RESEARCH METHODS STUDY GUIDE The process of research and of conducting a study Differences between, characteristics of, and advantages to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research Main ethical issues related to research (for example, participant confidentiality, safety, choice— deception & informed consent, fairness—debriefing & equal opportunity, and honesty in reporting of findings, plagiarism) Terms Recognize quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research designs & their strengths & weaknesses (at least one design described using R, O, and X notation) Content of research questions, hypotheses, and null hypotheses Identify and operationalize (define) independent, dependent, predictor, and criterion (predicted) variables Understand what p, H0, H1, μ (population mean), σ (population standard deviation), SD, z, t, r, r2, R, and R2 represent Methods of sampling (simple random, systematic random, convenience, cluster, stratified, purposive, snowball, quota) population and a sample Recognize a random sample from a non-random sample and random assignment from nonrandom assignment Sample size, power, effect size, random error, sampling bias Reliability and error (and true score versus obtained score) Know what standard deviation represents types of validity (content, construct—discriminant and convergent, criterion) and recognize a described threat as pertaining to internal or external validity validity threats-selection bias, regression, experimenter effects, experimenter or observer expectancies, Hawthorne effect, John Henry effect, Halo effect type I and type II errors understanding what basic statistical tests measure and their results represent (z-test, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, regression, Chi-Squar) What the IRB is and its purpose What program evaluation studies are, why they are performed, and how they differ from traditional research Common qualitative constructs such as, coding, saturation, bracketing, trustworthiness, credibility, member checking, transferability, dependability, confirmability Differences among grounded theory, phenomenology, and narrative research Multicultural issues and ways to make research more culturally competent
