The sequence of steps used in the Interactive Research Methods Lab to drive you through the process of generating a research design, is based on the Hopscotch Model.
Hopscotch is a theoretical model and a webtool to help novice researchers generate solid and well-informed research designs in Social Sciences and Education. Click on the steps below to get access to multimedia resources that will help you make informed decisions when generating your research design:
Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
The very first step in the process of generating your research design has to do with defining who you are as a researcher. Researchers bring to their studies their particular way of understanding how things work in our world, and the way knowledge is constructed. The worldview of the researcher as well as his/her adscription to a particular Interpretive Community (if so) is going to have a deep impact in the decisions and inquiry procedures he/she will put in practice.
Guba (1990) describes a paradigm or worldview as "a basic set of beliefs that guide action.” That basic set of beliefs of the researcher is based on his ontological (What is the nature of reality?) and epistemological assumptions (What is the nature of knowledge and the relationship between the knower and the would-be known?). Therefore, how one views the constructs of social reality and knowledge affects how they will go about uncovering knowledge of relationships among phenomena and social behavior. Your ontological assumptions inform your epistemological assumptions which inform your methodology and these all give rise to your methods employed to collect data.
Read more
Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
Read more
Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
Access Library Guide on Education - Theories: Worldviews & Paradigms
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
The second step in the generation of your research design implies the definition of your research topic and the goals that will drive the study. Watch the following clip in order to understand the key aspects of defining a good research topic.
In addition to the information provided in the clip on the right side, please check the following resources that will be pf help to define your research topic.
Research topic structure
How to select a topic
Resources
Tutorial to develop a topic
How to Narrow down a topic
How to broaden a topic
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
Research topic structure
Defining and narrowing a topic is the first step of the research and reviewing the literature might help. For example, here is an illustration of the "Topic Structure & Development "
Example of the Final Research Topic: The impact of using interactive multimedia (you might add a specific type) on outcomes of high school students' active learning in the urban U.S schools social studies classrooms
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
How to select a topic
There are four key factors to consider to make sure that your topic is good enough to begin researching it: Interest: You should find your topic interesting enough to sustain long-standing interest for an extended period of time.Access to data: There are several important access questions to think about when identifying your research topic.- Can you physically access the locus of your research? - Are there gatekeepers who will be able to grant or deny you access? - Can you reach the people you need to interview, survey, or observe? - If you’re using documents or data that already exist, can you access the materials you need in archives, physically, or online?Knowledge: You should know something about the whole field surrounding your topic. You will expand your knowledge of the field through your literature review (in addition to the formal education and informal communication with the experts). Resources to support research/Time: Check available resources and supports for the whole research cycle. Be aware that some topics are well researched or the college has experts to provide support.
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
How to Narrow down a topic
If you are finding too much information, your research topic may be too BROAD. Consider narrowing it to a more specific:
Example
- Broad Topic: Teacher retention
- Narrower Topic:
The challenge of teacher retention in urban schools: Evidence of variation from a cross-site analysis
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
How to broaden a topic
If you are finding too little information, your topic may be too NARROW, specialized, or current. Use these strategies to broaden or modify your topic or concepts/variables.
ExampleNarrow Topic: Does cartoon viewing cause aggression in children under age five? Broader topic: What are the negative effects of TV on children and adolescents?
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
Resources to develop your research topic
- Defining a Topic (Sage Research Planner)
- SAGE Navigator: Social sciences literature review tool. Contains an overview of nearly 300 topics written by renowned academics, recommended works and an interactive chronology.
- Tutorial to help you to develop a research topic
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
The conceptual framework of your study is the system of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories that supports and informs your research. It is a formulation of what you think is going on with what you are studying—a tentative theory of what is happening and why.
Ravitch & Riggan (2017) define a conceptual framework as an argument about why the topic one wishes to study matters, and why the means proposed to study it are appropriate and rigorous. By argument, they mean that a conceptual framework is a series of sequenced, logical propositions the purpose of which is to ground the study and convince readers of the study’s importance and rigor. Arguments for why a study “matters” vary greatly in scale, depending on the audience.
