Isadore Newman, Ph.D.

Transcription

1 Three Examples of the Consistency Between the Title, Purpose, Problem and Hypotheses for A Quantitative Research Study Isadore Newman, Ph.D. A good dissertation or manuscript has three basic characteristics, regardless of the topic. These common characteristics are: consistency between the components, a logical trail of evidence, and transparency, which is a clear presentation of how the data were selected, collected, coded, analyzed and interpreted. The thread that ties these characteristics together is consistency, which ensures that the warrants provide reasonable or adequate evidence and the conclusions are justifiable and make sense to the reader (Newman & Newman, 2011). The following are guidelines for the development of research studies that will enhance their scholarliness. They emphasize the importance of having consistency between the title, the purpose, the problem and the research hypotheses of the study being described. There must also be consistency among these elements and the research design, the statistical analyses and the discussion, conclusions and implications. The following is a brief discussion of four of the major components: the Title, Purpose, Problem, General Hypotheses. Each will be briefly discussed below and examples of each will be presented. Title: A title needs to capture the researchers intent and make clear to the reader what to expect in the manuscript. It is an advanced organizer. Even though one generally begins with a title in mind, it usually changes through an iterative procss throughout the writing, as the researcher continually reevaluates the title to ensure that it remains consistent with the purpose and the problem as the work develops. A well-written title can be thought of as a summary of the summary, in that it conceptualizes and captures the essence of the manuscript. It should contain key words that are likely to facilitate research searches so that anyone interested in that study can locate it when they search for their key words or concepts. Examples of titles that capture the intent of the work are: The Development of Rating Scales to Measure the Quality of Pre-School Literacy Environments: A Validity Study (Lindemer, 2006); Teacher Trust In Building Principals: A Contextual Relationship to School Climate in K-4 Buildings, (Goudy, 2005); Selected Aspects of Impulsivity and Their Relationship to Juvenile Delinquency, (Avolio, 1982); and The Relationship Between Maternal Employment and Psychological Constructs: Self Concept and Family Orientation, (Goodwin, 1985). Each of these titles clearly informs the reader of the focus (Purpose) and scope (Problem) of the study. Purpose: The purpose deals with the WHY of the study, answering the sowhat question and explaining the importance of the study. Sometimes the term purpose is used interchangeably when discussing the study s need and/or significance. This discussion is usually connected to relevant literature, demonstrating analytical thinking about the previous research and using the literature to build arguments and warrants for the research being submitted for publication. Frequently, methods books, such as the one writen by Johnson and Christensen (2000) have decribed Purpose as follows: In most studies the problem statement tends to

2 be stated as the purpose of the research study. Regardless of whether you make an exact statement of the research problem or a statement of the purpose of the research, this statement needs to be made because making it ensures that you have a good grasp of the specific problem you wish to investigate. Providing the specifications of the study s purpose at the outset also has the advantage of guiding the research process. (p. 47) This is also discussed by Newman, Ridenour, Newman and DeMarco (2003) in The Typology of Research Purposes and Its Relationshop to Mixed Methods. When Maxwell and Loomis (2003) discuss purpose they suggest asking, Why is the study worth doing? The purposes can be personal, practical or intellectual. All three kinds of purposes influence the rest of the research design. (p. 245). Whether Purpose is presented as the WHY (as suggested here) or the WHAT, it is important to include both the WHY and the WHAT and to be consistent with how the terms are being used. In this presentation, the Purpose is describing the WHY, (the need, the justification or importance of the study), and the Problem is the WHAT the research is going to do (the objective and/or goals.) An introductory literature review is used to support the need (the Purpose-the Why) of the study. A well-written review adds credibility of the researcher by informing the reader that the researcher is knowledgeable about what has been done and is adding to the body of the literature. The literature review gets expanded in the body of the paper to build additional links to classical studies, relevant works and theory. A strong recommendation is that the researcher takes the time to read the primary sources that support the need for the current research. In a similar manner, one can use theories to support the research by linking the theory to the research questions and the need. If someone asks, Why is it worthwhile to do this study? the purpose statement would be the answer. If a compelling answer cannot be provided, the study probably should be abandoned or reconceptualized before it is carried out and submitted for publication. In simple terms, the Purpose explains WHY the study is needed. The WHY can be explained based upon empirical arguments and/or theoretical needs. It should be made clear how the study makes a contribution to the field. An example of types of purposes can be found in Newman, Ridenour, Newman, & DeMarco, Jr. (2003), where they present at least nine purposes for doing research. These purposes can be related to: 1) improving prediction; 2) increasing the knowledge base; 3) having a social, organizational or institutional impact; 4) measuring change or improvement; 5) helping one understand complex phenomena; 6) testing and evaluating new ideas and theories; 7) generating new hypotheses and theories; 8) informing multiple stakeholders; and 9) understanding past events. The following is an example of a statement of purpose that was constructed to justify the need for the development of a rating scale to measure the quality of literacy in preschool classroom environments (Lindemer, 2006). At the time of this study there were minimal or no validity estimates reported on (scales) that had good psychometric estimates (to assess preschool literacy environments) (page 7) Obviously, this is a statement of a need that existed in the field of early literacy development and presents a reason WHY this study will add to the body of knowledge. Lindemer also states, the quality of preschool literacy instruction is crucial to children s later academic success. This is an additional statement of the need for her research. She explains that, There is a need to provide quality literacy experiences

