RSCH 202 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Research Methods Worksheet

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rsch 202

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

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Please read the attached document for general guidelines then Submit the following:

  1. General Topic of Interest:
  2. Research Objective/Purpose: “Why” of the research
    • Remember that this can be addressed by completing the sentence, "The purpose of this study is . . ."
  3. Research Question(s): “What” of the research
    • Remember that this can be addressed by completing the sentence, "I wonder if/how..."

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RSCH 202 Developing a Testable Research Question Transcript >> This presentation will discuss developing a testable research question. An important first step toward providing a sound conceptual foundation for your research project is the development of solid research questions. Researchers begin their inquiries with a general topic of interest or a problem to be solved, this evolves into specific research questions that can be measured and tested. A well thought out question will help focus your ideas and ensure you are collecting the appropriate data. The research question determines what, where, when and how the data are collected, and is an important link between the conceptual and logistical aspects of your research plan. To develop a strong research question from your ideas you should ask yourself the following things; what are the important research questions in my field? What areas need further exploration? How could my study fill a gap in the knowledge base or lead to greater understanding? Has a great deal of research already been conducted in this topic area? Has this study been done before if so is there room for improvement? Will my study have a significant impact on the field? Not all interesting questions make good research questions. Research generates conclusions based on an analysis of evidence. A good research question can be answered by gathering and analyzing evidence. In the process of developing a research question you will consider the research objective or the why of the research endeavor. This can be clearly and directly stated by completing the sentence The purpose of the study is..... An example would be the purpose of this study is to investigate the possible impact of waiting on customer satisfaction and service evaluations. From this purpose the research question or questions develop. The research question clearly identifies the what of the research. It states specifically what the researcher wants to discover in the course of the study. A research question derived from the above purpose could be; how do situational variables such as filled time influence customer reactions to the waiting experience? So what exactly is a testable research question and how do we develop one? A testable question is one that will allow you to set up an investigation, an experiment, observation or survey to explore the answer. A testable question should compare something. A testable question should be answered by collecting and analyzing evidence that is measurable. An easy way to approach the problem is to fill in the blanks in the following question, I wonder if blank is blank then blank. Or the question, What is the effect of blank on blank? Let's look at some examples. You are in charge of the Technical Support Division for Microsoft you know that men and women understand and process technical support differently. You have also been surveying customer's opinions of your technical support division for a year and wonder if there is a difference of College of Arts & Sciences | worldwide.erau.edu All rights are reserved. The material contained herein is the copyright property of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida, 32114. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the University. opinion between men and women when it comes to the ability of the technician to solve their problem. How can we transform this into a testable research question? Try to fill in the blanks for this scenario. I wonder if blank is blank than blank. You could say I wonder if the opinions of men on the effectiveness of technical support solutions are different than the opinions of women on the effectiveness of technical support solutions. This frames the situation into a question that we can now test by gathering and comparing data. Let's try another. You are the chief of maintenance for a base and have two maintenance squadrons that fix air conditioners on base. Next week, you have to brief the commander on the performance of the squadrons. You might want to know if one squadron is more efficient in terms of how long it takes them to repair a 5 ton air condition. How does this one fit into the format, I wonder if blank is blank than blank. You could frame this into a testable question by asking I wonder if the average time to repair a 5 ton air conditioner in squadron X is less than the average time to repair a 5 ton air conditioner and Squadron Y. Suppose you want to know which brand of running shoe makes you run faster, Nike or New Balance? How could this general curiosity be fit into the question format, what is the effect of Blank on Blank? You could ask what is the effect of shoe brand on running speed? From this specific question you could now gather data to test the effect. Suppose you're wondering if carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes the atmosphere to warm? Again, frame this one in the form of what is the effect of Blank on Blank. You could test this by asking what is the effect of carbon dioxide on atmosphere temperature? Let's try one more example. Suppose you are wondering whether achievement in school is higher when students are tested frequently. What is the effect of blank on blank? For this example you would ask, what is the effect of testing on student achievement? Testable questions always have the same basic format how does the manipulated variable, what's being changed on purpose, effect the responding variable, what's being measured. Many of the questions we're curious about are not in a testable format. For example, what is the best brand of soda? What type of vegetation is found in Vermont? Why is it in junk food bad for your health? And which continents are the temperatures the highest. Which T.V. station is the best? What would happen if you didn't sleep for 48 hours? These questions are either opinions, can be found by simple information searches or are too broad and too undefined. In their current form, they do not provide us with a testable question for which we can go out and gather data. But with a little bit of adjustment we can put questions that are not testable into testable form. For example, instead of asking the opinion question of what is the best brand of soda we could formulate this as a testable question by asking I wonder if Brand X is preferred by taste testers more than Brand Y. Page 2 of 3 Instead of asking the broad question on which continents are the temperatures the highest we could ask the specific question I wonder if the average temperature for South America is greater than the average temperature for North America. In this form, we can gather and analyze specific data to answer the question. Instead of asking for the general opinion, which T.V. station is the best? We could ask I wonder if the average viewer rating for the ABC Primetime shows is less than the average viewer rating for the NBC primetime shows? In this way we could test that question by gathering specific information to compare the two stations. Instead of asking what would happen if you didn't sleep for 48 hours? We could transform the question into something we can measure by asking, I wonder if after not sleeping for 48 hours my score on a cognitive abilities test would be different than my score on a cognitive abilities test after sleeping normally in the last 48 hours? A well thought out and focused research question leads directly into the next steps in the research process, developing your hypotheses. At this stage you will formulate your own educated guess about the answer to your research question based on your knowledge and the review of the related literature you have conducted. The hypothesis will be formatted into conventional research nomenclature, but essentially you will be completing the sentence, I think as it relates to your research question. From there you will proceed to the process of testing the hypothesis you will consider the variables you have defined in your research question and your hypothesis about their relationship. For this stage you will complete the sentence, A way that I can test this is... After collecting the data you will analyze it to determine whether or not the evidence supports your hypothesis. Here you will complete the sentence, I'll know my hypothesis is supported if... In this way each of the subsequent steps develops logically from the formulation of clear and testable research questions. I hope this presentation has provided some helpful information and clarified the process of developing a testable research question. Page 3 of 3
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General Topic Interest:
The effect of Sulfur to steel

Research Objective:
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Sulfur to the ductility and machinability
of steel.

Research Question:







I wonder if changing the amount of sulfur in steel can change the ...


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