WGU C224 - STUDY GUIDE Latest 2023 Graded A

Characteristics of Quantitative Research numerical data (quantity); hypothesis & research procedure are stated BEFORE data collection; large sample size; rely on statistical procedure; low interaction with subjects; rely on controlling, measuring, and generalizing; objective by nature Quantitative Methods/Designs survey research; correlational research; causal comparative; experimental; single subject experimental Sampling techniques for quantitative research simple random; stratified; cluster; systematic; Simple random (quant) selection using table of random numbers Stratified (quant) selection based on dividing up into subgroups which have roughly equal representation Cluster (quant) intact groups are selected as by classroom, efficient but less representative Systematic (quant) take a population and select every Kth invidual i.e. sample population = 100 and you select every 5th person on list. Qualitative Research *emphasis on words and feelings; *research problems/methods evolve as understanding of topic increases; *smaller sample sizes; *relies on categorizing & organizing data into themes or patterns to describe & synthesize the data; *high level interaction with subjects; *many possible contexts & meanings for different people; *subjective by nature Qualitative Research Methods observation/field notes; interviews: face-to-face, phone, focus group; questionnaires; archival documents; journals; audio/video Qualitative Sampling Techniques intensity; homogenous; criterion; snowball; random purposive Characteristics of Action Research (comes out of qualitative research) *persuasive & authoritative b/c it's done by teachers for teachers; *relevant b/c solves real world problems; *accessible b/c teachers already have built-in audience as test subjects; *encourages school reform by providing an action plan; *practical by nature (see ch20). Selecting topics - Characteristics of good research topics *researchable (can be solved by collecting and analyzing data); *interesting enough to hold your attention (love it); *significant (contributes to field of knowledge); *ethical (no harm done); *manageable (keep it in scope) How to write a good research question *solvable by collecting data; *cannot be answered with simple yes/no; *what is the effect of x on y (x is indep. Variable, y is dependent variable); *i.e. What is the effect of an after school reading program (x) on students' reading comprehension scores (y)? Purpose & function of literature review *see what's already been done; *reveals what needs to be done; *addresses the research questions; *provides rationale for your hypothesis; *avoids mistakes of others; *may suggest ideas not previously considered; *provide new direction to your research Resource Identification Evaluation & Selection *primary & secondary sources; WGU library: books, articles, e-reserves, ERIC; *What was problem statement?; *Who was studied?; *Where was source published?; When was source published?; *How was study conducted?; *see ch 3 for more detail 5 types Hypotheses 1. Deductive, 2. Inductive, 3. Directional, 4. Non-directional, 5. Null