Knowledge Base, Research Center, Selecting Statistics, Research Synthesis Gallery, The Simulation Book, Research Methods Tutorials, Search, Concept Mapping
by William M. Trochim, Cornell University
-the Knowledge Base -- an online hypertext textbook on applied social research
methods that covers everything you want to know about defining a research
question, sampling, measurement, research design and data analysis.
-Selecting Statistics -- an online statistical advisor! Answer the questions and it will
lead you to an appropriate statistical test for your data.
-The Simulation Book -- A previously unpublished book of manual (i.e., dice-rolling)
and computer simulation exercises of common research designs, for students and
researchers to learn how to do simple simulations.
methods that covers everything you want to know about defining a research
question, sampling, measurement, research design and data analysis.
-Selecting Statistics -- an online statistical advisor! Answer the questions and it will
lead you to an appropriate statistical test for your data.
-The Simulation Book -- A previously unpublished book of manual (i.e., dice-rolling)
and computer simulation exercises of common research designs, for students and
researchers to learn how to do simple simulations.
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| Social Research Methods For The Web Center |
William M.K. Trochim is a Professor in the Department of Policy
Analysis and Management at Cornell University. He has taught both
the undergraduate and graduate required courses in applied social
research methods since joining the faculty at Cornell in 1980. He
received his Ph.D. in 1980 from the program in Methodology and
Evaluation Research of the Department of Psychology at
Northwestern University. His research interests include the theory
and practice of research, conceptualization methods (including
concept mapping and pattern matching), strategic and operational
planning methods, performance management and measurement, and
change management. He is the developer of The Concept System®
and founder of Concept Systems Incorporated. he lives in Ithaca,
New York with his wife Mary and daughter Nora.
Acknowledgements
This work, as is true for all significant efforts in life, is a collaborative
achievement. I want to thank especially the students and friends who
assisted and supported me in various ways over the years. I
especially want to thank Dominic Cirillo who has labored tirelessly
over several years on both the web and printed versions of the
Knowledge Base and without whom I simply would not have survived.
There are also the many graduate Teaching Assistants who helped
make the transition to a web-based course and have contributed their
efforts and insights to this work and the teaching of research
methods. And, of course, I want to thank all of the students, both
undergraduate and graduate, who participated in my courses over
the years and used the Knowledge Base in its various incarnations.
You have been both my challenge and inspiration.
Introduction
What is the Research Methods Knowledge Base?
The Research Methods Knowledge Base is a comprehensive webbased
textbook that addresses all of the topics in a typical
introductory undergraduate or graduate course in social research
methods. It covers the entire research process including: formulating
research questions; sampling (probability and nonprobability);
measurement (surveys, scaling, qualitative, unobtrusive); research
design (experimental and quasi-experimental); data analysis; and,
writing the research paper. It also addresses the major theoretical
and philosophical underpinnings of research including: the idea of
validity in research; reliability of measures; and ethics.
The Knowledge Base was designed to be different from the many typical
commercially-available research methods texts. It uses an informal,
conversational style to engage both the newcomer and the more
experienced student of research. It is a fully hyperlinked text that can
be integrated easily into an existing course structure or used as a
sourcebook for the experienced researcher who simply wants to browse.
Navigating the Knowledge Base
There are at least five options that I can think of for getting to relevant online material in the Knowledge
Base:
The Border Contents
Every page of the Knowledge Base has links in the margins. These links are based on
the hierarchical structure of the website and change depending on the position of the
page in that structure. The links at the top (repeated at the bottom) on each page show
the other pages at the same level of the hierarchy as the page you are looking at. The
links in the left border always include:
The Home Page
The parent page for the page you are viewing
The child pages for the page you are viewing
The Table of Contents
This is a standard hierarchical table of contents like the type you would expect in a
textbook. It is the only navigational device that at a glance shows every page in the Knowledge Base.
The Yin-Yang Map
This map is based on a graphic that, at a glance, provides an organizing rubric for the
entire Knowledge Base content. It separates the theory of research from the practice of
research and shows how theory and practice are related. this might be an especially
useful launch pad for an advanced or graduate research methods course because of the
strong emphasis on the link between theory and practice.
The Road Map
This map is based on a graphic that shows the typical stages in a research project. It
uses the metaphor of research as a journey down the research road from initial
conceptualization and problem formation through the write-up and reporting. This might
be an especially useful launch pad for an introductory undergraduate course because it
concentrates primarily on the practice of research.
The Search Page
In the top and bottom margins on every page in the Knowledge base there is a link to the
Search Page. When you need to find information on a specific topic rapidly you should
use this page. The Search Page is linked to an index of every word in the Knowledge
Base, allows you to perform simple and Boolean searches, and returns resulting links
sorted from most to least relevant.
Foundations
This section provides an overview the major issues in research and in evaluation. This is probably
the best place for you to begin learning about research.
We have to begin somewhere. (Although, if you think about it, the whole idea of hyperlinked text
sort of runs contrary to the notion that there is a single place to begin -- you can begin anywhere,
go anywhere, and leave anytime. Unfortunately, you can only be in one place at a time and, even
less fortunately for you, you happen to be right here right now, so we may as well consider this a
place to begin.) And what better place to begin than an introduction? Here's where we take care of
all the stuff you think you already know, and probably should already know, but most likely don't
know as well as you think you do.
The first thing we have to get straight is the language of research. If we don't, we're going to have
a hard time discussing research.
With the basic terminology under our belts, we can look a little more deeply at some of the
underlying philosophical issues that drive the research endeavor.
