Transcript Today’s Goals

TODAY’S GOALS
• Discuss the requirements of and how to construct a methods section for your
research proposal
• Learn about strategies for creating surveys and conducting observations
RESEARCH PROPOSAL OVERVIEW
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Title page
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Abstract (100 words or less)
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Statement of Purpose (usually 100+ words. Often the second longest section of the essay)
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Name your primary research method and explain your general strategy for it (i.e. what do you hope to find)
References
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Briefly sum up the secondary sources you are using and how they are relevant to your research
Methods (approximately 100 words)
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Explain why you are qualified to conduct this research
Mention qualifications as well related personal experiences
Literature Review (200+ words. Often the longest section of the essay)
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State research question and hypothesis
Convince readers why the research is necessary
Statement of Qualification (approximately 100 words but may be longer)
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Identify research question, research methods, & most important points of research
The APA version of a Works Cited page
Appendix
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Usually includes supplementary information
The appendix for our research proposals will include detailed information about your primary research (such as interview, questions surveys, or
observation goals)
METHODS SECTION
• Should explain any and all methodologies you intend to use in your research
• Focus on what primary research you will conduct; it is already assumed that
you will find background secondary research information
• Your primary method should be one or more of the three previously
mentioned (interview, observation, or surveys). For each primary method:
• Indicate whom you will be interviewing or surveying or what setting/activity you
will be observing
• Explain what, specifically, you will be attempting to find out from your primary
research. This can include questions you intend to ask or what you will be looking
for in observations
• Note: you should not list every question here, only the most important ones for
your research and what sorts of connections between questions you will look for
EXAMPLE METHODS SECTION
This research will attempt to gain insight about whether the benefits of stem cell
research outweigh its ethical costs by examining the public’s opinion on the ethics and
moral issues related to stem cell research. Using primary research, a random group of
people will be selected to take an online survey. This survey will ask several background
questions to see how stem cell research is viewed amongst the general population as
well as how knowledgeable the general population is on this topic. The survey will also
attempt to see if a person’s view on the ethics of stem cell research is related to several
aspects of their lives. It will determine if there is a correlation between gender, age,
religious involvement, and major/career and their views on stem cell research. It will also
see if a person’s personal experiences affect their views. Therefore, the group of people
that will take this survey must have a lot of variation. It must be done in a location where
there is a lot of variation of age, gender, religious involvement, and major/career. This
survey can be done online since a wide range of people have access and use the
internet on a daily basis.
A complete copy of the survey can be found in Appendix A.
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SURVEYS/QUESTIONNAIRES
Advantages
• Great method for getting the
layman’s perspective on an issue
• Has strongest logos of the three
methods by providing statistics,
graphs, percentages, etc.
• Easiest citations
• Can reach the largest number of
subjects
Disadvantages
• Longer preparation time than other
research methods
• You cannot get in-depth responses or a
personal understanding of most of your
participants
• Extremely sensitive to subject selection;
picking the wrong subjects will skew
your results. Look for a uniform subject
pool
• Interpreting results may require more
math skills than results from other
methods
SURVEY REQUIREMENTS
• Survey at least 20 subjects, who should be appropriate to your inquiry and
requirements
• Provide a copy of your survey
• Survey must have at least 10 questions
• Provide a detailed list of the results to your survey questions (this can be filled
out, hard copy surveys or a print out of your results from qualtrics)
SURVEY PROCEDURE
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Write out your purpose and main research question
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Figure out how to reach the respondents you need (your method of
distribution)
3.
Draft potential questions
4.
Test the questions on several people before widespread distribution. Revise
questions that seem ambiguous or too subjective
5.
Look for connections between answers. This will often be in the form of a
correlation or comparison
SURVEY CITATIONS
• APA/MLA
• None!
• When referencing the results of your own survey for a project, you do not
need to provide citations for MLA or APA format
• However, you should explain in your essay some of the basics of the survey,
such as whom you surveyed, how many people, etc
• If you reference a survey from a past project or essay, even if it was your
own, you should reference that essay or article regularly
SURVEY QUESTIONS
• These should be predominately determinate questions that can be answered by
entry of a single number or selection of one of several predetermined multiple
choice answers
• You should, again, have 2-3 background questions to better understand your
subjects
• Construction of the survey/questionnaire is important; there is visual rhetoric involved
here.
