What is a Research Question?

The central idea of what you wish to focus on in your researchThe issue you wish to proofLimited, answerable and closed

Research Question

Starting point for conceptualization and operationalization

Focus of the inquiry Theory based

Concept and Operation

A general idea, status, behavior or action

Must be “specified” to be useful in quantitative research

The process and result of specification of a concept is called operationalization

Examples

Concept

“Richness of meaning” Cannot exemplify richness in a

usable variable—can with multiple variables

Example –aging operation as continuous variable or

dichotomous age groups to provide operational meaning

Concept

Abstract Hard to define general Must be made into defined,

specific and rationally constructed therefore Operationalized to be useful

Social Class Concept has multiple dimensions Age sex income Education Reputation Occupation Index these and form a variable

Variable or Factor

The operationalized concept Useful Specific Mathematically capable The result of the “process” of

operationalization

Operationalization

Therefore, defined as process whereby researchers specify

empirical concepts that can be taken as indicators of the attributes of a concept

Variables

Must be mutually exclusive Exhaustive

Data Types

Demographic data age sex marital status other statuses education income

Data types

Attitudes Indirect measures of behavior Actual behavior/abilities

(anthropometrics) Past actions Potential actions Orientations

Levels of Measurement Nominal—two categories,

naming=yields dichotomous variable Ordinal—ranks without standard

intervals=yields an index which can be broken down

Interval—Uses numbers to describe relationships, the levels have real relative meaning; true zero

ratio—no true zero, relative only

Measurement Quality

Missed responses mean decreased reliability

Interviewer quality Strength of the questionnaire Reliability Validity

Reliable

Repeatable Av particular technique or

question, if reapplied would yield the same answer or result

Validity Extent to which a measure reflects

the real meaning of the concept under consideration

Face validity—does it look valid logically

Content validity—covers the range or dimensions of meaning

Criterion-based validity—preset and universal meanings

Reliable versus valid

Often a tension between the two The more valid a measure is the

detailed and therefore the more confusing and lengthy—may affect the ability of the respondent to give a reasonable answer that can be converted to data that is useful

Ecological Fallacy

Using units of analysis that are group based to infer individual behavior

Family indicators to imply individual attitudes and behaviors

Types of Variables

Explanatory Dependent Independent Intervening control

How to Write a Research Question

Is in the form of a question Hypotheses are in the form of

statements How do A, B, and C correlate with

Y. A,B,C are independent variables Y is the dependent variable

Other Important Terms

Population Sample Significance Generalizability