research and sampling

Question 1

types of research

Answer 1

Surveys (questionnaires or interviews, normative)
Developmental Studies
Case studies
Observational Research
Correlational Research
Epidemiological Research

Question 2

what’s a survey?

Answer 2

Technique of descriptive research that seeks to determine present practices or opinions of a specified population

Question 3

what’s a normative survey?

Answer 3

method that involves establishing norms for abilities, performances, beliefs and attitudes.

Question 4

what effects an normative survey?

Answer 4

Test selection
Standardisation of testing procedures
Representative sample – needs to be good enough to draw norms from it

Question 5

what’s a developmental study?

Answer 5

Usually deals with the growth and development of humans over time (Baumgartner and Hensley, 2006, p.180)
Can be longitudinal or cross-sectional

Question 6

what’s a longitudinal study?

Answer 6

observations on same sample at different times/ overtime

Question 7

what’s a cross sectional study?

Answer 7

observations on one or more different samples at the same times

Question 8

disadvantages of longitudinal

Answer 8

1. Subject mortality- people drop out- are the people you’re left with representative?- different characteristic
2. Time and cost
3. Participants may become not representative as they become more familiar with the repeated measurements

Question 9

disadvantages of cross sectional

Answer 9

Don’t know if the groups are the same/standardised- lacks cause and effect

Question 10

what’s a case study?

Answer 10

A form of descriptive in which a single case is studies in depth to reach a greater understanding about similar cases (much more data)
Whereas the survey obtains a rather limited amount of information abut many participants, the case study gathers a large amount of information about one or a few participants (Baumgartner and Hensley, 2006, p.180)

Question 11

disadvantage of case study

Answer 11

-Drawing inferences about a population from a case study is just not possible (Thomas et al., 2015)
-Low external validity (i.e. low generalisability)

Question 12

observational research

Answer 12

Establishing objectivity, validity and reliability of the observations.
Does the presence of the observer influence the behaviour (in other words, low external validity = low generalisability).

Question 13

what’s correlational research?

Answer 13

‘Research that explores relationships amongst variables and that sometimes involves the prediction of a criterion variable’ (Thomas et al., 2015, p. 317)

Question 14

what’s Epidemiological Research:

Answer 14

“the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems”
(Last, 1988, p.141)
The study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why.

Question 15

what’s a cohort study?

Answer 15

a type of longitudinal study…

Question 16

what’s an example of a cohort study?

Answer 16

A research study that compares a particular outcome (such as lung cancer) in groups of individuals who are alike in many ways but differ by a certain characteristic (for example, female nurses who smoke compared with those who do not smoke).

Question 17

what’s issues of Epidemiological Research?

Answer 17

• not ‘cause and effect’
• Inability to control variables
  -Possibility to infer causation, if:
  Strength of association is high
  Consistency of association is repeatedly shown (e.g. in different populations)
  -Dose-response relationship (i.e. higher dosage, higher response)

Question 18

what’s a population?

Answer 18

‘A group of people, places or things that have a least one common characteristic.’ (Vincent and Weir, 2012).

Question 19

what’s a sample?

Answer 19

A portion or a fraction (a sample) of the population.

We then make inferences from the findings from the sample back to the population…

Question 20

why use a sample?

Answer 20

population:
Population too large
Too costly
Too time-consuming
Too impossible!

Question 21

what’s a representative population?

Answer 21

“a sample or subgroup of a population that is similar to the population on the characteristics of interest”
(Baumgartner and Hensley, 2006, p. 117)

Question 22

what’s a biased sample?

Answer 22

“Not representative of a population” – problem!!
(Hall and Getchell, 2014, p.177)

Question 23

biased sample results in…

Answer 23

not representative of population, low external validity

Question 24

research is…

Answer 24

…a systematic attempt to find solutions to a problem or to answer a question (Baumgartner and Hensley, 2006; p6)

Question 25

methods of sampling:

Answer 25

Simple, random sample Stratified random sample Systematic sample Cluster sample Convenience sample

Question 26

random sample:

Answer 26

Procedure for the selection of participants for a study that provides an equal chance of selection for all members of the population” (Hall and Getchell, 2014, p. 176)

Question 27

example of random sample

Answer 27

choose the names of 25 employees out of a hat from a company of 250 employees.