In some scholarly work, the study may only matter to a small, esoteric community, but that does not change the fact that its conceptual framework should argue for its relevance within that community. By appropriate and rigorous, they mean that a conceptual framework should argue convincingly that: a) the research questions are an outgrowth of the argument for relevance; b) the research design maps onto the study goals, questions, and context(s); c) the data to be collected provide the researcher with the raw material needed to explore the research questions; and d) the analytic approach allows the researcher(s) to effectively address (if not always answer) those questions.
Read more
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
Click on the different components of the visual below to get more information on each component of a conceptual framework.
Tool to create a visual representation of the key elements of your conceptual framework
Tool to create a visual representation of your review of literature
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
1. Personal connection with the research topic
The following are questions that Ravitch & Riggan (2017) encourage us to explore in order to engage in a process of self-examination at the outset of your research and then iteratively throughout the research process.
- What is interesting to me and why? (In terms of my research topic)
- What personal and professional motivations do I have for engaging in this research? How might these motivations influence how I think about and approach the topic?
- What are my beliefs about the people, places, and ideas involved in and related to my study? Where do these beliefs come from?
- What assumptions underlie these beliefs?
- What orientations to the topic, setting, and concepts do I have?
- Where do these ideas come from?
- What is my sense of the relationship between the macro and micro sociopolitical circumstances in which people make meaning and choices in their lives?
- With respect to the participants in my study specifically?
- What is my "agenda" for taking up this topic in this setting at this time? (Having an agenda is not necessarily a bad thing. This may be the foundation of your argument!)
- What influences this agenda?
- What biases shape this agenda?
- How might my guiding agenda contribute, both positively and negatively, to my research design? Implementation? Analysis? Findings?
- What hunches do I have about what I might find and discover?
- What informs these hunches? What concerns, hopes, and expectations do I have for this research?
In addition to describing your personal connection with the research topic, in this stage you will have to re-think the paradigmatic view or worldview that you will be bringing to the study as a researcher.
Check resources for Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
2. Review of Literature
The third and main component of your conceptual framework will be the review of literature. Ravitch & Riggan (2017) propose two different sub-components in your literature review: a) Topical Research: Topical research refers to previous work (most often empirical) that has focused on the topic in which you are interested. While much of this work resides within academic journals and books, it may also be found in policy or government research, or in reports produced through foundations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations." b) Theoretical Frameworks: They understand a theoretical framework "as a set of formal theories and their relationships, that helps you to fill the intellectual bins that make up your conceptual framework."
If you are a KSU student reviewing the literature and building a conceptual- theoretical framework for a research study please consult the following guides and tutorials:
- Literature Review Design - Literature Review for a Dissertation: a step-by-step guide -How to locate scholarly articles -Searching Techniques -Advanced Searching for Research Literature
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
3. Problem Statement
"A problem well-defined is a problem half solved" John Dewey The problem statement should be both specific, explicit, well-developed and clearly expressed. It should guide all of the research that follows. The problem is what search is about and the purpose is why the research is conducted. The problem is in effect “the first proposition.” For example, one might conduct research on the relationship between certain teaching methods and the effectiveness of instruction (the problem) in order to increase the success of future instruction programs (the purpose). Perhaps the most common recommendation is that potential research problems might be found by conducting a review of the scholarly literature, which should provide in-depth knowledge of the topic. However, if the researcher seeks to eventually influence practice through research, then research problems should be grounded in the practice in the first place. Drawing from personal experience does not negate the need to rely on scholarly literature. In fact, the scholarly literature provides a frame from which the observant practitioner/researcher can tease out what problems might be of some importance
Template to generate a problem statement (by By Dr. Marilyn Simon)
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
4. Research Design
The research design of your study should be in alignment with the previous components of your conceptual framework. It is important to choose a research design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) that responds to who you are as a researcher, as well as to the nature of the topic under study. When building your conceptual framework, you will just have to select and justify the different research design that might work well for the study you are proposing. In step 4 of the process you will be able to describe in detail all the components of your study.
Check resources for step 4: Research Design
Read more
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
Resources
Step 4: Research Design
The fourth step in the process of developing a well-informed research design has to do with deciding the research tradition (qualitative) or research design (quantitative, mixed) that best responds to who you are as a researcher (paradigmatic view), and the nature of your research topic. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design you would like to generate:
Mixed Methods
Quantitative
Qualitataive
If you are a KSU student, you could also check the librarian's guides below to take advantage of numerous books, video tutorials, articles, and case studies that explain a variety of research designs and methods.
