Chapter
Conclusion
Prior
to beginning any study it is important to gather and
understand the methods that are to be applied.
When forms or subjective measures are to be
used, the researcher should always gather the
necessary material before subject recruitment and
practice with this material before testing begins.
While many researchers develop their own
questionnaires, interviews, or consent forms,
considering the use of a published form can be
beneficial. Data
collection methods using various types of scales can
assist the researcher by providing high validity and
reliability. It
is often time consuming to develop the exact
questions to be used with each question written in a
specific manner as to not create any bias or
confusion. Preprinted
and published forms, when available, can eliminate
this concern and free up a lot of time.
By
utilizing the necessary hardware, mastering the use
of selected software, and gathering forms, training
observers, or mastering the scientific method, you
can develop a strong foundation on which to base
your research.
Rushing into an experiment typically creates
more problems and costs more time than proceeding in
an organized fashion.
Spend the extra time to prepare for your
study because theres nothing worse than having to
start over because of simple errors that could have
easily been avoided.
The
remainder of this book covers specific types of
research, each with its own strengths and
weaknesses. You
will also be presented with some basic descriptive
and inferential statistics that can be considered a
refresher course for those who have taken a formal
statistics class.
And finally, since the ultimate goal of this
text is to provide the tools necessary to evaluate
the research of others and incorporate research into
your professional activities, we will end with a
chapter focused on the critical analysis of the
research report.
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