Graduate Research Methods

Frame a research question/state a hypothesis as to what you will be looking to demonstrate in your work.

When discussing the research question and hypothesis, one might interrelate these two concepts when in fact these terms differ from one another. The research question guides the research by creating a question that pertains to a particular topic one might be interested in gaining more knowledge in that particular area (L. Sabol, personal communication, April, 2016). Research questions can come from values, theories, or previous research (L. Sabol, personal communication, April, 2016). The research question within the article that the researcher wanted to examine is, “To what extent do pre-college characteristics and the academic performance of Black male student-athletes differ from their student-athlete peers?”(Horton, 2015, p. 289). With this research question the author Horton (2015), is attempting to figure out whether there is a relationship between Black male college student

The reason why the authors use the research questions instead of the hypothesis is because research questions helps to explain the purpose of the research. Additionally, this research is a descriptive study, which means, the

Your Research Question- Give your research question (may be a working question). Give background for your question.

This is the step where you ask important and focused question in order to design your study. The questions are generally open ended and inquisitive questions. The questions often start with, who, what, when, where, why and how. The purpose is “to make important procedure questions and to decide what research methods will best help you achieve these design objectives” (Chenail, 2011).

The stated focus, intent, purpose, and research questions are clearly defined by the author. The reader is able to clearly understand these aspects of the research. Additionally, the author clearly identifies the problem and research questions, and the rationale for the research being conducted. Likewise, the methodology section clearly presents the manner in which the research was conducted and why the specific method was chosen. As a result, a fellow researcher

The student’s guide to research expounds on the practical steps that students should follow when conducting their research and the effective ways of presenting the research findings. Research entails the search for new knowledge, which makes it distinct from the routine application of the known results. The goals of research include addition of human knowledge to the previously known truths or findings. The research process involves extensive interaction with the internal and external environment. The university provides the setting in which, such apprenticeship occurs. When conducting research, the student should begin with finding the purpose to write.

State all of your research questions. There are generally 3-5 depending on the nature of your study. They should be clearly linked to your Purpose.

Within our study, we will discuss the research questions and hypotheses that were formed to guide us in our research. We will also discuss the variables that need to be considered, including the ethical issues we must take into account. Finally, and most

A research problem is nothing more than what it is you want to study. It usually revolves around an interest you have and also can be supported by previous experience. By this I mean that there is a substantial body of previous work done in the field. It does not need to be exactly what you are going to study, but should support your thoughts. You want to be sure to try to answer questions that add to the knowledge base of the topic. Asking why dogs clean themselves? is a nice thing to know, but is it really going to add to the over knowledge and wisdom of the world? A better question might be, " What adaptations of a dog's anatomy allow them to clean themselves?" This would be seen as a good thing to know.

Hypothesis is typically used in quantitative research only. Moreover, when a question poses an inquiry on the relationship between two variables, a hypothesis is a statement declarative in nature of the relationship between different variables (Pajares 2007). A researcher chooses whether to use a question or a hypothesis depending on the purpose of the research, its objectives, the methodology for the research and the preference of the audience to receive the research. A researcher must be able to interpret the final outcome with reference to the research questions or the hypothesis used (Pajares 2007). A research requires a minimum of two hypotheses namely a null and an alternative hypothesis.

The first thing before starting a study or research is to formulate a hypothesis or question that will be investigated, and its answer will cover the concerns or mysteries that led the investigator to ask the question in first place. According to Gertsman (2015), once a research hypothesis is developed, an alternative hypothesis (Ha) and the null hypothesis (Ho) accompany it. In fact, there is a close alignment between the research hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis (Gertsman, 2015). Therefore, when testing the hypothesis, the purpose is to find information against the null hypothesis to strengthen the alternative hypothesis which will then give strength to the research hypothesis.

Task of defining the research problem is the preparation of the research project, popularly known as the “research

The first and most important step in the research study is the formulation of a research problem. A clear statements of research problem will help to develop an effective research. The main purpose of formulating a research

The research question guides the basis of activities of any research study. The research questions on which this study will be centered are discussed below: