Description
- Create an appropriate testable hypothesis for the following general question. Be sure (a) it fits all the requirements of writing a good hypothesis (except the link to theory); (b) write a list identifying the “concepts,” the “independent variable,” the “dependent variable,” and “attributes;” (c) provide operational definitions for the variables and attributes, as needed; and (d) write the null hypothesis.
Does a paid paternity leave from work have any effect on how strongly children bond to their fathers by the time they are toddlers (two years old)?
- The following paragraph is a passage from a successful research proposal that received 500,000 dollars in foundation funding to conduct a largely interview-based national study of professional Reporters, Editors, and News Directors. Carefully read the paragraph and then answer the questions that follow it:
Each interviewer will follow a script included in the interview questionnaire designed for this project. Interviewees will be asked both closed and open-ended questions. This script provides a guarantee of confidentiality. The sample was designed to include individuals in specific types of positions, across specific types of organizations, from a representative set of locations; however, this information will not be trackable to individuals and particular organizations in the data. Interview data will be translated into numeric codes into codebooks that will not include person, affiliation or location. These codes indicate only position and type of organization. Only aggregate data is used. Reported and analyzed data cannot be tracked to any individual or to any specific organization. The fact that the data will be collected at a single point in time means that it is unnecessary to be able to follow-up with particular interviewees at a later date. Findings relate to the profession, as a whole, or by demographic statistical category, but not by any site or person. Data-entry personnel will receive only these codebooks with all identifiers omitted. When not in immediate use, all interview data and codebooks will be stored in locked files in the Principal Investigator’s office. All data entry takes place at Principal Investigator’s Office. No raw data leaves the office.
a) What is the PRIMARY purpose of the procedures described in the paragraph? Explain.
b) What section of the research proposal MOST DIRECTLY relates to this purpose? Explain.
c) Is the data collection referred to in the paragraph qualitative or quantitative or both? Explain.
d) What is the proposed time factor?
e) Is the data-collection proposed here direct or indirect?
f) Is the data collection proposed here obtrusive or unobtrusive?
g) According to the paragraph, does the researcher propose to analyze secondary data? Explain.