Chapter 16

Developing the Research

Proposal

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Steps in the Research Process

Narrow to Identify question Review

specific problem literature
State hypotheses

Identify sample
Develop
approach Design data collection plan

Select collection procedures

Choose Implement plan

analysis Prepare report
Conducting & Reading Research
Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Selecting the Problem - Tips

1. While reading, attending lectures,

write down ideas immediately.
2. Research a subject for a paper.
3. What questions seem unresolved?
4. Challenge commonly accepted
beliefs.
5. Look at master’s & doctoral studies.
6. Discuss ideas, topics with
professors or other researchers.
Conducting & Reading Research
Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Defining the Problem
• Literature search
– conceptual literature
– related research
• Consider your interest in the problem
• Consider the “importance” of the
problem
• Consider whether researching the
problem is a feasible task

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Developing the Research Proposal

• Title
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Chapter 3: Procedures

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Chapter 1: Introduction

• Statement of problem
• Significance of study
• Delimitations
• Limitations
• Assumptions
• Hypotheses
• Definition of Terms

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Statement of problem

• problem statement: declarative

statement indicting question
addressed in research project
• Example: The focus of the study was
to determine whether particular
variations within the CHRNA4 gene
are associated with smoking
behaviors.

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Purpose of the study

• purpose statement: indicates why the

study was done

• Example: The purpose of the study

was to facilitate identification of
individuals at risk for becoming
addicted to nicotine.

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Significance of the study

• Possible reasons:
1. Gaps exist between theoretical and
practical aspects of the problem.
2. More & better knowledge is needed.
3. Current knowledge needs to be
validated.
4. Current practices need to be
clarified/improved.
5. There is no known solution to the
problem.

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Example

• Identifying a gene that is associated

with smoking may help:
– Target prevention programs toward at-
risk adolescents
– Assist in understanding the biological
basis of addiction to nicotine
– Lead to the development of
pharmaceutical treatments for smokers
who wish to quit

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Delimitations – scope of study

• Description of subjects
• Description of variables
• Description of tests, instruments,
procedures
• Description of special equipment
• Type of training
• Time and duration of study
• Analytical procedures
Conducting & Reading Research
Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Limitations (weaknesses)

• Approach, design, method, techniques

• Sampling problems
• Uncontrolled variables
• Errors in test administration or data
handling
• Generalizability of data
• Representativeness of subjects
• Compromises to internal and external
validity
• Reliability and validity of research
instruments
Conducting & Reading Research
Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Assumptions

• Usually drawn from literature or

previous experiments
• Example: We assume the same genes
are important in different populations
for mediating smoking behavior. We
assume the genes contribute enough
of an effect to the behavior to be
able to be observed.

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Hypotheses

• Statement of what you predict the

results of the study will reveal.

• Example: There is an association

between a variant in the CHRNA4
gene and the number of cigarettes
smoked each day.

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Definition of terms

• Important for terms that may have

multiple meanings
• Example tobacco use: ever tried,
tried at least 5 times, used on a daily
basis, used only in bars, used five
years ago…

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Working bibliography

• Listing of all sources pertinent to the

problem
• notecards, notepads, computerized
reference databases
• Include author, title, year, journal or
book, volume, issue, publisher, page
numbers, etc.

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Needs to present broad background
of the research related to the
problem
• Not a simple listing of other works
• Should bring together results from
multiple studies to draw conclusions,
relationships
• Should facilitate identification of
problems, gaps that need to be
addressed
Conducting & Reading Research
Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Chapter 3: Procedures

• Aka Methodology, Experimental

Procedures, Survey Procedures
• Data collection plan
• Step-by-step instructions
• Extremely detailed, so someone else
could replicate the study

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Procedures: General Guidelines

• Restatement of problem
• Overview of organization of chapter
• Description of subjects, sampling methods
• Description of tests, instruments,
measures
• Description of study design
• Description of administrative procedures
• Description of analysis of data

Conducting & Reading Research

Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al
 Steps in the Research Process

Narrow to Identify question Review

specific problem literature
State hypotheses

Identify sample
Develop
approach Design data collection plan

Select collection procedures

Choose Implement plan

analysis Prepare report
Conducting & Reading Research
Chapter 16 Baumgartner et al