Question 28

stratified random sampling

Answer 28

“The population is divided (stratified) on the basis of some characteristic before random selection of the sample” (Thomas et al., 2015, p. 106)

Question 29

example of stratified random sampling

Answer 29

If there are 10,000 customers, the company may choose 100 of those customers as a random sample. It can then apply what it finds from those 100 customers to the rest of its base. With stratified random sampling, those 100 customers would be divided into strata based on age, income, or other characteristics.

Question 30

systematic sampling:

Answer 30

“Procedure for the selection of participants in a study in which every nth individual on a list is selected.” (Hall and Getchell, 2014, p.176)

Question 31

example of systematic sampling

Answer 31

The university has a population of 10,000 students and I want a sample of 200 students Population = 10,000 Sample = 200 Population / Sample = 10,000 / 200 = 50 I would take every 50th name on the list.

Question 32

cluster sample

Answer 32

Instead of sampling individuals from the population, “clusters” are randomly sampled.

Question 33

example of cluster sample

Answer 33

E.g. school children is your population. An individual school might be a cluster and you randomly select schools and test each pupil in the school.

Question 34

what's a sampling frame?

Answer 34

- The accessible population from which the sample is drawn (Baumgartner and Hensley, 2006). In simple terms, the list of everyone in your target population Using random sampling methods is often unrealistic because the feasibility of getting a sampling frame with everyone's name on and them taking part is…well, small!!

Question 35

convenience sampling

Answer 35

“selecting the research participants on the basis of being accessible and convenient to the researcher” (Baumgartner and Hensley, 2006, p. 124) Remember: convenient but not random

Question 36

what's the order of the types of studies on the pyramid of evidence

Answer 36

Systematic review and meta-analyses Randomized controlled trials Cohort studies Case control studies Cross-sectional studies Case report/in vitro evidence /animal studies Anecdotes/experience/traditional knowledge

Question 37

what's the scientific method?

Answer 37

“Highly structured, sequential series of steps for conducting a scientific research study” (Hall and Getchell, 2014, p. 6)

Question 38

steps of the scientific method

Answer 38

Identify the question Formulate a hypothesis Develop a research plan Data collection Interpreting results and forming conclusions

Question 39

what can you identify a question from ?

Answer 39

Developed from theory Reasoned from other investigations From professional practice- 'noticed that my athletes..' From personal experience

Question 40

a theory is...

Answer 40

An explanation of observed regularities or, more simply, what is known in a particular domain. (Bryman, 2008) *knowledge of the subject area is vital!

Question 41

the research hypothesis is...

Answer 41

“The anticipated outcome of a study or experiment” (Thomas et al., 2011, p. 12)

Question 42

4 types of research

Answer 42

Experimental Descriptive Qualitative Analytical

Question 43

experimental research:

Answer 43

All techniques involve manipulating variables (independent) to study the effect on other variables of interest (dependent), whilst holding other intervening variables constant (control). It attempts to establish “why” something happens (i.e., cause and effect).

Question 44

descriptive research:

Answer 44

“Describes a particular phenomenon, focusing upon the issue of what is happening, rather than why it is happening”(Gratton and Jones, 2004; p6) “Although descriptive research is not equipped to answer “why” questions, it can help us answer “what”, “who”, “when” and “where” questions” (Mitchell and Jolley, 2007; p163)

Question 45

how to get better research?

Answer 45

peer review!!

Question 46

what's peer review?

Answer 46

Peer review is the process where experts from a specific field or discipline evaluate the quality of a peer's research.

Question 47

independent variable?

Answer 47

variable that is changed/ manipulated to measure its effect

Question 48

dependent variable?

Answer 48

what you are measuring