Term
Planning in Research
What is planning in research?
Answer
Definition
Designing a study to maximise reliability and validity while minimising errors and bias.
Reliability is ensured through standardizing processes and checking for repeatability across different dimensions.
Design Focus: Designs must control for confounding variables and order effects to maximise internal validity.
Sampling Methods: Careful selection of representative samples enhances external validity.
Ethical and Practical Considerations: Planning must include obtaining informed consent, protecting participants’ welfare, and following ethical guidelines to ensure research integrity.
We must ask how far our findings apply beyond the lab.
What is planning in research?
Designing a study to maximise reliability and validity while minimising errors and bias.
What does reliability refer to in research?
The consistency and repeatability of measurements under consistent conditions.
How is test-retest reliability assessed?
By repeating the study to check for consistency over time.
What is inter-rater reliability?
When different observers produce similar observations or scores.
What does validity mean in research?
Whether a study measures what it claims to measure.
What is internal validity?
The extent to which the independent variable causes changes in the dependent variable free from confounding variables.
What is external validity?
The extent to which findings can be generalised beyond the study conditions or population.
Why are sampling methods important?
They ensure the sample is representative, enhancing external validity.
How do experimental designs support validity?
By controlling confounding variables and order effects to maximise internal validity.
What are quantitative methods?
Methods producing measurable, objective data often used for statistical analysis.
What are qualitative methods?
Methods providing rich, detailed data but may be more subjective.
Why combine quantitative and qualitative methods?
To utilise the strengths of both objectivity and depth.
What ethical considerations must be planned for?
Informed consent, participant welfare, and following ethical guidelines.