Chapter 3A: Selecting a Problem and Reviewing the Research

D O T SConnecting the

Bonnie Green, Clayton Jolley, Kelly Jones & Lateshia Warren

Selecting a ProblemoFirst...oSecond...oFatal Errors• Falling in love with your idea• Sticking with the first idea• Doing something trivial• Don’t bite off more than you can chew• Don’t do what has already been done

Selecting a ProblemI

Selecting a ProblemoPersonal experience and first hand

knowledge

oLooking for research questions that reflect the next step in the research process

oYou may have to come up with a question for class or to meet a deadline

Defining Your InterestII

Selecting a Problem

…and what to do with them

Select a topic of interest and go to the body of literature

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas…III

Selecting a Problem

From Table 3A

Idea - Research Question - Hypothesis

IV

Research Interest or Idea

Research Problem or Question

Research Hypothesis

Open Classroom and Academic Success

What is the effect of open verses traditional classrooms on reading level?

Children who are taught reading in an open classroom setting will read at a higher grade level than children who are taught reading in a traditional setting.

Selecting a ProblemoGeneral

SourcesoSecondary

SourcesoPrimary

Sources

Reviewing the LiteratureV

Selecting a Problemo What does a research article look like?

o If you are not sure, ask the experts!o Faculty Adviserso Subject Librarians

o Criteria for judging a research study o Review of previous researcho Relevancy of problem & purposeo Clear, testable hypothesiso Method clearly defined & feasibleo Does the sample represent the population?o Are the results related to the hypothesis & review of literatureo Current & reputable referenceso Clearly written report

Reading & Evaluating Research

VI

Selecting a Problem Research Like A ScholarVII

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArIj236UHs

Selecting a Problem Electronic Research ToolsVII

oDatabases vs. Interneto Search EnginesoKeywords, Boolean logicoAdvanced Search OptionsoGoogle: Features, Tabs, AdvancedoGoogle ScholaroOther Search Engineso Library Resources

Selecting a Problem

Bibliographic Database Programs

VIII

o Tools to Manage Referenceso Import, Export, Store, Organize, Cite

o Citation, EndNote, ProCite, Biblioscapeo Zotero (free and easy to use)o RefWorks (subscription provided by Mercer)

Selecting a Problem

Research Activities, The Internet, and the WWWIX

o Network – computers and other devices connected in order to share resources

o Email (and SMS) o News groups subscriptions

o Today = RSS feeds, Blogs and News siteso Wikis

o World Wide Web o Browserso Serverso URLo Domain o Data no longer = text (images, video & the Invisible Web)

Selecting a Problem Six Hints for Writing the Literature Review

X

• Read other literature reviews• Create a unified theme• Use a system to organize materials• Work from an outline• Build bridges between elements• Practice your writing!

Selecting a Problem ReflectionsX

oWriting a quality research paper requires:oPassionoKnowledgeoPerseveranceoPatienceoIntegrity

Selecting a Problemo Select a problemoDefine your interestsoCreate a research questionoReview & evaluate previous researchoWrite the review of literature

Let’s Connect the D O T S

Selecting a Problem and Reviewing the Research

C

ReferencesSalkind, N.J. (2009). Exploring research. (7th edition). New Jersey: Pearson.

Pictures from Google Images

H A P T E R 3 A