3 Preschool is a vital time for literacy learning Preschool literacy development is complex and requires knowledgeable educators in order to foster optimal literacy development. Lindemer then references Hallahan and Kauffman (2005), as support for her contention that it is important to look at the learning environment to improve students learning. She does this by quoting Hallahan and Kauffman (2005), often problems in achievement are directed at a child, regarding his or her lack of learning instead of focusing on the implications of the learning environment. This is an example of how one researcher justified the need for her study, was able to use current literature to support her argument and was able to answer the question of why the study was needed. More specifically, in this case she demonstrated why there was a need for the development of a reliable and valid instrument to measure preschool literacy environments. As was demonstrated in the above example, the WHY should be supported with relevant literature that helps to make the case for the need to conduct the research. As can be seen, this is also consistent with her title, The Development of A Rating Scale to Measure the Quality of Preschool Literacy Environments: A Validity Study. The following is another example of a Purpose from Goudy s (2005) dissertation: Teacher Trust In Building Principals: A Contextual Relationship to School Climate in K-4 Buildings. This example provides another illustration of consistency between Title and Purpose. Purpose. The underlying premise of this study suggests that patterns of school climate as measured by the school climate surey of the National Association of Secondary School Principals could be predicted by faculty trust in their principal as measured by the Omnibus Trust Survey. Thus, it is assumed that faculty trust in the principal would be directly related to the leadership behavior of the principal and that faculty trust in colleagues would be directly related to the open and supportive interactions among teachers Trust is a critical ingrediant of all human learning (Rotter, 1967; Deutsch, 1959; Hoy, 1991; and Tshannen-Moran, 2001) Although the discussion implies that climate promotes trust, it also is likely that trust facilitaties the development of openness. These are ingredients that are necessary in an effective learning environment. Trust is an integral element of pattern-maintence (Pearson, 1960) therefore it is reasonable to expect that those elements of school climate that are inherently expressive in character will be associated with trust (Hoy & Forsyth, 1987). The more positive climate results in a reduction of discipline issues, higher student achievement, and improved teacher job satisfaction (Shortt & Thayer, 1999).The concept of trust allows individuals to focus on tasks at hand and to work and learn more effectively. A consequence of trust, productive relationships, builds effective schools (Hoy & Coopersmith, 1985). Problem The problem explains WHAT the researcher will do to carryout the study. It follows the Purpose, and therefore it tells WHAT is going to be done to address the identified need. To some extent, it presents the objectives of the study.

