Research Methods, Design,

and Eleventh
Analysis
Edition

CHAPTER 3
Problem
Identification
and Hypothesis
Formation

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
 Sources of Research Ideas
• Everyday life
• Practical issues—e.g., eyewitness
identification
• Past research
• Theory
– goal function-summarize and integrate
– tool function-guide research

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
Issues Affecting Research Ideas
• Bias
• Must be capable of being scientifically
investigated

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
 Review of the Literature
• Purpose of the literature review
– identify if the topic has been researched
– provide design ideas
– identify methodological problems
– identify special needs
– provide information for the research report

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
Review of the Literature (cont'd)
• Doing the search
– Books
– Journals
– Electronic databases
 PsycINFO
– Internet resources

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
 Feasibility of the Study
• Must consider time, expense, ethical and
other issues to determine if conducting the
study is possible and practical

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
 Formulating the Research
Problem
• Definition - An interrogative sentence that
states the relationship between two
variables
– Criteria for good research problems
 Variables should express a relation
 Stated in question form
 Capable of empirical testing

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
 Formulating the Research
Problem (cont'd)
• Specificity of the research question
– too vague - What effect does the environment
have on learning ability?
– better – What effect does the amount of
exposure to words have on the speed with
which they are learned?

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.
 Formulating Hypotheses
• Definition -- the best prediction or a
tentative solution to a problem
• Criterion--Must be capable of being
refuted or confirmed (testability)
• Types
– research
– null

Research Methods, Design, and Analysis, Eleventh Edition Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Christensen • Johnson • Turner All rights reserved.