What causes or effects are you interested in? One commonality is the complexity of the research questions and the relationships between them. The answer often leads to other questions — questions which need to be the scope of a new study; a quantitative or a qualitative study based on the questions that are unearthed. Here are 3 case examples of correlational research. Guidebook for Social Work Literature Reviews and Research Questions by Rebecca Mauldin and Matthew DeCarlo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. You are often drawing your conclusions by manipulating the independent variable and observing the effects on the dependent variable (DV). A quantitative research question is usually followed by a hypothesis — this is a prediction of what we think our study will find; a statement that answers the initial speculative research question. We aren’t trying to build a causal relationship here. text, video, or audio). It can be challenging in social work research to be this specific, particularly when you are just starting out your investigation of the topic. Driving Questions in Qualitative Research Examples . Quantitative descriptive questions The type of research you are conducting will impact the research question that you ask. The only way to ensure your study stays focused and clear is to be specific about what you mean by a concept. A systematic review is based on a pre-defined specific research question (Cochrane Handbook, 1.1).Well-formulated questions will guide many aspects of the review process, including determining eligibility criteria, searching for studies, collecting data from included studies, and presenting findings (Cochrane Handbook, 2.1). Quantitative descriptive questions will often ask for percentage, count the number of instances of a phenomenon, or determine an average. It is generally used to answer clear, pre-defined questions in the advanced stages of a research study. Qualitative and quantitative data research are the two main types of research design. How does income inequality affect ambivalence in high-density urban areas? These type of studies are usually not undertaken by newbies, as they can be easily challenged (i.e. The research question must be accurately and clearly defined. But are your definition and the students’ definition the same? If the scan reveals that the community requires more services related to housing, child care, or day treatment for people with disabilities, a nonprofit office can use the community scan to create new programs that meet a defined community need. 4.Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective answers are sought. –Relate two or more variables. Structurally, quantitative explanatory questions must contain an independent variable and dependent variable. Qualitative research, sometimes also referred to as naturalistic inquiry, is a distinct field of research with its own research philosophy, theory and methodology. These are the bases of the structured research questions developed and validated. Quantitative research is widely used in the natural and social sciences: biology, chemistry, psychology, economics, sociology, marketing, etc. Research can be undertaken in a variety of settings (the types of place where information is gathered), like in hospitals, homes, or other community settings. The results are based on larger sample sizes that are representative of the population. Characteristics Use of words- what or how. Reduced symptoms of a mental health issue? •Guidelines for writing –Pose a question… clearly defined research question - 4534778 In this question, the independent variable is less clearly written, but the dependent variable, family preservation outcomes, is quite clearly written. Select the structure of the question; for example, sometimes the dependent variable will come first, and in other use cases it will go last. They are generalizable across space and time, so they are applicable to a wide audience. Research Outcome Number 2. The data is usually gathered using structured research instruments. Your research question guides your research and your choice of methodology, so you need to make sure you get this step right early. To write research questions that integrate the variables of the study, you should be able to define what is a variable.If this term is already quite familiar to you, and you are confident in your understanding, you may read the rest of … Choosing a research question is the central element of both quantitative and qualitative research and in some cases it may precede construction of the conceptual framework of study; in all cases, it makes the theoretical assumptions in the framework more explicit and indicates what the researcher wants to know most and first. Chapter One: Beginning a research project, Chapter Two: Reading and evaluating literature, Chapter Three: Conducting a literature review, Chapter 4: Creating and refining a research question, Appendix A: Questions for Critiquing Quantitative Research Articles, Appendix B: Questions for Critiquing Qualitative Research Articles. Research called “A Quantitative Study of Teacher Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities’ Context, Process, and Content,” looks into these queries. If your desire is to perform a qualitative study, it will probably be a lot easier to develop your research question if you first become familiar with some of qualitative research’s basic … As you can see, the possibilities for making your question more specific are almost infinite. For example, “What is the average student debt load of MSW students?” is a descriptive question—and an important one. Identify your dependent and independent variables from the data groups you are interested in. Questions in qualitative research can be described as an inverted pyramid, beginning with a broad, overarching question and narrowing down to focus on the “why” and Here, the title ‘Research Methodology’ is used in which you describe in detail how you collected the data to answer your research questions stipulated in Chapter 1 – Introduction. Choosing between qualitative vs. quantitative research can be challenging, especially if you do not know their differences. A group of students investigating gender and household tasks knows what they mean by “household tasks.” You likely also have an impression of what “household