1. Choosing an idea based solely on personal interest without considering its feasibility, importance, or contribution to knowledge. 2. Failing to critically evaluate one's initial idea and consider alternatives that may be more suitable. 3. Pursuing a trivial or unimportant topic that lacks conceptual foundation or significance. 4. Attempting a project that is too large in scope given available time and resources. 5. Duplicating work that has already been adequately reported in the literature.

1.  It is based on the works of others – not a copy of
their works
 It can be replicated
 It is generalizable to other settings
 It is based on some logical rationale and tied to
theory
 It is doable!
 It generates new questions or is cyclical in nature
 It is incremental
 It is an apolitical activity intended for the
betterment of society

2.  NONEXPERIMENTAL
1. Descriptive – describe the characteristics of
an existing phenomenon
2. Historical – relate events that have occurred
in the past to current events
3. Correlational – examine the relationships
between variables

3.  EXPERIMENTAL – Test for true cause and
effect relationships
 QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL – Test for causal
relationships without having full control

4. Ask new
questions
Ask and
Reconsider the
identify
Theory
factors
Test the
Hypothesize
Hypothesis
Gather
Data

5. 1. What areas within your discipline especially
interest you?
2. Come up with 2 possible questions you
could possibly work on within a period of 2
months.
3. Of the different types of research described
and discussed, which one do you think best
fits the type of research that is suited to
answer your questions in #2?

6.  Significance levels
 Null hypotheses
 Independent variables
 Factorial designs
 Samples
 Populations

7.  VARIABLE – represents a class of outcomes
that can take on more than one value
example: HAIR COLOR (red, brown, blonde, …)
 Variables of the same name can take on
different values
example: HEIGHT (in actual measurement or in
rank)

8.  Represent the outcomes of a research study
that may depend on the experimental
treatment or on what the researcher changes
or manipulates
example: growth rate (increment in height)
of monggo seedlings with different
wavelengths of light

9.  Represent the treatments or conditions that
the researcher controls to test their effects on
some outcome
 Also known as treatment variable
 Must take on at least two levels or values

10.  General Rule: When the researcher is
manipulating anything or assigning
participants/samples to groups based on
some characteristic, such as age, gender, or
treatment, that variable is the independent
variable.

11.  In some cases, when the interest is not on the
effects of one thing to another, but only in
how variables may be related, there are no
independent variables.
NOTHING IS MANIPULATED

12.  Factorial Designs – experiments that include
more than one independent variables
example: 1. Gender (male, female)
2. Age (1-3,4-6,7-9,10-12)
3. Health status (undernourished,
normal, overweight)

13.  The best independent variable is independent
of any other variable in the same study in
order to contribute the maximum amount of
understanding beyond what other
independent variables can offer
 The best dependent variable is one that is
sensitive to changes in the different levels of
the independent variable. Otherwise, even if
the treatment had an effect, you’d never
know it.

14.  Control variables – has a potential influence
on the dependent or variable and has to be
removed or controlled
 Extraneous variable – has an unpredictable
impact on the dependent variable
 Moderator variable – related to the variables
of interest, masking the true relationship
between the dependent and the independent

15.  “educated guesses”
 Reflect the general problem statement or
question that was the motivation for
undertaking the research study
 Provide transition from a problem statement
into a form that is more amenable to testing

16.  a statement of equality:
- There will be no difference…
- There is no relationship…
 Refers to the population
 A starting point (state of affairs accepted as
true in the absence of other information)
 A benchmark against which the actual
outcomes of a study will be measured or
compared to see if the difference is due to
chance or something else

17.  a definite statement of the relationship
between two variables; explicit
 A statement of inequality – directional (more
than or less than) and nondirectional
(different from)
 It is this hypothesis that is tested directly (in
a sample of a population) as one step in the
research process

18. 1. Stated in declarative form and not as a
question.
2. Clearly describes the relationship between
variables.
3. Reflect the theory or literature they are
based on.
4. Should be brief and to the point.
5. Testable.

19. Traditional approach:
IDEA  RESEARCH ?  H1  LIT REVIEW
Better approach:
IDEA LIT REVIEW
RESEARCH ? H1

20. Select a problem that you are
genuinely interested in.

21. 1. Falling in love with your idea can be fatal.
2. Sticking with the 1st idea that comes to
mind isn’t always wise.
3. Doing something trivial that has no
conceptual basis or no apparent importance
4. Biting off more than you can chew.
5. Doing something that has already been
done.