POL 2156 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Operationalization, Hypothesis
24 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Research Design & Causal Models
The study of design and logic in research
Objectives:
● Know the 8 Steps of Research design
● Understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative research
● Construct visual diagrams of your research structure
● Recognize the influence of paradigms and schools of thought throughout the research
process
Step 1: Question - Nature of research
- Types of Qualitative questions:
- Exploratory (“What”)
- Descriptive (“Who”, “where”,
“when” & “how”)
- Explanatory (“How”)
Step 2: Hypothesize - Purpose of research
- Qualitative:
- To describe and explain
- To explore and interpret
- To build on a theory
- Quantitative:
- To explain and predict
- To confirm and validate
- To test theory
Step 3: Conceptual Definitions - Nature of the
research process
- Quantitative:
- Focused
- Variables are known
- Guidelines are established (9
rules)
- Static design
- Context-free
- Detached view
- Qualitative:
- Holistic
- Unknown variables
- Flexible guidelines
- Emergent design
- Context-bound
- Personal view
Step 4: Variables and Indicators - Operationalization of the research
Upon precisely defining your variables and indicators, diagram a Causal Model to show how
you will prove your hypothesis
Causal Models
- A way to identify a problem's cause by modelling the cause effect relations
- Stats can only explain strength, not direction of relations
- Researcher puts forth a direction of causality and justifies it using theories/principles
- BASIC and SIMPLE EXTENDED
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The study of design and logic in research. Know the 8 steps of research design. Understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative research. Construct visual diagrams of your research structure. Recognize the influence of paradigms and schools of thought throughout the research process. Step 3: conceptual definitions - nature of the research process. Step 4: variables and indicators - operationalization of the research. Upon precisely defining your variables and indicators, diagram a causal model to show how you will prove your hypothesis. A way to identify a problem"s cause by modelling the cause effect relations. Stats can only explain strength, not direction of relations. Researcher puts forth a direction of causality and justifies it using theories/principles. Begin with the hypothesis and set out. Observe the world and develop to test them conclusively in the real world generalizations and form conclusions. Social behaviour is studied under the basis of struggles between two or more parties.