Visual Representations
Check
Main Research Designs
Check
Main Research Traditions
Check
Main Research Designs
Research Methods Guide
Narrative Research Phenomenology Phenomenography Ethnography Grounded Theory Case Study Action Research
Generate
A visual of your
Descriptive Correlational Pre-experimental Quasi-experimental Experimental
Covergent parallel Exploratory Sequential Explanatory Sequential Embedded
Qualitative Study Quantitative Study Mixed-Methods Study
Research Design Guide
Step 4: Research Design
Step 5: Research Questions
Your research questions—what you specifically want to learn or understand by doing your study—are at the heart of your research design (Maxwell, 2008). They connect all the components of your design. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Research Questions in Quantitative Studies
Research Questions in Qualitative Studies
Research Questions in Mixed-methods Studies
Guide to building research questions and hypotheses
Step 5: Research Questions in Qualitative Studies
Step 5: Research Questions in Quantitative Studies
Step 5: Research Questions in Mixed-methods Studies
Step 6: Data Collection
The sixth step in the process of developing a well-informed research design focuses on the data gathering methods you will be using in your study. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Data collection in Quantitative Studies
Data collection in Qualitative Studies
Data collection in Mixed-methods Studies
Read more
Step 6: Data Collection in qualitative studies
Step 6: Data Collection in quantitative studies
Step 6: Data Collection in mixed-methods studies
Step 7: Data Analysis
The seventh step in the process of developing a well-informed research design focuses on the data analysis techniques you will be using in your study. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Data analysis in Quantitative Studies
Data analysis in Qualitative Studies
Data analysis in Mixed-methods Studies
Read more
Step 7: Data Analysis in qualitative studies
Step 7: Data Analysis in quantitative studies
Step 7: Data Analysis in mixed-methods studies
Data analysis in mixed methods studies involves the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data (watch the clips below).
Data analysis in qualitative studies
Data analysis in quantitative studies
The following resources might be of help to better understand the way data analysis work in mixed methods research studies: -Analyzing mixed methods data (Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching) -Tips for quantitative analysis of data -Tips for qualitative analysis of data -Tools to analyze quantitative data -Tools to analyze qualitative data
Step 8: Trustworthiness/Validity
The eighth step in the process of developing a well-informed research design focuses on the strategies you will use to ensure the trustworthiness of your qualitative or the validity and reliability of your quantitative study. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Trustworthines in qualitative studies
Validity& reliability in quantitative studies
Step 9: Ethics
The final step in the process of generating a well-informed research design has to do with the definition of the ethical principles that will guide your research study. Research ethics provides guidelines for the responsible conduct of research. Also, it educates and monitors scientists research to ensure a high ethical standard.
Structure of the IRML
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Transcript
The sequence of steps used in the Interactive Research Methods Lab to drive you through the process of generating a research design, is based on the Hopscotch Model. Hopscotch is a theoretical model and a webtool to help novice researchers generate solid and well-informed research designs in Social Sciences and Education. Click on the steps below to get access to multimedia resources that will help you make informed decisions when generating your research design:
Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
The very first step in the process of generating your research design has to do with defining who you are as a researcher. Researchers bring to their studies their particular way of understanding how things work in our world, and the way knowledge is constructed. The worldview of the researcher as well as his/her adscription to a particular Interpretive Community (if so) is going to have a deep impact in the decisions and inquiry procedures he/she will put in practice.
Guba (1990) describes a paradigm or worldview as "a basic set of beliefs that guide action.” That basic set of beliefs of the researcher is based on his ontological (What is the nature of reality?) and epistemological assumptions (What is the nature of knowledge and the relationship between the knower and the would-be known?). Therefore, how one views the constructs of social reality and knowledge affects how they will go about uncovering knowledge of relationships among phenomena and social behavior. Your ontological assumptions inform your epistemological assumptions which inform your methodology and these all give rise to your methods employed to collect data.
Read more
Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
Read more
Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
Access Library Guide on Education - Theories: Worldviews & Paradigms
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
The second step in the generation of your research design implies the definition of your research topic and the goals that will drive the study. Watch the following clip in order to understand the key aspects of defining a good research topic.
In addition to the information provided in the clip on the right side, please check the following resources that will be pf help to define your research topic.