We also need to recognize that social research always occurs in a social context. It is a human
endeavor. Therefore, it's important to consider the critical ethical issues that affect the researcher,
research participants, and the research effort generally.
Where do research problems come from?
How do we develop a research question?
We consider these issues under conceptualization.
Finally, we look at a specific, and very applied, type of social research known as evaluation research.
That ought to be enough to get you started. At least it ought to be enough to get you thoroughly
confused. But don't worry, there's stuff that's far more confusing than this yet to come.
Sampling
Sampling is the process of selecting units (e.g., people, organizations) from a population of
interest so that by studying the sample we may fairly generalize our results back to the
population from which they were chosen. Let's begin by covering some of the key terms in
sampling like "population" and "sampling frame." Then, because some types of sampling rely
upon quantitative models, we'll talk about some of the statistical terms used in sampling. Finally,
we'll discuss the major distinction between probability and Nonprobability sampling methods and
work through the major types in each.
Measurement
Measurement is the process observing and recording the observations that are collected as part of
a research effort. There are two major issues that will be considered here.
First, you have to understand the fundamental ideas involved in measuring. Here we consider two
of major measurement concepts. In Levels of Measurement, I explain the meaning of the four major
levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Then we move on to the reliability of
measurement, including consideration of true score theory and a variety of reliability estimators.
Second, you have to understand the different types of measures that you might use in social
research. We consider four broad categories of measurements. Survey research includes the
design and implementation of interviews and questionnaires. Scaling involves consideration of the
major methods of developing and implementing a scale.
Qualitative research provides an overview of the broad range of non-numerical measurement approaches. And unobtrusive measures presents a variety of measurement methods that don't intrude on or interfere with the context of the research.
Design
Research design provides the glue that holds the research project together. A design is
used to structure the research, to show how all of the major parts of the research
project -- the samples or groups, measures, treatments or programs, and methods of
assignment -- work together to try to address the central research questions. Here,
after a brief introduction to research design, I'll show you how we classify the major
types of designs. You'll see that a major distinction is between the experimental
designs that use random assignment to groups or programs and the quasiexperimental
designs that don't use random assignment. [People often confuse what
is meant by random selection with the idea of random assignment. You should make
sure that you understand the distinction between random selection and random
assignment.] Understanding the relationships among designs is important in making
design choices and thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of different designs.
Then, I'll talk about the heart of the art form of designing designs for research and give
you some ideas about how you can think about the design task. Finally, I'll consider
some of the more recent advances in quasi-experimental thinking -- an area of special
importance in applied social research and program evaluation.
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Product details
Price
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File Size
| 57,112 KB |
Pages
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2274 p |
File Type
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PDF format |
Title
| Research Methods Knowledge Base |
Copyright
| William M.K. Trochim 1998-2000 |
Contents
Contents
Navigating
Yin-Yang Map
The Road Map
Foundations
Language Of Research
Five Big Words
Types of Questions
Time in Research
Types of Relationships
Variables
Hypotheses
Types of Data
Unit of Analysis
Two Research Fallacies
Philosophy of Research
Structure of Research
Deduction & Induction
Positivism & Post-Positivism
Introduction to Validity
Ethics in Research
Conceptualizing
Problem Formulation
Concept Mapping
Evaluation Research
Introduction to Evaluation
The Planning-Evaluation Cycle
An Evaluation Culture
Sampling
External Validity
Sampling Terminology
Statistical Terms in Sampling
Probability Sampling
Nonprobability Sampling
Measurement
Construct Validity
Measurement Validity Types
Idea of Construct Validity
Convergent & Discriminant Validity
Threats to Construct Validity
The Nomological Network
The Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix
Pattern Matching for Construct Validity
Reliability
True Score Theory
Measurement Error
Theory of Reliability
Types of Reliability
Reliability & Validity
Levels of Measurement
Survey Research
Types of Surveys
Selecting the Survey Method
Constructing the Survey
Types Of Questions
Question Content
Response Format
Question Wording
Question Placement
Interviews
Plus & Minus of Survey Methods
Scaling
General Issues in Scaling
Thurstone Scaling
Likert Scaling
Guttman Scaling
Qualitative Measures
The Qualitative Debate
Qualitative Data
Qualitative Approaches
Qualitative Methods
Qualitative Validity
Unobtrusive Measures
Design
Internal Validity
Establishing Cause & Effect
Single Group Threats
Regression to the Mean
Multiple-Group Threats
Social Interaction Threats
Introduction to Design
Types of Designs
Experimental Design
Two-Group Experimental Designs
Probabilistic Equivalence
Random Selection & Assignment
Classifying Experimental Designs
Factorial Designs
Factorial Design Variations
Randomized Block Designs
Covariance Designs
Hybrid Experimental Designs
Quasi-Experimental Design
The Nonequivalent Groups Design
The Regression-Discontinuity Design
Other Quasi-Experimental Designs
Relationships Among Pre-Post Designs
Designing Designs for Research
Advances in Quasi-Experimentation
Analysis
Conclusion Validity
Threats to Conclusion Validity
Improving Conclusion Validity
Statistical Power
Data Preparation
Descriptive Statistics
Correlation
Inferential Statistics
The t-Test
Dummy Variables
General Linear Model
Posttest-Only Analysis
Factorial Design Analysis
Randomized Block Analysis
Analysis of Covariance
Nonequivalent Groups Analysis
Regression-Discontinuity Analysis
Regression Point Displacement Analysis
Write-Up
Key Elements
Formatting
Sample Paper
Appendices
Citing the KB
Order the KB
Copyright Notice
Search
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