Research 201: A Basic Introduction
© Brian Brown 1999-2000. All rights
reserved.
What do we mean by
research?
There are many fields of research today. Perhaps
another name for research is investigation or study.
| © Webster Dictionary Main
Entry: 1re·search
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A major form of research is consumer research, where the opinions and attitudes of customers are sought. In addition, many of the beliefs we have, from our early childhood and our educational development are a product of previous research. We come to believe what we believe in a number of different ways.
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The attitudes and beliefs that have been
established for generations have profoundly conditioned
our views of research. We are familiar with telephone and customer surveys. Even places like Kentucky Fried Chicken have fill-in forms for customer feedback. Why do you think companies what to know what their clients want or think? |
Why do we research?
Research deals with problems, attitudes and opinions.
With research we seek to understand why things behave the way
they do, why people act in a certain way, or what makes people
buy a particular product. For example, we might want to find out
what percentage of students attending this campus regularly use
the cafeteria (we need to define what we mean by regular!).
Another example is how many students take out loans in order to
finance their education and what is the average level of loan.
Research attempts to seek answers to questions. It draws conclusions from the information (commonly referred to as data) gathered. Often, the conclusions are generalised (this means the basic principles discovered could be applied to other areas that were not studied). Research adds to the existing body of knowledge. It attempts to improve our understanding of the world in which we live.
What is a theory?
A theory is an explanation of some property that
attempts to explain its behaviour or characteristics. There have
been many theories proposed throughout our history. One such
theory was that the earth was flat. Another is the theory of
evolution. Theories attempt to explain that which we seek to
understand. Often, future advances in technology or thinking
refutes theories that held sway for generations. Research is a
never-ending process of continual investigation.
Theories shape our view of the world and of ourselves. We are affected by the theories of the past and present. We live in a world that is explained by theories, and these theories are espoused in all that we read and see (via the medium of television and print). In fact, we are exposed to these theories from an early age, and are indoctrinated into them throughout the educational system.
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Consider that early Greek philosophers
thought the earth was a sphere. They conducted
experiments that suggested the shadows cast on the moon
by the earth could only be generated by a sphere like
object. In medieval times, when the Roman Catholic Church dominated most of the modern world, the earth was considered to be flat. |
What makes a good
theory?
A theory is a good theory if it satisfies a number of
requirements
| Validity | The theory fits the facts |
| Generalisation | It can make predictions about the results of future observations |
| Replication | It can be duplicated with the same results |
What is a hypothesis?
Most modern theories begin with a hypothesis. This is
a statement about the relationship between variables and is
tested directly.
| Students that have a student loan in excess of 10,000 dollars spend, on average, more money at the student cafeteria per week than those students that do not have a student loan do. |
A hypothesis tries to be precise and specify variables that can be measured (student numbers, average spending per week, student loan amount). In this example, we are trying to see if there is a relationship between student loans and cafeteria spending.
The idea of the hypothesis dates from time of Plato (Greek philosopher who lived in Athens, Ancient Greece), who is considered to be responsible for introducing the idea of investigation based on a hypothesis.
What is a research question?
A research question provides a general indication, and
is not intended to be specific. Often, a researcher will use a
research question when they are unsure about the problem that
they are researching. It helps them begin to focus on the
problems and identify what can be measured.
| Do some groups of students spend more money at the cafeteria than other groups of students? |
What
is the difference between a research question and a hypothesis?
Research
| We are engaged in research from the time of birth, where we seek to make sense of our surroundings. We develop a hypothesis, test it, modify it, retest it. As the picture depicts, a young baby's exploration of its surrounding is research in action. |  |
