The Dissertation and Research Cookbook

by Simon, Marilyn; Francis, J. Bruce

• ISBN13: 9780787284053
• ISBN10: 078728405X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-06
• Publisher: Kendall Hunt Pub Co

Table of Contents

Highlights of Content Changes	iii
Phase 1---Planning Your Feast: Getting Started
Proceed!	1	(15)
``P''ossess a Positive Attitude	2	(1)
``R''ead Efficiently---Understand Scholarly Language	3	(4)
Academic Writing	4	(1)
Some Scholarly Jargon	4	(3)
``O''rganize Your Time	7	(3)
``C''reating a Working Environment	10	(1)
``E''xtend Your Note Taking and Writing Skills---Record Keeping, Mind Mapping, and PIE Writing	10	(3)
Note Taking	10	(1)
Mind Mapping	11	(2)
``E''nter Information into a Computer, Tape Deck, or Journal	13	(2)
Creating a Journal	15	(1)
``D''esign a Survival Kit	15	(1)
Pick Your Repast [Choose Your Topic]	16	(8)
``P''osses Knowledge of What a Dissertation Is and Is Not	16	(1)
``I''dentifying Your Cooking (Research) Style	16	(3)
Choosing Your Research Project/Topic---What Type of Cook (Researcher) Are You?	16	(3)
``C''lassify Yourself Professionally	19	(2)
``K''(c)onduct the ROC Bottom Test	21	(3)
``R''esearchability	21	(1)
``O''riginality	21	(1)
``C''ontributory	22	(2)
Classify Your Repast---What's Cooking? [Identify Your Study]	24	(20)
Choose Your Methodology Wisely	25	(1)
Past Perspective	25	(1)
Historical Research	25	(1)
Content Analysis	26	(1)
Present Perspective	26	(7)
Developmental Research	27	(1)
Descriptive Research	27	(1)
Correlational Research	27	(1)
Causal-Comparative Research	28	(1)
Pure/Basic/Experimental Research	29	(2)
Quasi-Experimental Design	31	(1)
Case Study	31	(1)
Phenomenology	32	(1)
Future Perspective	33	(2)
Applied or Evaluative Research	33	(1)
Action Research	34	(1)
``Nouveau Cuisine''	35	(9)
Heuristic Research	35	(1)
Holistic Research	36	(1)
Grounded Theory	36	(1)
Ethnographic	37	(1)
Delphi	38	(2)
Quantitative and Qualitative Research	40	(2)
Verification in a Qualitative Study	42	(2)
Be Aware of Health Hazards [Ethics of Research]	44	(6)
Responsibility	44	(3)
Statistical Truths and Fallacies	45	(2)
Competence	47	(1)
Moral and Legal Issues	48	(1)
Plagiarism	48	(1)
Internal Review Boards (IRBs): Ethical Issues Related to Conducting Research Using Human Subjects	49	(1)
Proper Representation	49	(1)
What Can Be Done?	50	(1)
Choose Your Attire [Form and Style]	50	(3)
Phase 2---Accoutrements
Utensils [Choosing Your Instruments]	53	(1)
What Will You Utilize to Gather Data?	53	(11)
Pre-Packaged Tests and Inventories (Just Stir and Serve)	53	(1)
Questionnaires or Surveys (Making Your Meal from Scratch)	54	(5)
Adjuncts to Questionnaires	59	(5)
Pilot Study	59	(1)
Cover Letter	59	(1)
Going the Extra Mile	60	(1)
The Personal Interview	61	(1)
Observation	62	(2)
Serving Platters/Spices [Statistics]	64	(8)
What's Stat? (You Say?)	64	(3)
The Role of Statistics	64	(1)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about Statistics	65	(2)
How to Exhibit Your Date (a)	67	(5)
Definitions	69	(3)
Assistant Chefs [Identifying Your Population and Choosing Your Sample]	72	(4)
How to (Ap)praise Your Date (a)	76	(39)
Statistical Hypothesis Testing	76	(1)
Testing a Claim about a Mean	77	(9)
Testing Claims about Two Means	86	(1)
Testing Claims about Three or More Means	87	(4)
Writing about This Study in a Research Paper	90	(1)
Testing a Claim about Proportions/Percentages	91	(1)
Testing Claims about Standard Deviations and Variability	92	(1)
Testing a Claim about the Relation between Two Variables (Correlation and Regression Analysis)	93	(8)
More on Correlational Analysis [Warning: Correlation does not imply CAUSATION!]	98	(1)
Multivariate Correlational Statistics	99	(2)
Analysis of Covariance	101	(1)
Contingency Tables	101	(2)
Nonparametric Tests	103	(2)
Advantages of Nonparametric Methods	104	(1)
Disadvantages of Nonparametric Methods	104	(1)
The Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test	105	(1)
Examples of Other Nonparametric Statistical Tests	106	(5)
The McNemar Test	106	(1)
Kruskal-Wallis Test	107	(1)
Fisher's Exact-test	107	(1)
Chi-Square Test of Independence	108	(1)
Mann-Whitney U	109	(1)
The Cochran Q Test and the Friedman Test	110	(1)
The 4 P's: Preliminary Preparation and Proposal Planning (A Recipe for the Construction of a Dissertation Research Proposal)	111	(1)
Sample Blue Print (Prospectus) for a Proposal	112	(3)
Phase 3---The Feast [Your Dissertation/Research Paper]
Appetizer	115	(8)
Introduction	115	(2)
Problem Statement	117	(1)
Background	118	(1)
Purpose	119	(1)
Significance	120	(1)
Nature of Study	120	(1)
Hypotheses/Research Questions	121	(1)
Scope and Limitations	122	(1)
Definitions	123	(1)
Soup/Salad [Research Review]	123	(3)
Leads	123	(1)
Recipe for Appraising an Author	124	(1)
Check the Date of Publication	124	(1)
Check the Edition or Revision	125	(1)
Check the Publisher	125	(1)
Check the Title of Journal	125	(1)
One-Half Main Course [Methodology---What did you do?]	126	(1)
The Other One-Half of the Main Course [Presentation and Analysis of Data]	127	(1)
Dessert [Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations]	128	(1)
Abstract [Menu]	128	(1)
Acknowledgments	129	(1)
Bon Appetit!	129	(1)
Suggested Readings	129	(4)
References	133	(2)
Appendix	135	(8)
Index	143