Research topic structure
How to select a topic
Resources
Tutorial to develop a topic
How to Narrow down a topic
How to broaden a topic
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
Research topic structure
Defining and narrowing a topic is the first step of the research and reviewing the literature might help. For example, here is an illustration of the "Topic Structure & Development "
Example of the Final Research Topic: The impact of using interactive multimedia (you might add a specific type) on outcomes of high school students' active learning in the urban U.S schools social studies classrooms
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
How to select a topic
There are four key factors to consider to make sure that your topic is good enough to begin researching it: Interest: You should find your topic interesting enough to sustain long-standing interest for an extended period of time.Access to data: There are several important access questions to think about when identifying your research topic.- Can you physically access the locus of your research? - Are there gatekeepers who will be able to grant or deny you access? - Can you reach the people you need to interview, survey, or observe? - If you’re using documents or data that already exist, can you access the materials you need in archives, physically, or online?Knowledge: You should know something about the whole field surrounding your topic. You will expand your knowledge of the field through your literature review (in addition to the formal education and informal communication with the experts). Resources to support research/Time: Check available resources and supports for the whole research cycle. Be aware that some topics are well researched or the college has experts to provide support.
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
How to Narrow down a topic
If you are finding too much information, your research topic may be too BROAD. Consider narrowing it to a more specific:
Example
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
How to broaden a topic
If you are finding too little information, your topic may be too NARROW, specialized, or current. Use these strategies to broaden or modify your topic or concepts/variables.
ExampleNarrow Topic: Does cartoon viewing cause aggression in children under age five? Broader topic: What are the negative effects of TV on children and adolescents?
Step 2: Topics & Goals of the Study
Resources to develop your research topic
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
The conceptual framework of your study is the system of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories that supports and informs your research. It is a formulation of what you think is going on with what you are studying—a tentative theory of what is happening and why.
Ravitch & Riggan (2017) define a conceptual framework as an argument about why the topic one wishes to study matters, and why the means proposed to study it are appropriate and rigorous. By argument, they mean that a conceptual framework is a series of sequenced, logical propositions the purpose of which is to ground the study and convince readers of the study’s importance and rigor. Arguments for why a study “matters” vary greatly in scale, depending on the audience.
In some scholarly work, the study may only matter to a small, esoteric community, but that does not change the fact that its conceptual framework should argue for its relevance within that community. By appropriate and rigorous, they mean that a conceptual framework should argue convincingly that: a) the research questions are an outgrowth of the argument for relevance; b) the research design maps onto the study goals, questions, and context(s); c) the data to be collected provide the researcher with the raw material needed to explore the research questions; and d) the analytic approach allows the researcher(s) to effectively address (if not always answer) those questions.
Read more
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
Click on the different components of the visual below to get more information on each component of a conceptual framework.
Tool to create a visual representation of the key elements of your conceptual framework
Tool to create a visual representation of your review of literature
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
1. Personal connection with the research topic
The following are questions that Ravitch & Riggan (2017) encourage us to explore in order to engage in a process of self-examination at the outset of your research and then iteratively throughout the research process.
In addition to describing your personal connection with the research topic, in this stage you will have to re-think the paradigmatic view or worldview that you will be bringing to the study as a researcher.
Check resources for Step 1: Paradigmatic view of the researcher
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
2. Review of Literature
The third and main component of your conceptual framework will be the review of literature. Ravitch & Riggan (2017) propose two different sub-components in your literature review: a) Topical Research: Topical research refers to previous work (most often empirical) that has focused on the topic in which you are interested. While much of this work resides within academic journals and books, it may also be found in policy or government research, or in reports produced through foundations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations." b) Theoretical Frameworks: They understand a theoretical framework "as a set of formal theories and their relationships, that helps you to fill the intellectual bins that make up your conceptual framework."
