independent variable, a factor that causes a change in another variable
dependent variable, a factor that is changed by another variable
validity, the extent that the study measures what it claims to measure
reliability, the extent to which a study yields the same result in repeated studies.
quantitative research design, data collection that focuses on exploring correlations by using systematic, numerical, and other objective measures to generalize across groups of people
qualitative research design, data collection using interviews, fieldwork, observation, photos, text, and other subjective measures
representative sample, a subset of the population whose characteristics accurately reflect those of the larger population from which it is drawn.
informed consent, a signed statement by participants indicating full knowledge of the risks involved, and acknowledgment of the procedures to withdraw from the study at any time willingly, from everyone participating in the study.
Anonymity, concealing the identities of participants within the research project, and confidentiality, guarding who has the right of access to the data provided by the participants, are two basic ways to shield the participants from harm.
| Secondary Analysis | Existing data is plentiful and study can be conducted quickly | Available data may not fit research questions |
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Surveys Experiments: More Control over design and stronger validity and reliability- Inability to generalize data Longitudinal Studies: Provides broad and detailed data- Expensive and requires multi-year commitment Participant Observation: Unrestricting access to observe social behavior- Difficult to document details and can potentially be unethical Focus Groups: Ease of implementation and quick results- Groupthink can occur and moderators can skew the results Content Analysis: Does not involve human subjects and cost-effective- Researchers must “read between the lines” The quantitative approach seeks to quantify data and generalize results from a sample to the population of interest. Sustainability, the idea that current and future generations should have equal or greater access to social, economic, and environmental resources, is a local, national, and international issue. snowball sampling, a process in which people in the group being studied introduce the researcher to other people to study diary method, a research method in which subjects track their actions at various points in time over several days. Hawthorne effect, the tendency of people to change their behavior when they know they are being watched. ethics, principles of conduct about how you are supposed to behave in a given situation. debriefing, a follow-up review of the research code of ethics, a set of guidelines of appropriate behavior established by an organization for its members to follow value neutrality, also known as objectivity, the effort to eliminate bias from the research sample of convenience, a research sample based on the ease of accessibility of the research subjects. case study, an in-depth analysis of a particular person, place, or event over a significant period. verstehen (vûrst e hen), an empathetic approach to understanding human behavior |
Cost-effective and convenient |
Inflexible design and potential low response rate
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