4 To continue with the above example, Lindemer indicates the Problem was, to develop an evaluation scale that measures the quality of the literacy environment in preschool center-based programs and gather validity estimates for this scale. The types of validity estimates include: content, expert judge and concurrent validity. This is an example of the problem of her study. It informs the reader WHAT she will be doing to address the stated need and it is consistent with the Purpose and Title, which is, The Development of A Rating Scale To Measure The Quality Of Preschool Literacy Environments: A Validity Study. An example of a Problem statement from Goudy s dissertation also shows consistency between the Title and the Purpose. This study investigated the relationship between teacher perceptions of school climate and teacher trust in building principals. The process is iterative. The researcher must look at the Purpose and the Problem and make sure they align. Then the researcher should go back to the Title and make sure the Purpose and Problem are reflected in the Title. In some cases the Title may change or the Purpose or Problem may change. The key is CONSISTENCY between the Title, Purpose, Problem and the Research Hypotheses. General Research Hypotheses The research hypotheses directly follow from the Problem and should clearly reflect the statement of the problem. For example, if the problem statement says, This study will investigate the difference between males and females on self-efficacy. (that is WHAT the study is going to do), the general research hypothesis might say, There is a difference between males and females on self-efficacy. This becomes expanded under the design section, where there is the potential to list a number of specific research hypotheses that further assess the general question and that are tied to the specific statistical techniques. For example, specific research questions tied to the above general question might add statements such as, There is a difference between males and females on self-efficacy independent of age, There is a difference between males and females on self-efficacy independent of education, There is a difference between males and females on self-efficacy independent of years in school, etc. Once again, the consistency between the Title, Purpose, Problem and the Research Hypotheses is necessary for good research. An example of one of the research hypotheses in Goudy s dissertation, is; There is a relationship between teacher trust in the principal and teacher overall perceptions of school climate as measured by NASSP. If one looks at the Title, the Purpose (the WHY, need, significance of the study), the Problem (the WHAT the researcher is investigating) and Hypotheses, which are derived from the problem, one should see the consistency that exists among each of the elements. A final example, is from Avolio (1982), who s dissertation is entitled, Selected Aspects of Impulsivity and Their Relationship to Juvenile Delinquency. Her Purpose was stated as: While it is possible that deliquents as a whole are more impulsive than nondeliquent populations it is unrealistic to assume that all deliquents are highly

5 impulsive when compared to nondeliquent populations.due to past research the impact of impulsivity contribution to juvenile deliquency remains unclear (Saunders, et al. 1973). The need for research of this type is clear. If the counselor has the tools and knowledge to properly assess the person whose style of behavior is dominated by impulsivity, he is provided with valuable information in at least two ways The Problem (WHAT) statement was This study systematically examined factors of impulsivity and their relationship to juvenile deliquency.there are many measures of the concept of impulsivity. A factor analysis of these various scales indicates they do not measure the same thing.the present study attempted to correct these methological errors in the following manner. An example of one of the General Research Hypotheses that flowed from the Problem statement is: Knowledge of total impulsivity (Impulse control, risk taking, and delay of gratification) will account for a significant amount of variance in predicting the type of crime committed. Once again, one should be able to see the consistency between the Title, Purpose, Problem and the Research Hypothesis. References Avolio, B. (1982). Selected aspects of impulsivity and their relationship to juvenile delinquency. (Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 1982). Goodwin, P. (1985). The relationship between maternal employment and the psychological constructs: Self-concept and family orientation. (Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 1985). Goudy, R. (2005). Teacher trust in building principals: A contextual relationship to school climate in K-4 buildings. (Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 2005). Johnson and Christensen (2000). Educational research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Lindemer, C. (2006). The development of a rating scale to measure the quality of preschool literacy environments: A validity study. (Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 2006) Maxwell and Loomis (2003). Mixed methods design: An alternative approach. In Abbas Tashakkori & Charles Teddie (Eds.). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research, Sage Publications.

6 Newman, I. & Newman, C. (2011). Elements of a publishable quantitative manuscript. In Demystifying the Writing and Publishing Process: A guide for emerging scholars. Tonette Rocco and Tim Hatcher, Eds. Jossey Bass Press. Newman, I., Ridenour, C., Newman, C., & DeMarco, Jr. G. (2003). A typology of research purposes and its relationship to mixed methods. In Abbas Tashakkori & Charles Teddie (Eds.). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research, Sage Publications.