Process of Research, Essay Example

Contemporary psychologists, sociologists or other scientists examine data through different researches. The information, which was investigated by means of introspection or logics a while ago, is now evaluated through careful analysis of various variables. Whether person is trying to prove some theory or examine busy hours of health care center, he/she uses specific plan to highlight the information from different perspectives and to show the evidence that supports person’s idea or goal. Though various researches differ depending on the discipline or field of studies, there is a general plan, by which the investigation is made.

The first step of the research, which is common for every person preparing it, is identifying the topic of the research. If the subject of the scientific work is determined, good brainstorming of various issues, connected with it, should be done. (Taflinger 1996) For most of the researches, careful analysis of the information described in books, periodicals, professional journals, or other Internet sources is the only step in preparing valid data. However, in serious scientific works information is gathered though surveys, observations, and experiments.

Observation of the respondents allows scientists to gather information about people without any direct contacts with them. “It has been used for many years by A.C. Nielsen to monitor television viewing habits”. (Walonick) In fact, this is the fastest way to collect and evaluate data. Scientists use observation researches to get some general statistical data. When identifying top selling product or evaluating the effectiveness of online advertisement, observations propose the most accurate and relevant information.

The experiment is a unique method of gathering data. To obtain relevant information about certain item, reaction, or action, researcher changes various variables and monitors the flow of the reaction or some transformation of the subject of the research. “When all other variables are held constant (except the one being manipulated), changes in the dependent variable can be explained by the change in the independent variable”. This method is also one of the most problematic, because it involves control over all variables, which is possible only in specially designed labs (Walonick).

The survey is considered to be the most popular method of data gathering for several reasons. Firstly, the number of respondents is usually not limited by internal factors, such as resource budget, number of people involved in preparation of the surveys, etc. Secondly, analysis of the data does not engage a lot of people. Surveys may be held by telephone, face-to-face interviews or mail. Despite of the fact that it usually involves rather long questionnaires, the whole process of the survey usually takes no more than 10 – 15 minutes. However, there are several negative factors, associated with this method. Some people overestimate or underestimate their personal characteristics or actions, which may result in inaccuracy of the results obtained during such tests. Moreover, negative attitude of the respondents is also one of the factors that restrict getting adequate results.

Ellen Amatea and Michael Scheel used questionnaires in their researches to evaluate the effectiveness of career counseling programs among students. Both scientists have chosen two samples of people from a larger population. Participants of the surveys were selected randomly. For instance, in her research, Ellen Amatea has picked 26 public school administrators and proposed them to answer several questions regarding school counselors. To obtain more accurate results, both men and women participated in the research. “Inclusion criteria were that the study participant (a) had worked as either a principal or assistant principal in a public elementary, middle, or high school for at least 2 years; (b) had worked in a school employing at least one school counselor on a full-time basis; and (c) was willing to participate in a 30-to-45-minute individual interview.” (Amatea) Scientist has used several statistical tools to evaluate the obtained results.

Michael Scheel also used surveys in his research. The goal of this test was to identify the level of interest and motivation in career counseling among students. However, this scientist has chosen much bigger sample of people to obtain accurate results. A sample of 346 students of Midwestern high school was taken, 174 of which were males. Moreover, participants were also divided into groups based on their racial identity. In fact, Caucasian, Latino, African American, Asian American, Native American, and bicultural students participated in this survey. ASES and MVS scales were specially designed to evaluate the results.

Comparing two researches discussed above, reader may notice several ways of how both authors show the validity of their scientific works. E. Amatea uses relatively small sample of people. Scientist tries to make her research to be more individual-based. The goal of her academic work is not simply to calculate the number of people supporting or opposing career counseling at schools, but to get opinions of school administrators about this issue. Therefore, when showing obtained results, writer compares various aspects of career counseling based on the received answers. On the other hand, M. Scheel uses statistical tests and scales to show the validity of the data. In fact, the goal of the scientist is to reach the greatest number of students as it is assumed that larger samples are more accurate that smaller ones. The author of this scientific work selects all participants, “who agreed to complete questionnaires about ‘future plans and current motivations for school’.” (Scheel)

As soon as the researcher gathers data and evaluates the results of his/her investigation, scientist should logically construct the body of the academic work. For instance, one should also review the literature, which relates to the topic, to find out what examinations were held and what results were obtained before. Moreover, to show the validity of the results, it is important to analyze data from different perspectives and stress out some possible weak points of the research. Well-organized and credible researches are often used by other people in further investigations.

Works Cited

Amatea, E., & Clark, M. 2005, October. Changing schools, changing counselors: A qualitative study of school administrators’ conceptions of the school counselor role. Professional School Counseling, 9(1), 16-27. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from PsycINFO database.

Scheel, M. 2007. An investigation of a model of academic motivation for school counseling. May 4, 2009. < http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KOC/is_1_11/ai_n21093611/pg_3/?tag=content;col1>.

Taflinger, R. 1996. The process of research. May 4, 2009. <http:/ /www.wsu.edu/~taflinge/process.html>.

Walonick, D. 2007. The Research process. May 4, 2009. <http:/ /www.statpac.com/research-papers/research-process.htm>.