• Short questionnaires are more likely to be finished. Many respondents will have
limited attention spans or interest
• Ordering and layout of questions is important; don’t give away the purpose of your
experiment
• Avoid any and all ambiguity in your question wording; you do not have the
opportunity to explain a question as you might in an interview
• You may want one or two short answer questions, but limit these. Keep in mind you
will not be able to easily use them for data tables or statistics
GROUP ACTIVITY: SURVEYS
• In your unit 2 groups
• Select a topic from your group members that might use surveys as a
research method
• Develop 5 survey questions you could use for this topic. Focus on important
questions rather than background questions for this activity
• Be sure to include what answer options, usually in multiple choice, that you
will provide with the questions
• Finally, in a couple sentences, describe what connections between
questions you will be looking for
OBSERVATIONS
Advantages
• Allows you to gain firsthand
experiences with the setting or topic
you are investigating
• Arguably the most
professional/scientific of the
research methods we have
covered
• May allow access to subjects’
‘natural’ behavior while many
subjects will lie on surveys
Disadvantages
• Observer’s paradox will
automatically bring all results into
question
• Research method that is most
sensitive to research bias; you must
work diligently to remain objective
• Obtaining permission for
observations can be difficult; many
potential subjects will be reluctant
OBSERVER’S PARADOX
• The observation of an event or experiment is influenced by the presence of
the observer/investigator
• A term coined by the sociolinguist William Labov
• How might this affect your strategies for conducting observations?
OBSERVATION RESEARCH
REQUIREMENTS
• Find an appropriate setting or condition for observation that is appropriate to
your topic and research question
• Conduct at least 2 observation sessions totaling 1 hour or more each
• Use a dual column research log technique
• Use a small notebook that you bring with you
• In the left column, write down observations of occurrences in a completely objective
and descriptive way
• In the right column, attempt to interpret those occurrences, looking for why a
particular action may have taken place and how it relates to your research
• Keeping your physical observations and interpretations separate in this way can help
you remain objective in your observations
• Provide a copy of your observation notes (detailed and with the dual column
technique) and recordings
OBSERVATION STEPS/STRATEGIES
1. Determine purpose and research question
2. Make arrangements ahead of time. Do not record people without their
permission
3. Take clear, usable notes while observing; the dual column technique with
observation/interpretation is required for our methodology
4. Go through notes soon afterwards: fill in gaps, elaborate
OBSERVATION EXAMPLES
• Topic: Violence in video games
• Ex setting 1: FIU Piano room
• Observe students’ behavior as they play video games with one another in the piano room,
keeping a look out for what games they are playing (especially if there is violence in the
game) and whether there is violence or aggressive behavior between the participants
• Ex setting 2: Arcade (owner permission required)
• Observe arcade patrons’ behavior as they play video games with one another, keeping a
look out for aggressive behavior as well as which types of arcade games incite it
• Politician’s use of rhetorical appeals
• Ex setting 1: Recorded political debate on youtube
• Ex setting 2: City Hall meeting
• In each different venue, special attention is paid to the words and actions of the
current speaker as well as how the audience reacts to their rhetorical effects. For any
parts that seem effective, the observer will attempt to interpret how ethos, pathos,
logos, and angle of vision are used
GROUP ACTIVITY 2: OBSERVATION
BRAINSTORM
• In your unit 2 groups
• Select 3 example informative article topics. If possible, these should be topics from your
group members. However, if your group members’ topics seem incompatible with this
type of research, feel free to use one of the examples below
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For each topic, select one setting that could be observed in order to gain firsthand
knowledge of it
For each setting, select two things you would be on the look out for in terms of actions or
occurrences
• Sample topics:
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How do politicians use rhetorical appeals and persuasive strategies during political debates?
What are the main stressors that college students have to deal with?
Does fraternity enrollment have an effect on academic success?
Is it more academically advantageous for students to live on or off campus?
How might the college/education system in the US differ from the system in other countries?
How do environmental conditions affect students’ study habits?
HOMEWORK
• Read EW p.203-206 and A&B p.284-286
• Journal Entry 20
• Focus: RP Source Evaluation 2
• Find the first source you will be using for your research proposal (a peer reviewed article)
• Read and analyze the first source you will be using for your Research Proposal. Sum up the
argument it makes in the journal entry as well as the most important or convincing facts in the
article. Then reflect on how that article has changed your perspective.
• General suggestion: focus on logos for all RP source evaluations
• Research Proposal First Draft
• Due Friday 6/19
• In a typed, double spaced, APA essay
• Should include your cover page, statement of purpose, statement of qualification, methods,
references, and appendix
• Submit a copy to Turnitin.com as well as bring a printed copy to class for peer review