Chapter 5

RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE:

• Statements used to narrow the purpose statement to specific

questions
• Look for passages in which authors identify the questions they are
addressing
• Frequently stated as questions
• Sometimes phrased as statements or referred to as objectives
• Study may include multiple research questions

WHAT ARE HYPOTESIS?

• Predictions about the relationship among variables

• Based on prior research
• A testable statement

HOW TO IDENTIFY PURPOSE STATEMENT:

• At the end of the Introduction section

• Immediately following the statement of the problem
• At the end of the literature review

How do you identify variables in quantitative research?

• Variables are the measurement of constructs

• Constructs are complex ideas
• Variables are indicators of characteristics and attributes
• Variables can be measured
• The scores measured for a variable are expected to vary (hence
the name variable)

A variable is an indicator of a characteristic or attribute of individuals or organizations

that researchers measure and that varies among the individuals or organizations studied.

The scores measured for a variable vary for the participants in the study.
When researchers measure variables, they expect the scores to vary (hence the name
variable )—that is, they can assign different scores to different participants in the study.
For example, gender would be a variable in a study that includes both girls (gender = 1)
and boys (gender = 2). However, if a study only included girls, then gender would not be
a variable because the participants’ gender would not vary in the study.
When researchers measure their variables, they assign the scores in two ways: in
categories and along a continuum. Categorical variables are a type of variable that occurs
when researchers measure the variable by grouping the scores into a limited number of
groups (or categories). Researchers may also refer to their categorical variables as
nominal variables (variables measured in categories with names) or ordinal variables
(variables measured in categories that are ranked in order).
KEY DECISIONS:
The researchers make several key decisions about
the study, including:
■ The study’s focus— the specific topic(s) of interest in the study
■ The overall intent— what the researchers want to learn about the specific topic
■ The framework— the theory or conceptual framework that guides the
researchers’
perspectives
■ The participants— the people or organizations to be examined in the study
■ The setting— where the study takes place