If you are a KSU student reviewing the literature and building a conceptual- theoretical framework for a research study please consult the following guides and tutorials:
- Literature Review Design - Literature Review for a Dissertation: a step-by-step guide -How to locate scholarly articles -Searching Techniques -Advanced Searching for Research Literature
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
3. Problem Statement
"A problem well-defined is a problem half solved" John Dewey The problem statement should be both specific, explicit, well-developed and clearly expressed. It should guide all of the research that follows. The problem is what search is about and the purpose is why the research is conducted. The problem is in effect “the first proposition.” For example, one might conduct research on the relationship between certain teaching methods and the effectiveness of instruction (the problem) in order to increase the success of future instruction programs (the purpose). Perhaps the most common recommendation is that potential research problems might be found by conducting a review of the scholarly literature, which should provide in-depth knowledge of the topic. However, if the researcher seeks to eventually influence practice through research, then research problems should be grounded in the practice in the first place. Drawing from personal experience does not negate the need to rely on scholarly literature. In fact, the scholarly literature provides a frame from which the observant practitioner/researcher can tease out what problems might be of some importance
Template to generate a problem statement (by By Dr. Marilyn Simon)
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
4. Research Design
The research design of your study should be in alignment with the previous components of your conceptual framework. It is important to choose a research design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) that responds to who you are as a researcher, as well as to the nature of the topic under study. When building your conceptual framework, you will just have to select and justify the different research design that might work well for the study you are proposing. In step 4 of the process you will be able to describe in detail all the components of your study.
Check resources for step 4: Research Design
Read more
Step 3 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
Resources
Step 4: Research Design
The fourth step in the process of developing a well-informed research design has to do with deciding the research tradition (qualitative) or research design (quantitative, mixed) that best responds to who you are as a researcher (paradigmatic view), and the nature of your research topic. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design you would like to generate:
Mixed Methods
Quantitative
Qualitataive
If you are a KSU student, you could also check the librarian's guides below to take advantage of numerous books, video tutorials, articles, and case studies that explain a variety of research designs and methods.
Visual Representations
Check
Main Research Designs
Check
Main Research Traditions
Check
Main Research Designs
Research Methods Guide
Narrative Research Phenomenology Phenomenography Ethnography Grounded Theory Case Study Action Research
Generate
A visual of your
Descriptive Correlational Pre-experimental Quasi-experimental Experimental
Covergent parallel Exploratory Sequential Explanatory Sequential Embedded
Qualitative Study Quantitative Study Mixed-Methods Study
Research Design Guide
Step 4: Research Design
Step 5: Research Questions
Your research questions—what you specifically want to learn or understand by doing your study—are at the heart of your research design (Maxwell, 2008). They connect all the components of your design. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Research Questions in Quantitative Studies
Research Questions in Qualitative Studies
Research Questions in Mixed-methods Studies
Guide to building research questions and hypotheses
Step 5: Research Questions in Qualitative Studies
Step 5: Research Questions in Quantitative Studies
Step 5: Research Questions in Mixed-methods Studies
Step 6: Data Collection
The sixth step in the process of developing a well-informed research design focuses on the data gathering methods you will be using in your study. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Data collection in Quantitative Studies
Data collection in Qualitative Studies
Data collection in Mixed-methods Studies
Read more
Step 6: Data Collection in qualitative studies
Step 6: Data Collection in quantitative studies
Step 6: Data Collection in mixed-methods studies
Step 7: Data Analysis
The seventh step in the process of developing a well-informed research design focuses on the data analysis techniques you will be using in your study. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Data analysis in Quantitative Studies
Data analysis in Qualitative Studies
Data analysis in Mixed-methods Studies
Read more
Step 7: Data Analysis in qualitative studies
Step 7: Data Analysis in quantitative studies
Step 7: Data Analysis in mixed-methods studies
Data analysis in mixed methods studies involves the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data (watch the clips below).
Data analysis in qualitative studies
Data analysis in quantitative studies
The following resources might be of help to better understand the way data analysis work in mixed methods research studies: -Analyzing mixed methods data (Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching) -Tips for quantitative analysis of data -Tips for qualitative analysis of data -Tools to analyze quantitative data -Tools to analyze qualitative data
Step 8: Trustworthiness/Validity
The eighth step in the process of developing a well-informed research design focuses on the strategies you will use to ensure the trustworthiness of your qualitative or the validity and reliability of your quantitative study. Check the resources below depending on the type of research design that you are developing:
Trustworthines in qualitative studies
Validity& reliability in quantitative studies
Step 9: Ethics
The final step in the process of generating a well-informed research design has to do with the definition of the ethical principles that will guide your research study. Research ethics provides guidelines for the responsible conduct of research. Also, it educates and monitors scientists research to ensure a high ethical standard.