Transcript Unit 2 Research Proposal Tentative Schedule

Unit 2 Research Proposal
Tentative Schedule
Week 6
 2-18-Intro to research proposals
 2-20-Intro to primary research/research questions
Week 7
 2-23-Interivew strategies
 2-25- Survey +Observation strategies
 2-27-Short Proposal Peer Review & Methodology
 Minor Essay 2- Short Research Proposal Due
Week 8
 3-2-Statement of Purpose/Statement of Qualification
 Minor Essay 3- Proposed Research Method
 3-4- Lit Review & Abstract
 3-6-Peer Review & Final Debates
Research Proposal Final Draft- Due 3/6 by midnight
Today’s goals
 Form debate groups
 Brainstorm possible research questions
 Begin thinking about primary research methods
U20 Proposed Debate Topics
 Work placement after
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incarceration
Affirmative action
Treatment of police
Police brutality
Student loan debt
GMOs
War on terror
Organ sales
US Foreign policies
Food regulations
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Animal testing
Cell phone tracking
Overpopulation
Media bias and Censorship
Standardized testing
Public smoking
Government regulation of
individual rights
Revise/Specify:
 FIU Faculty parking
 Death penalty?
 “adopt don’t shop”
U23 Proposed Debate Topics
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Standardized testing
Cigarette smoking
Student athlete pay
Trying juveniles as adults
3d printing (limitations and
ethics)
The pledge of allegiance
Effects of video games
Effects of cell phones
Animal testing
Milk consumption
GMOs
Vegetarianism
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Technology in education
Police brutality
Stereotypes in the media
Government intrusion of privacy
Nuclear weaponry
Religious symbols in public
buildings
 Social media effects
Revise/refine
 Usage of drones
 Technology and its effect on the
world
 Age difference in relationships
 Discontinuation of 200s
U65 Proposed Debate Topics
 Effects of video games
 Welfare/government support
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programs
Vaccinations
Effects of social media
Nuclear energy
Mental health patient
sentencing
Alternative energy sources
Global warming and
awareness
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Government tracking
Student athlete pay
Polygamy
Steroid usage in athletics
Revise/refine
 How much punishment is too
much
 Beautifying neighborhoods
 Music’s influence
 Gender equality
 Cohabitating/sex before
marriage
Research Questions
Exploratory Narrative
vs. Research Proposal
 Broad, open ended
 Long, complex answers
 Decisive answers not necessary
 Determinate
 Concise answers
 Objective is to find the answer
to the research question
 Qualitative
 Quantitative or qualitative
 Explores big , often global or
countrywide issues
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 Focus on smaller groups that you
have access to for research
 Can still deal with global
issues but from a more limited
perspective
Determinate Research Question
Forms
 Existence Questions
 Does X exist in domain Y?
 What is the best solution to problem X?
 Best methods: interviews, observations, and surveys are all helpful here
 Measurement Questions
 How large/small/fast/much/many is X?
 Best methods: Surveys and observations
 Comparison Questions
 Is X Greater/less than Y or different from Y?
 Best methods: surveys and observations
 Correlation Questions (If X varies, does Y vary?)
 Best methods: surveys and observations
 Experimental Questions
 Does a variation in X cause a variation in Y?
 Best method: surveys
For these experiments, keep in mind that FIU students and professors will be your
best and easiest resources to access.
Successful past research questions
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What is the best solution to global warming?
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Does violence in video games affect behavior?
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Method: surveys
Examined college students and their experience with fights/crimes/violent behavior and compared that
to their video game usage
Alternate method: observations
Observed people’s behavior in an arcade/game room, looking for differences in behavior between people
that played violent games vs. nonviolent games
Has women’s portrayal in the media improved in the past decade?
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Method: interviews
Interviewed meteorology and political science professors to get expert opinions about the issue
Method: observations
Student analyzed the 3 highest grossing films in 2003 and the three highest grossing films in 2013 while
conducting the Bechdel test and taking notes on the female characters
Is technology helping or hindering classroom learning?
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Methods: interviews & surveys
Student began by interviewing professors about how they used technology in the classroom and whether
they thought it was helpful
Conducted follow up surveys that correlated students GPA with their number of online classes, hubrid
classes, and technology assisted classrooms
Research
Methods
Interviews
Observations
Surveys
Information
generated
Qualitative
Qualitative or
quantitative
Quantitative
Best research
targets
•Experts in the field
(often professors)
•Observable social
situations
•Recorded media
that can be analyzed
•General’s person’s
perspective (students
or otherwise)
Best appeal
•Ethos
•Logos
•Logos
Advantages
•Quotes can be a
powerful resource for
writing
•Uses expert
opinions
•Arguably most
authentic method
•Allows research of
real life and everyday
situations & media
•Reach large number
of subjects
•Great for showing
general
opinion/knowledge/
experiences
Disadvantages
•Arguably the most
•Finding a good
time consuming
observation site is
•Requires social skills difficult
•Requires extreme
objectivity when
interpreting data
•Requires large
number of
participants
•Interpreting data
requires math skills
Group Activity- Research Proposal
Brainstorm
 In your unit 2 groups
 Share your exploratory narrative research topics with the
group as well as any topic you are considering for the
research proposal
 For each group member:
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Formulate 2 possible research questions that fit into each
person’s topic and fit the frame on 279. Keep these
determinate and focus on asking questions you can
realistically answer with your own research
Indicate what experimental method we discussed
(interviews, observations, or surveys) would be best to
answer each person’s research question)
For each question, generate a possible hypothesis or thesis
statement
Group Activity: Debate Planning
 In your unit 2 groups
 Brainstorm ideas for how to structure your group’s debate as well
as ideas for the content of your team’s speaking points
1. Generate at least 4 solid supporting reasons you could use for
your argument (utilize each rhetorical appeal at least once)
2. What kind of data will you look for to support each of these
main points? Who will be responsible for finding this data?
3. What kind of organization/order will your group use for its
presentation? Will you follow a set order or respond to the
content of your opposing team?
4. Will your group have an appointed leader or make decisions as
a group? Who will this leader or ruling body be?
Homework
 Journal Entry 16
 Focus: Primary Research Brainstorm
 For this journal entry, brainstorm possible ideas for primary
research you could conduct to answer the research question you
generated in class.
 Which of the three methods we discussed would be best suited to
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your research question? Why?
Which of the three research methods do you think you would be
best equipped to perform?
If using interviews, what experts might you decide to interview?
If using observations, what situations or media could you observe
for useful data?
If using surveys, what kind of information from the general public
would be useful to your research?