RES 861 Grand Canyon Week 3 Discussion 2

What is a theoretical foundation of a research study? Researchers often say that determining the theoretical foundation is the most difficult part of a research study. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why? What theory or model do you intend to use as the foundation for your research study? Why should the theory or model be used for your intended study?

 

 

ADDITIONAL DETAILS 

Theoretical foundation of a research study

Introduction

A research study consists of the theory, purpose, literature review and rationale. The methodology and research design are also essential components of this study. The principal concepts, variables and measurement procedures along with data collection and analysis procedures will help you to understand the entire process of conducting an effective research project

Introduction

The introduction is the first section of your study. It should be short, clear and to the point. The introduction should explain what you’re going to do in more detail than any other section of your paper.

The purpose of this research study is to examine whether there are any differences between high school students who have completed an online course on information literacy, compared with those who have not completed such a course in regard to their attitudes toward careers other than being a librarian or information specialist (i.e., using computers). In addition, it will also explore whether these differences exist at both ends of the age spectrum: high school seniors versus college freshmen/sophomores; males versus females; those who take general education classes versus specific subjects like English literature or history; etcetera…

Problem Statement

The first step in conducting a research study is to develop a problem statement. This statement defines the research question, which will be asked by the researcher. It should be clear, concise, and easily understood by all participants in your study.

The next step is to write down your hypothesis(es). A hypothesis is an educated guess or educated speculation about what might happen if you do something; it’s not necessarily true or false but instead rests on logic and evidence based on past experience (and this can be very different depending on your field). For example: “If I give out free ice cream at my store then sales will increase” would be a valid (but not necessarily correct) hypothesis because we’re basing it off past experience—it makes sense that giving away free food would lead us towards increased sales!

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of a research study is to find out the relationship between two variables. The researcher has determined that there is a correlation between these two variables, so they want to measure it and see if it changes as time passes by.

The purpose of the study is not only to discover whether or not one variable affects another; but also what kind of effect each has on their partners’ behavior (e.g., whether working harder makes someone more productive).

Literature Review & Rationale

The literature review is the first step in conducting a research study. It provides an overview of the existing literature on your topic, as well as recommendations for further reading. Your goal is to identify key ideas, themes and questions associated with your chosen field; this will help guide you through future steps in the process.

The rationale for conducting this particular research project should be included in your literature review section because it helps keep readers informed about what they can expect from your results. This section should also include reasons why other studies have not been conducted on similar topics (or if there have been any), so that readers know why yours might be different from theirs:

Theory

Theory is a set of ideas about how the world works. It can be used to explain, predict and provide guidance for research. The importance of theory in research has been recognized since Plato (428-348 BCE), who stated that “theory is nothing but the continuation of practice.” In other words, good theories help make sense out of things we observe in nature or on our own bodies.

In this study we use two types of theories: descriptive and inferential. Descriptive theories explain how something works; they tell us why something happens when it does or doesn’t happen as expected based on some set conditions

An example might be: “The rate at which water heats up increases as temperature increases.” This statement tells us what will happen if we increase temperature by one degree Celsius above its current value. Inferential theories predict future events based on past experiences

Definition of Terms

• Definition of Terms

• Scope and Purpose

The definition of each term used in your study should be clear and concise. It should also be consistent throughout the report, including section titles, headings, and subheadings. The word “study” is probably too generic for most academic papers; you may want to consider using a more specific term like “research.” The definition should also be easy for readers who aren’t familiar with your field (or even nonacademic readers) to understand—it should make sense on its own without further explanation from you or anyone else. Finally, it should have relevance to whatever topic you’re discussing in this paper: if there’s no connection between what happened yesterday at school and why we need self-esteem today then maybe it doesn’t matter much after all!

Methodology and Research Design

• Methodology and Research Design

• The use of a scientific method. This is the most common approach used in research studies. It involves using variables (such as time, gender, or race) to predict results. For example, if you want to study how people respond when they’re told about a new product before trying it for themselves, then you’ll need to measure their attitudes towards the product and compare them with those who have already tried it. The data would be collected from both groups over time so that trends could be determined as well as any differences between them (e.g., if one group disliked their experience while another loved theirs).

• Use of a qualitative or quantitative approach . In this type of study there are two approaches involved: either analyzing multiple sources (for example speeches), interviews with experts/participants who have been involved in similar situations; or analyzing only one source such as an experiment conducted on human participants under controlled conditions

Principal Concepts, Variables, and Measurement Procedures

Theory: The conceptual framework that explains the relationship between the variables.

Variables: Concepts that are measured in a study.

Measurement Procedures: How the variables are measured.

Data Collection and Analysis Procedures

The data collection and analysis procedures are important because they help to determine what information will be included in the final report. In this section, you will learn about how the data will be collected and analyzed.

Data Collection Procedures:

• Describe how you plan to collect your sample or population of interest (e.g., classroom, group of students). What are their characteristics? How many people do you need? Where do they live? What time period is this study focusing on (i.e., past year vs current)? How long has it been since the last time someone interviewed these individuals)?

• Explain how long it will take for each stage of your project (e.g., interviews) before reaching its completion point(s). If there are any delays during this process that may affect results—such as weather conditions interfering with travel plans—explain what steps were taken beforehand so those things don’t happen again later down road.”

Takeaway:

• What did you learn?

• What would you do differently next time?

• How can the information learned in this study help you apply it to your own life?

Conclusion

Theoretical framework is an important part of the research process. It helps in defining the problem, identifying variables and other concepts that might be involved in the study and makes a general outline for your research project.