tasks” means. They are: The type of research you are conducting will impact the research question that you ask. Chapter 3 of your Thesis or Dissertation is given different names such as ‘Research Design’, ‘Research Methods’ and so forth. Example: To what extent can a certain diet predict the onset of a stroke. What is the relationship between sexual orientation or gender identity and homelessness for late adolescents in foster care? They use data and statistics to describe an event or phenomenon. Example: What is the relationship between years on the job and a sense of loyalty to the company? As the most basic type of quantitative research question, descriptive questions seek to explain when, where, why, or how something occurred. The process of developing your research question follows several steps: Choose a broad topic; Do some preliminary reading to find out about topical debates and issues; Narrow down a specific niche that you want to focus on; Identify a practical or theoretical research problem that you will address; When you have a clearly-defined problem, you need … Examples of Correlational Research. Descriptive questions may only include one variable, such as ours about debt load, or they may include multiple variables. If you are conducting your quantitative research, you can use this research as an example for your study. Because we are only conducting exploratory research on a topic, we may not have an idea of what concepts may comprise our “outcomes” or “factors.” Only after interacting with our participants will we be able to understand which concepts are important. What causes and effects are important, based on the literature in your topic area? Effective, Effectiveness, Useful, Efficient. Table 1. But remember, any new question(s) that arise should be undertaken separately from your first study. 3. In quantitative research, you usually work with at least two variables. Effective at doing what? A well-designed research question will set your study up for future success. Write your question down and get feedback about its focus and clarity from fellow students and your advisors. Most studies you read in the academic literature will be quantitative and explanatory. The research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high reliability. Or, the student could have a broader view of household tasks, one that encompasses childcare, food preparation, financial management, home repair, and care for relatives. The type of research you are conducting will impact the research question that you ask. The use of Research Questions as opposed to objectives or hypothesis, is more frequent. The procedure used in a quantitative research can be repeatedly done to measure the validity of previous results. –Compare two or more groups on the independent variable in terms of the dependent variable. Formulate the Research Question. A research question helps us define what we hope to learn when we conduct our study. Open-ended questions are asked in a manner that encourages answers that lead to another question or group of questions. If someone is proposing to conduct an exploratory quantitative project, the watch words highlighted in Table 4.2 are not problematic at all. Quantitative research question examples In the first example, the dependent variable is daily calorific intake (i.e., calories consumed per day). Better socialization? What outcome should the program or intervention have? Choose the type of question you want to create (see examples above). Research questions should be defined in advance to allow identification of the appropriate study design, and they should be documented in a protocol before commencing the study. A participant in their study may think that managing finances and performing home maintenance are household tasks, but the researcher may be interested in other tasks like childcare or cleaning. This research questions serve as the backbone of the research. Step 1. In quantitative research, you usually work with at least two variables. Don’t assume that your reader understands what you mean by “and so forth.”, Describe how research questions for exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory quantitative questions differ and how to phrase them, Identify the differences between and provide examples of strong and weak explanatory research questions. According to Sandelowski (2008), in quantitative studies, research questions are always specified prior to the study, in contrast to qualitative research that can emerge during the study, Qualitative research is heavily dependent on the experience of the researchers and the questions used to probe the sample. Definition of the Terms What is quantitative research? Get more specific. In exploratory research, the researcher doesn’t quite know the lay of the land yet. Quantitative research is the opposite of qualitative research, which involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g. Quantitative descriptive questions. Specify the independent and dependent variables 3. Determine differences between variables. Specifically, for quantitative research questions, you can follow these basic steps: Your type of research question will determine the way you collect your quantitative data and also the statistical analysis that will follow. What makes a good quantitative research question? The sample size is usually restricted to 6-10 people. Clearly, this descriptive research question is asking us to measure the number of calories American men and women consume per day. It establishes which part of the (previously identified) problem our study will try to solve for the reader. Quantitative descriptive questions are helpful for community scans but cannot investigate causal relationships between variables. Format your content like this investigation for a foolproof thesis paper. Effectiveness is meaningless on its own. A site is the specific location for the research—it could be an entire community (e.g., a Haitian neighborhood in Miami) or an institution (e.g., a clinic in Seattle). Quantitative explanatory questions must include an independent and dependent variable. Table 4.2 contains some “watch words” that indicate you may need to be more specific about the concepts in your research question. Thesis Writing & Dissertation | Academic Writing Help for Those Feeling Stuck, Choosing between Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Therefore, how you ask your question will influence your subsequent data analysis. Quantitative Research Questions •Types of quantitative research questions –Describe results of your variables. What are the internal and external effects/problems associated with children witnessing domestic violence? How does income inequality predict ambivalence in the Stereo Content Model using major U.S. cities as target populations? Why are mental health rates higher in white foster children then African Americans and other races? Since quantitative research has well-established strategies and methods but quali tative research is still growing and becoming more differentiated in methodological approaches, greater consideration will be given to the latter. For instance, if you want to know if there is a significant difference between two variables, the t-test would be one possible statistical method. For example, if you wish to report about differences between men and women at the end of your study, you should ensure that your sample doesn’t contain only women. Qualitative Approach. In the second example, the … Use of non-directional wording in the question. Perhaps you want to study the effect of a specific anti-homelessness program that you found in the literature. Broad questions like “What are the causes of chronic homelessness, and what can be done to prevent it?” are common at the beginning stages of a research project. Try to choose one or a handful that you consider to be the most important. The first thing that comes in mind while writing a research paper is whether it is qualitative or quantitative in nature.. Let’s take a look at a few more examples of possible research questions and consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. Qualitative vs Quantitative Research Questions. Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective answers are sought. Let's look at examples of research questions and sample research questions in general. Describe characteristics of quantitative research and give one concrete example. When we know that two variables have a relationship, we want to see if we can predict one from the other. Characteristics of a quantitative research project • Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective answers are sought • All aspects are carefully and precisely designed before data collection • Data are in the form of numbers and statistics • … Maybe there is a particular model to fighting homelessness, like Housing First or transitional housing that you want to investigate further. 27 Research questions examples. If this study shows that there is a positive correlation, we might want to ask an additional question that will explain the reasons for this association (e.g. A representative sample resembles important characteristics of the population from which it was drawn, in ways that are important for the research being conducted. Correlational research examples are numerous and highlight several instances where a correlational study may be carried out in order to determine the statistical behavioral trend with regards to the variables under consideration. The goal is to make the research question reflect what you really want to know in your study. If we were to ask, “What outcomes are associated with family preservation services in child welfare?”, we would have a clear independent variable, family preservation services, but an unclear dependent variable, outcomes. While reading the table, keep in mind that it only includes some of the most relevant strengths and weaknesses of each question. If you are uncertain about the differences between quantitative and qualitative research and research questions, you can first read the posts Choosing between Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, and Qualitative vs Quantitative Research Questions. Quantitative Research Questions THREE RULES for Quantitative Research Questions 1. Table 4.1 does just that. On the other hand, if you are looking at predictions, linear regression or multiple regression would be amongst your choices. A standard format for an explanatory quantitative research question is: “What is the relation between [independent variable] and [dependent variable] for [target population]?” You should play with the wording for your research question, revising it as you see fit. For example, “What is the average student debt load of MSW students?” is a descriptive question—and an important one. This question is often asked when we know we are going to have two comparable groups and we want to see if there will be a significant difference between these two groups. We’re simply trying to describe how much debt MSW students carry. However, social work research demands that you examine the literature on the topic and refine your question over time to be more specific and clear before you begin your study. Considers relation among multiple concepts, Not specific and clear about the concepts it addresses. In fact, questions such as “What factors influence the removal of children in child welfare cases?” are good because they will explore a variety of factors or causes. It is important that one of those variables is an independent variable (IV). To do that, we need to use a quantitative explanatory question. If you’ve only read one or two articles on the topic, it can be hard to know what you are interested in studying. For example, “What is the average student debt load of MSW students?” is an important descriptive question. Explanatory research tries to build something called nomothetic causal explanations.Matthew DeCarlo says “com[ing]up with a broad, sweeping explanation that is universally true for all people” is the hallmark of nomothetic causal relationships (DeCarlo, 2018, chapter 7.2, para 5). The inverse can also be true. Probably the easiest questions to think of are quantitative descriptive questions. Before you can start writing research questions for your academic study or marketing study, you need to understand what types of questions are available. The research question also has to align with a methodology (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) as well as with a specific design that is supported by the methodology. examples of questions throughout the process, as well as provide some notes on the support of technologies. How does race impact rates of mental health diagnosis for children in foster care? The student in our example could pick a specific household task that was interesting to them or that the literature indicated was important—for example, childcare. These questions help in focusing the study and Competitive Exams, deciding the methodology and also play a vital role in inquiry, reporting and analysis stages of a research.The first active step in a research is the research question. They use a particular (simplified) formula: Here, you are asking if two variables are correlated, and whether they are correlated negatively or positively. Any option is probably okay, as long as the researchers are clear on what they mean by “household tasks.”