement conditions by putting the names of all of the participants in a hat. The first name drawn was placed in the Involvement condition the second name drawn was placed in the No Involvement condition, and so on. • Describe any procedures used to control for extraneous variables • The teacher was the same sex as the participant. The three teachers spent two hours being trained about behaviors to the Involvement and No Involvement conditions. The teachers also conducted four trial-runs where the experimenter gave the teachers feedback on their performance in the Involvement and No Involvement conditions. The teachers were not informed of the purpose of the study to avoid teacher bias affecting the results. For each participant, the experimenter was blind to the condition that the participant was assigned to so the experimenter would not bias the time spent engaged in the teaching task after the study was completed. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Measures • Purpose: Enable the reader to understand how you measured your variables of interest. • If the measures were developed by other researchers, describe: • Who developed the measures • Who has validated the measures • Other studies that have used the measures • If you developed the measure, describe: • The resources you used to develop the measure • How you are ensuring reliability and validity of the measure • Attach the measure in an appendix • NOTE: A previously developed measure is to be preferred over a self-developed measure. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Measures • Always include: • A brief explanation of the construct that it was designed to measure. • How many items measured each construct • How participants responded, such as • Likert Scale – Explain the descriptions and the units assigned to each – e.g., Strongly Agree (4), Agree (3)… • Ticked Yes/No • Essay questions – Explain how the responses were evaluated • Provide a few sample questions that measure each construct • How the measure was scored – Summed up responses, Calculated the mean score, etc. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Measures Example • Who developed the measures • A subtest from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Ryan, 1982) was used to assess intrinsic motivation. • Who has validated the measures • The validity of the measure has been established by McAuley, Duncan, and Tammen (1987). • Other studies that have used the measures • This assessment has been used in other research within the SDT paradigm by many others including Plant and Ryan (1985); Nix, Ryan, Manly, and Deci (1999); and Vansteenkitse and Deci (2003). Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Measures Example • A brief explanation of the construct that it was designed to measure. • This measure assesses participants’ interest and enjoyment in a specific task – in this case, the teaching task. • How many items measured each construct • How participants responded, such as • Subjects responded to 28 items, indicating how true each statement was to them on a Likert Scale from 1 (not at all true) to 7 (very true). • Provide a few sample questions that measure each construct • Sample items include “I enjoyed doing the teaching task very much.” • How overall scores were calculated • Scores for intrinsic motivation were determined for each participant by averaging the responses on each question. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Procedure • Purpose: Describe what you did in enough detail so the reader can replicate the study exactly • Include a Step-by-step description of what happened and when • Instructions to participants • Specific experimental manipulations • When and how the measures were administered Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Procedure Example • Instructions to the Participants • Participants were told that they were in a study that assessed the correlation between the teacher’s style and performance on the teaching task to avoid response bias by the participant. A teacher of the same sex and the participant entered the room together. The teacher then gave a brief explanation of the teaching task. The teaching task was a puzzle that has been used in other studies as a task that is intrinsically motivating (Harackiewicz, 1979; Ryan, 1982; Ryan et al., 1983). The puzzle is a set of cartoon hidden-figure drawings by Al Hirschfeld that appeared in the Arts and Leisure section of the New York Times during the 1970s. The word NINA was hidden within each puzzle three to seven times. After the explanation of the task, the teacher then demonstrated finding NINAs in a sample puzzle. Then the participant was directed to find as many NINAs in as they could the puzzles. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Procedure Example • Specific Experimental Manipulations • When the teacher determined that the participant understood how to solve the puzzle, the teacher began timing the experiment from a digital clock on the wall. For two minutes before each puzzle, the teacher pretended to search through a binder of puzzles to find the correct puzzle. During this time, the teacher would engage in conversation for the Involvement condition. Then the participant completed three puzzles for three minutes apiece. After the participant completed the third puzzle, the teacher spent two additional minutes pretending to gather the materials, which was also used as time for conversation in the Involvement condition. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Procedure Example • When and how the measures were administered • After the treatment was finished, the experimenter returned to the room to say that they needed to complete a brief interview with the teacher. The participant was told that the interview would last around five minutes and they could do anything that they wanted in the room during that time. Three additional new puzzles, as well as 3 up-to-date magazines, were sitting on a table in the room. During this time, the experimenter watched through a one-way mirror to determine the time that the participant spent engaged with the Nina Puzzles during the six minutes of free choice time. After six minutes, the experimenter returned to give the participant the questionnaire that assessed intrinsic motivation. Once the participant completed the questionnaires, they were debriefed as to the actual purpose of the study. Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

PhD Research Seminar Series: Writing the Method Section