Describe briefly the basic components involved in the research process
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
The research
process described in the following section is a very generalised model of
carrying out research. In reality, the processis much less'neat', and you will
generally find that you will not usually follow the processstage by stage,but
will often move continually back and forth between the elements, or carry out
two o.r mor~ of .the eleme.nts.concurrently, especially if you are undertaking
a more Inter~, etative or qualitative study. Although different models of the
research processexist, each containing different numbers of stages,most include
the same general elements. The research process that we will refer to consists
of eight elements (Figure 3.1). It is important to remember that these are not
isolated, discrete stages, but are actually part ~f one overall process. As we
said earlier, it may also be the case that for cert~,n methodological
approaches the order of the stages may be som~wha~ different; lor example a
qualitative research project may involve a continual Integration of reviewing
the literature and data collection. Alternatively, a grounded approach (see
Chapter 7) will generally involve data collection at a
Step 1: Identify the Problem
The
first step in the process is to identify a problem or develop a research
question. The research problem may be something the agency identifies as a
problem, some knowledge or information that is needed by the agency, or the
desire to identify a recreation trend nationally. In the example in table 2.4,
the problem that the agency has identified is childhood obesity, which is a
local problem and concern within the community. This serves as the focus of the
study.
Step 2: Review the Literature
Now
that the problem has been identified, the researcher must learn more about the
topic under investigation. To do this, the researcher must review the
literature related to the research problem. This step provides foundational
knowledge about the problem area. The review of literature also educates the
researcher about what studies have been conducted in the past, how these
studies were conducted, and the conclusions in the problem area. In the obesity
study, the review of literature enables the programmer to discover horrifying
statistics related to the long-term effects of childhood obesity in terms of
health issues, death rates, and projected medical costs. In addition, the
programmer finds several articles and information from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention that describe the benefits of walking 10,000 steps a
day. The information discovered during this step helps the programmer fully
understand the magnitude of the problem, recognize the future consequences of
obesity, and identify a strategy to combat obesity (i.e., walking).
Step 3: Clarify the Problem
Many
times the initial problem identified in the first step of the process is too
large or broad in scope. In step 3 of the process, the researcher clarifies the
problem and narrows the scope of the study. This can only be done after the
literature has been reviewed. The knowledge gained through the review of
literature guides the researcher in clarifying and narrowing the research
project. In the example, the programmer has identified childhood obesity as the
problem and the purpose of the study. This topic is very broad and could be
studied based on genetics, family environment, diet, exercise, self-confidence,
leisure activities, or health issues. All of these areas cannot be investigated
in a single study; therefore, the problem and purpose of the study must be more
clearly defined. The programmer has decided that the purpose of the study is to
determine if walking 10,000 steps a day for three days a week will improve the
individual's health. This purpose is more narrowly focused and researchable
than the original problem.
Step 4: Clearly Define Terms and
Concepts
Terms
and concepts are words or phrases used in the purpose statement of the study or
the description of the study. These items need to be specifically defined as
they apply to the study. Terms or concepts often have different definitions
depending on who is reading the study. To minimize confusion about what the
terms and phrases mean, the researcher must specifically define them for the
study. In the obesity study, the concept of “individual's health” can be
defined in hundreds of ways, such as physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual
health. For this study, the individual's health is defined as physical health.
The concept of physical health may also be defined and measured in many ways.
In this case, the programmer decides to more narrowly define “individual
health” to refer to the areas of weight, percentage of body fat, and
cholesterol. By defining the terms or concepts more narrowly, the scope of the
study is more manageable for the programmer, making it easier to collect the
necessary data for the study. This also makes the concepts more understandable
to the reader.
Step 5: Define the Population
Research
projects can focus on a specific group of people, facilities, park development,
employee evaluations, programs, financial status, marketing efforts, or the
integration of technology into the operations. For example, if a researcher
wants to examine a specific group of people in the community, the study could
examine a specific age group, males or females, people living in a specific
geographic area, or a specific ethnic group. Literally thousands of options are
available to the researcher to specifically identify the group to study. The
research problem and the purpose of the study assist the researcher in
identifying the group to involve in the study. In research terms, the group to
involve in the study is always called the population. Defining the population
assists the researcher in several ways. First, it narrows the scope of the
study from a very large population to one that is manageable. Second, the
population identifies the group that the researcher's efforts will be focused
on within the study. This helps ensure that the researcher stays on the right
path during the study. Finally, by defining the population, the researcher
identifies the group that the results will apply to at the conclusion of the
study. In the example in table 2.4, the programmer has identified the
population of the study as children ages 10 to 12 years. This narrower
population makes the study more manageable in terms of time and resources.
Step 6: Develop the Instrumentation
Plan
The
plan for the study is referred to as the instrumentation plan. The
instrumentation plan serves as the road map for the entire study, specifying
who will participate in the study; how, when, and where data will be collected;
and the content of the program. This plan is composed of numerous decisions and
considerations that are addressed in chapter 8 of this text. In the obesity
study, the researcher has decided to have the children participate in a walking
program for six months. The group of participants is called the sample, which
is a smaller group selected from the population specified for the study. The
study cannot possibly include every 10- to 12-year-old child in the community,
so a smaller group is used to represent the population. The researcher develops
the plan for the walking program, indicating what data will be collected, when
and how the data will be collected, who will collect the data, and how the data
will be analyzed. The instrumentation plan specifies all the steps that must be
completed for the study. This ensures that the programmer has carefully thought
through all these decisions and that she provides a step-by-step plan to be
followed in the study.
Step 7: Collect Data
Once
the instrumentation plan is completed, the actual study begins with the
collection of data. The collection of data is a critical step in providing the
information needed to answer the research question. Every study includes the
collection of some type of data—whether it is from the literature or from
subjects—to answer the research question. Data can be collected in the form of
words on a survey, with a questionnaire, through observations, or from the
literature. In the obesity study, the programmers will be collecting data on
the defined variables: weight, percentage of body fat, cholesterol levels, and
the number of days the person walked a total of 10,000 steps during the class.
The
researcher collects these data at the first session and at the last session of
the program. These two sets of data are necessary to determine the effect of
the walking program on weight, body fat, and cholesterol level. Once the data
are collected on the variables, the researcher is ready to move to the final
step of the process, which is the data analysis.
Step 8: Analyze the Data
All
the time, effort, and resources dedicated to steps 1 through 7 of the research
process culminate in this final step. The researcher finally has data to
analyze so that the research question can be answered. In the instrumentation
plan, the researcher specified how the data will be analyzed. The researcher
now analyzes the data according to the plan. The results of this analysis are
then reviewed and summarized in a manner directly related to the research
questions. In the obesity study, the researcher compares the measurements of
weight, percentage of body fat, and cholesterol that were taken at the first
meeting of the subjects to the measurements of the same variables at the final
program session. These two sets of data will be analyzed to determine if there
was a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement for
each individual in the program. Then, the data will be analyzed to determine if
the differences are statistically significant. If the differences are
statistically significant, the study validates the theory that was the focus of
the study. The results of the study also provide valuable information about one
strategy to combat childhood obesity in the community.
As
you have probably concluded, conducting studies using the eight steps of the
scientific research process requires you to dedicate time and effort to the
planning process. You cannot conduct a study using the scientific research
process when time is limited or the study is done at the last minute.
Researchers who do this conduct studies that result in either false conclusions
or conclusions that are not of any value to the organization.
