Unit 12: Variables. In RQs and HYs
54 RQs – Definition, Fact, Association, Causation
The next two chapters are about research questions and hypotheses. Specifically, they talk about different types of research questions and hypotheses. Research questions can help define things and establish facts. Both RQs and HYs can involve association and causation.
Should you believe it?
The criteria for establishing causality are good things to pay attention to in this unit. This is where you’re likely see a lot of violation between any given primary research and the popular press source applying that research to make a point.
Don’t fall asleep before you get to the discussion of directionality in hypotheses. It’s one of those things that seems so simple, but requires some of that Healthy External Skepticism.
I will admit that this is potentially not terribly exciting stuff. So in the lecture video, I reference a game. You can find it here.
[and now for your regularly scheduled student textbook authors]
Learning Objectives
What is a research question?
RQs – Definition, Fact, Association, Causation
What is a Research Question?
Research questions are composed of variables and each variable has a unique relationship to the RQ. These relationships could include an association, causation, definition, or a fact. Each are defined below.
Research questions (and Hypotheses) should be specific, focused, actually able to be answered, and about questions that haven’t already been answered. Check out this reference
Definition- A research question that seeks to define something.
Example: How do students use cell phones?
A research question of definition seeks to clarify or define a concept, term, or phenomenon. These questions aim to establish a clear understanding of what something is, often by exploring its characteristics, components, or boundaries.
- “What constitutes effective communication in virtual teams?”
- “How do social media platforms define user engagement?”
- “What are the key elements of digital literacy?”
There’s generally a single variable.
Fact- A research question that seeks to know if something has happened or if something is going to change
Example: Do people use cellphones as a form of communication?
“Over the last few decades, there has been a proliferation of research into what constitutes effective crisis communication across diverse disciplines such as emergency management, social and behavioural sciences, health, education and security and communication (Cheng, 2018; Coombs, 2015; Eriksson, 2018). ”
Association*- means they are related, but one does not cause another.
Example: Are bad grades and cell phone use in class related?
*you’ll usually hear this described as “correlation”
A research question of association seeks to explore the relationship between two+ variables.
From: Social media: Connecting and sharing in a bushfire crisis
Causation- means there is a direct relationship of cause. It follows an A causes B model.
A research question of causation can be tricky because by the time we (scholars) are ready to tackle cause and effect, we’re ready for a hypothesis. You can read more here about more interpretive approaches to causation:
Textbook Contribution: Julia, Rob, Grace, Katelyn Group 4 (2019)
Aside: I (DocMC) got a ring light somewhere between Units 9 and 10 and reviewing all the videos …well…I am not convinced that the ring light is a positive addition. Is it just me or does it make my skin look somewhat cartoonified? Or perhaps my health has taken an extreme turn for the worse…and these videos actually feature a cadaver. Very “Weekend at Bernies.”
Games from this video are in a separate chapter so that they don’t make this one an endless scroll.
- Spurious: Shows a relationship between two things that does not prove it. Two variables could be independent from each other but may SEEM like they are distinctly related. Use of this word is most fun if you say it like a pirate. Spuuuuurios! ↵
seeks to define something