The five chapter objectives listed in this module are the same as those found in Chapter 2 of the textbook. However, several learning objectives have been written and listed below to help you focus on specific material that is critical to your being able to demonstrate proficiency on the broader chapter objectives. In addition, multiple choice and essay/activity self-assessment items have been written for most of the learning objectives to help assess your knowledge of this material. You can access these items through the Multiple Choice and Essay/Activity modules.
- Make a list of at least three educational topics on which you would be interested in conducting a research study.
| 1.1 | Identify four sources of research topics and describe a research topic derived from each. |
| 1.2 | Explain the importance of handbooks, encyclopedias, yearbooks, and reviews when identifying a research topic.
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| 1.3 | Identify three problems related to a research topic that is too broad.
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| 1.4 | Identify two good strategies for narrowing a research topic and discuss the differences between the narrowing process for quantitative and qualitative studies.
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| 1.5 | List four characteristics of good research topics.
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| 1.6 | Differentiate researchable topics from non-researchable topics.
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| 1.7 | Identify three components of a well written quantitative topic statement.
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| 1.8 | Describe the unique characteristics of the statement of a quantitative research topic and the statement of a qualitative research topic.
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| 1.9 | Explain why the topic of a study should be stated in the introduction of a research plan or report. |
multiple choice questions for Objective 1
essay/activity questions for Objective 1
web links for Objective 1
- Select one of the topics and identify 10 to 15 complete references (source works) that directly relate to the selected problem. The references should include a variety of source types (e.g., books, articles, Internet reports, etc.).
| 2.1 | Define the term "literature review."
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| 2.2 | Describe four functions of a literature review and explain its usefulness.
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| 2.3 | Explain why the scope of some literature reviews is narrow while in others it is quite broad.
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| 2.4 | Define the term "keyword" and describe its use in a literature search.
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| 2.5 | Explain the use of the Boolean operators and, or, and not on the results of a search.
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| 2.6 | Define the terms "primary source" and "secondary source," explain the usefulness of each to a literature review, and identify examples of each.
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| 2.7 | Identify four computerized databases that index important educational research information.
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| 2.8 | Identify key terms relevant to a specific research problem and conduct a search of the ERIC Thesaurus to identify more narrow and more broad terms.
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| 2.9 | Differentiate ED and EJ sources found in ERIC and discuss the implications for accessing these sources.
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| 2.10 | Conduct an ERIC search relevant to a specific research problem.
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| 2.11 | Identify the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet as a resource for information on a research topic.
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| 2.12 | Identify several web sites or professional organizations that could be useful to your review of the literature.
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| 2.13 | Describe four important considerations when evaluating internet sources. |
multiple choice questions for Objective 2
essay/activity questions for Objective 2
web links for Objective 2
- Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative methods of starting a research study.
| 3.1 | Describe two different perspectives on the role of the literature review in a qualitative study, and identify four advantages related to conducting it in a manner similar to that of a quantitative study. |
multiple choice questions for Objective 3
- Read and abstract the references you have listed.
| 4.1 | Outline seven steps to abstract information obtained in a literature review.
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| 4.2 | Describe six steps involved in analyzing, organizing, and reporting a review of the literature.
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| 4.3 | Define the term meta-analysis, describe the process for conducting a meta-analysis, and identify two criticisms of this process.
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| 4.4 | Interpret reported effect sizes using the criteria stated in this section of the chapter. |
multiple choice questions for Objective 4
essay/activity questions for Objective 4
- Formulate a testable or descriptive hypothesis for your problem.
| 5.1 | Describe the use of a research hypothesis in a quantitative study.
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| 5.2 | Identify four characteristics of a good hypothesis in a quantitative study.
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| 5.3 | Define the term operational definition and give several examples of operational definitions.
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| 5.4 | Differentiate between deductively and inductively derived hypotheses.
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| 5.5 | Explain the differences between directional and non-directional hypotheses and discuss the use of a directional hypothesis in a study.
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| 5.6 | Describe the characteristics of the null hypothesis.
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| 5.7 | Describe the general model for writing a hypothesis for an experimental study and provide several examples of its use.
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| 5.8 | Describe the steps necessary to test a hypothesis.
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| 5.9 | Explain why the results of a study are discussed in terms of their support, or lack thereof, of a hypothesis.
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| 5.10 | Describe the use of a hypothesis in a qualitative study and identify two characteristics of qualitative hypotheses.
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multiple choice questions for Objective 5
essay/activity questions for Objective 5
