Selecting Researchable Topics and Questions Chapter 4.

Selecting Researchable Topics and Questions

Chapter 4

Introduction

Research Question Questions about one or more topics or concepts that

can be answered through research A research question can be about local or global

governments, individuals or organizations, and an entire society

Introduction

Research Topic A concept, subject or issue that can be studied

through research

Discussion - Question

Create a research question about the social impact of living through a natural disaster. Do you know people who lived through a

natural disaster such as a hurricane, a tornado, a tsunami, or the like?

In what ways do you think their lives have changed?

Do you think their experiences are typical or unusual?

Introduction

Hypothesis A testable statement about how two or more

variables are expected to be related to one another

Introduction

Research question vs. Hypothesis A research question is similar to a hypothesis,

except that a hypothesis presents an expectation about the way two or more variables are related, but a research question does not

Research projects that have explanatory or evaluation purposes typically begin with one or more hypotheses, most exploratory and some descriptive projects start with a research question

Introduction

Focal research “Studying Women’s Lives: Family Focus in

the 30s ” Hoffnung had personal experiences and

professional interests that set the stage for her study of women’s lives

Research provides basic information about the social world and understandings that can be applied to creating social policy

Quiz – Question 1

Identify ethical issues from the focal research. How were the ethical issues handled?

Introduction

Sources of research questions The selection of a research question is often

the result of many factors Personal interests, experiences, values, and

passions The desire to satisfy scientific curiosity Previous work -- or the lack of it -- on a topic The current political, economic, and social

climates Being able to get access to data Having a way to fund a study

Introduction

Values and Science Value Free?

Research in the 19th and much of 20th century science was considered “value-free”

Today, values, both social and personal, are part of all human endeavors, including science

Group interests and values can influence research, especially influential during the creating and evaluation of hypotheses

Social and personal values are not necessarily bad The danger comes when scientists allow their values to introduce

biases into their work that distort the results of scientific investigation

Introduction

Personal Factors Personal interests often influence researchers’

specific research topics Having a strong personal interests can lead to

the willingness to the make the necessary investment of time and energy

Research by Hoffnung (2000) Personal interest in career and motherhood

influenced her work

Introduction

Research and the Social, Political and Economic World Change in society influences amount of

research on topics E.g. Gender, Sexual Orientation

Before the 1970s, few studies focused on women, as a result of the women's movement in the late 1960s and early 70s, scholars began to study women and their lives

Current events focus attention: e.g. natural disasters, swine flu, etc…

Introduction

Research Funding “It is always difficult to raise money for social

science research; after all, it neither directly saves thousands of lives nor enables one to kills thousands of people” (Fischman et al., 2004).

Many research projects are funded through private foundations, government agencies, local and state institutions, or corporate sponsors

Introduction

Research Funding Funding research expresses a value choice

The particular values associated with a specific project affect funding as the appropriations process for research is part of a larger political process

The availability of funding and economic support can influence a study

The questions asked The amount and kind of data collected The availability of the resulting research report

Developing a Researchable Question

Researchable question A question that can be answered with

research that is feasible


Transforming a research question to a researchable question Narrow down the broad area of interest into something

that is manageable


• Example: Cell phones You cannot study everything connected to cell phones You could study the effect of cell phones on family

relationships You cannot study all age groups, but you can study a

few You might not be able to study people in many

communities, but you might be able to study one or two

You would not be able to study dozens of behaviors or attitudes that change overtime, but you could study some current attitudes and behaviors

In the community in which I live, how does cell phone use affect parent-child relationships; more specifically, how does the use of cell phones affect parents’ and adolescents’ attempts to maintain and resist parental authority?

Developing a Researchable Question Reviewing the Literature

The process of searching for, reading, summarizing, and synthesizing existing work on a topic or the resulting written summary of a search

Developing a Researchable Question Reviewing the Literature

Academic Sources To start a literature review, you will need to figure

out which literature or sources you want to search Books, articles, and government documents are the most

common sources Popular literature, including newspapers and magazines,

might be good sources of ideas, but academic journals will be more useful in your literature review


Reviewing the Literature Keywords

The terms used to search for sources in a literature review

With common keywords you will generate a large number of sources – you can limit the search to title and abstracts only

You can use multiple keywords by including “and” between terms


• Reviewing the Literature Using the literature in a study

Helps researcher to identify their own research question or hypothesis

Examine what previous researchers have used Provide context for your own work Provides an overview of the current state of

research and narrows your inquiry


Practical matters Feasibility

Whether it is practical to complete a study in terms of access, time, and money


Practical matters Access

The ability to obtain the information needed to answer a research question


Practical matters Research costs

All monetary expenditures needed for planning, executing, and reporting research

Although many research projects are grant funded a grant is NOT necessary


Practical matters Time expenditures

The time it takes to complete all activities of a research project from the planning stage to the final report

Summary

Research questions can vary in scope and purpose

A review of the literature is essential Planning a study

Time Money Access to data

Quiz – Question 2

We can expect that the interest in certain research topics will change over time. This is due to

a. different sources of funding.b. changing political, social, and economic

elements.c. changing personal factors.d. all of the abovee. none of the above

Quiz – Question 3

Some topics that may be interesting and important but gaining access to the population may be very difficult. Which of the following presents the greatest obstacles?

a. College students living in a dormitory

b. Individuals who are members of a bowling league

c. Children who are hospitalized for minor illness

d. Individuals who are members of a secret cult

e. Singles who go on singles’ cruises

Selecting Researchable Topics and Questions Chapter 4.

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