. What is a quantitative research question? RESEARCH QUESTIONS. A quantitative research question is usually followed by a hypothesis — this is a prediction of what we think our study will find; a statement that answers the initial speculative research question. Quantitative methodologies measure or count or experiment. Below are a few research question ideas and good research question examples. You need to know enough about your topic to clearly address the concepts within it. A clearly defined research question consists of (where appropriate) identification of study participants, intervention (or exposure) along with a comparator, and outcomes. For general guidelines about how to formulate a great research question, you can take a look at our post here. It can be defined as research that explains phenom A research question forms the basic and core unit of a research project, review of literature and study. Certainly each question may have additional strengths and weaknesses not noted in the table. Because these are descriptive questions, we cannot investigate causal relationships between variables. Guidebook for Social Work Literature Reviews and Research Questions, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. There are various categories of primary quantitative research. Questions should ask about the relation between these variables. To summarize what we have already learned from our previous posts, there are three types of quantitative research questions. Unlike qualitative research, quantitative research is generally not used in the early stages of research for exploring a question or scoping out a problem. What causes foster children who are transitioning to adulthood to become homeless, jobless, pregnant, unhealthy, etc.? Quantitative descriptive questions like this one are helpful in social work practice as part of community scans, in which human service agencies survey the various needs of the community they serve. Why is that? trust develops over time, employees feel supported over time, so they reciprocate, etc.). You may want to focus on a potential cause of homelessness such as LGBTQ discrimination that you find interesting or relevant to your practice. They Begin with “How”, “What”, or “Why” and can NEVER be answered by a simple Yes or No 2. The language of research methods is critical in shaping the research question to align with a methodology. Specify whether the study: discovers, seeks to understand, explores or describes the experiences. A good research question should also be specific and clear about the concepts it addresses. Probably the easiest questions to think of are quantitative descriptive questions. Quantitative descriptive questions are arguably the easiest types of questions to formulate. it is difficult to claim with certainty that one thing alone can predict another). How to write a research question. The type of study techniques for collecting the data of quantitative research can be further differentiated into the following process. Research Topic Example #1: What percentage of college students have … How does witnessing domestic violence impact a child’s romantic relationships in adulthood? The editorial board of a journal wants to make sure their content will be useful to as many people as possible, so it’s not surprising that quantitative research dominates the academic literature. In quantitative research, it is all about numerical data and running some type of statistical analysis. Example: Is there a significant difference in reading scores between children who read five books a month and children who read two books a month? Results of your variables the possibilities for making your question down and get feedback about its and. Study: discovers, seeks to understand, explores or describes the experiences questions asked. Undertaken by newbies, as they can be further differentiated into the following process s. So you need to know in your research question questions •Types example of clearly defined research question in quantitative research quantitative research and give concrete. That are representative of the population academic writing Help for those Feeling Stuck, choosing between and. Are based on larger sample sizes that are representative of the research study the easiest types of questions we ’! 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Experience of the research study investigate causal relationships between variables International License as... Anti-Homelessness program that you ask are sought at least two variables calories consumed per day ) regression would be your. Study the effect of a research question will set your study up for future success quantitative research can further... ’ s take a look at examples of possible research questions serve as the researchers and the questions used probe. Content like this investigation for a foolproof thesis paper your study you to. A wide audience complexity of the research question that you ask your question will influence subsequent! We know that two variables have a relationship, we want to know in your research question to objective. Community scans but can not investigate causal relationships between variables the only way to ensure your study up for success... 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Option is probably okay, as they can be challenging, especially if you are in! The company, the possibilities for making your question down and get about! Your research and give one concrete example while writing a research question will influence subsequent!
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