Introduction to Research
Methods
Research Defined
 Systematic process of collecting and logically analyzing
data for a purpose.
 Research methods – the methodology, how we do it.
Levels of Research
 Basic
 Test theories
 Often in a lab setting
 May have limited direct applicability
 Not designed to solve social problems
Theory – predicts &
explains generalizable
findings
Levels of Research
 Applied
 Field & application oriented
 Less controlled setting
 Relies on a theoretical foundation, but not designed to test
theory
 Evaluation
 Focused on a particular setting or practice
 Merit & worth of something
Research vs. Evaluation
RESEARCH
EVALUATION
 Systematic
 Systematic
 Undertaken to establish
facts & principles that
contribute to a
knowledge base
 Undertaken to address
some criteria to make
judgments about the
worth of something
Research vs. Evaluation
RESEARCH
 Prove disprove
hypothesis…
EVALUATION
 Improvement in areas
(ie. Personnel, programs,
policies)
Hypothesis
 Educated guess about the outcomes of a study
 SM= A Heisman trophy winner will positively impact ticket sales and donor
contributions the following season.
 PE= The self-perception of female physical education pre-service teachers
will include strong willed behavior, positive presentation and appearance,
and aggressive and dominant behavior.
 RM= The more serious a triathlete is about the sport, the more likely they
are to use negotiation strategies in order to participate as much as desired.
Research vs. Evaluation
RESEARCH
EVALUATION
 New knowledge, may not
be immediately
applicable
 Problem solving &
decision making
 Theory building
 Problem based
Research vs. Evaluation
RESEARCH
EVALUATION
 Generalizability
 Not generalizable
 Published
 Used by the organization
Variables
 Variables
 Any entity that can take on different values/varies
 IV = Manipulated, treatment
 DV = Effect of the IV, measured
 Cause (IV) & effect (DV)
Variables
INDEPENDENT (MANIPULATED)
DEPENDENT (MEASURED)
 Physical activity levels
 Weight
 Televised games
 In game attendance
 Management style
 Use of ee rewards
 Game day experiences
 Attendance
 Daily PE
 BMI
Types of Studies (3)
 Descriptive
 Describes what is going on & what exists
 Relational
 Relationship between 2 variables
 Causal
 Cause/effect a variable has on another
Qual vs Quan
QUANTITATIVE
QUALITATIVE
 Analysis of numeric data
 Analysis of words, actions,
objects
 Researcher uses tools, such
as questionnaires or
equipment to collect
numerical data.
 Researcher is the data
gathering instrument thru
interviews, observations,
documents
Scientific Method
 1. Developing the problem
 Topic of study, issue
 Variables
SM: Use of social media=increase ticket sales
PE: Increased time in daily PE=decreased obesity rates
RM: Increased presence in parks=decreased criminal activity
Scientific Method
 2. Formulating the hypothesis
 Expected results
 Rely on experience & the literature
 Study either supports or refutes hypothesis
 3. Gathering the data
 Process/methodology
 Instruments
 Data gathering process
Scientific Method
 4. Analyzing & interpreting the results
 Statistics
 Comparisons
 Dissemination of results
Content of a Research Article (7)
 Abstract
 Short summary paragraph @ 150 words
Content of a Research Article (7)
 Introduction
 Put study into context
 Overview of topic
 Significance to profession/relevance
 Research ?’s at end of intro… find them in your article
 Review of literature
 Summarizes & analyzes previous research
 Theoretical framework
Content of a Research Article (7)
 Research hypothesis or question (if applicable to
journal)
 Results
 Stats, tables, analysis
Content of a Research Article (7)
 Discussions, implications & conclusions
 What was learned
 How results relate to previous research
 Impact on profession
 Any unusual results
 Future research… find them in your article
 Generalizability
 References
What is a Research Problem?
 Research Problem
 Issue, controversy, or concern that initiates the study
 What level of tickets are most impacted by a winning football season?
 How does social media impact athletic event attendance?
What is a Research Problem?
 Examples…
 What percentage of the daily threshold (12,000 steps) PE
class and recess contribute to 6th grade students overall
daily PA.
 What are the biggest motivations and/or reasons why
students attend home athletic contests?
 To determine if a certain Myers-Briggs personality type is
more successful selling tickets in Major League Baseball
I Need a Problem!
 Personal experience & supervisor
 Talk with your advisor
 Look at the literature
I Need a Problem!
 Choose something…
 Of interest
 Feasible
 Not too broad
 Not too technical
 Impacts the profession
 Online list…
I Need a Problem!
 3 criteria for a good problem
 Problem can be researched
 Requires more than a yes/no answer
 Information can be gathered for some type of
analysis
Purpose of the Study
 Purpose statement
 One sentence stating what the study is investigating
 Allows reader to quickly identify what the study is about
 Usually found at the end of the introduction or the first paragraph
 Examples…
Purpose of the Study
 The purpose of this study was to explore luxury suite ownership in
professional sports and to provide suite sales and facility management
professionals an increased understanding of luxury suite ownership
 The purpose of this study was to determine an overall competency
framework that can be used for parks and recreation boards regardless of
whether they are independent, semi-independent, or advisory in nature.
 The purpose of the study was to examine first year physical education
teachers’ perceptions of levels of support provided by their trained mentors.
Research Question(s)
 More clearly define the research problem
 Focus the study
 Relationship to the hypothesis…
The purpose of this study is to determine if personality type of
sport sales professionals impacts job success.
 RQ #1: What personality type
is most successful among sport
sales professionals?
 Hy. #1: X personality type is
most successful among sport
sales professionals
 RQ #2: What personality type
is least successful among sport
sales professionals?
 Hy. #2: Y personality type is
least successful among sport
sales professionals?
 RQ #3: What aspects of a
personality type enhances the
success of a sport sales
professional?
 Hy. #3: XYZ aspects of a
personality type enhance the
success of a sport sales
professional
The purpose of this study is to determine if personality type of
sport sales professionals impacts job success.
 Null Hypothesis
 There is no difference in personality types among
successful sports sales professionals.
 No one personality type determines success in sport
sales professionals.