Scientific method

Research is based on the scientific method and an understanding of the method allows for a better grasp of the requirements for your dissertation research. What are the parts of the scientific method? 1) Formulation of a question. 2) Hypotheses. 3) Prediction. 4) Testing. 5) Analysis. Let's take a look at how these fit within the dissertation requirements.

1) Formulation of a question. This step is why are required to do a thorough literature review, so you understand where the gap exists in the literature and why the study is needed. This step forms the basis of your problem statement and research questions.

2) Hypotheses. Notice that these are formed before you do the study, this is an important aspect because you are laying out where you are going before the study is ever started. You are not allowed to change these once the proposal is approved- so spend some time on them.

3) Prediction. In the dissertation this is done through your theoretical framework. Your theory should lead to specific predictions, which may or may not be the same as the hypotheses.

4) Testing. This is first related to your research method, which you must lay out in advance, and you must have permission to change once the proposal has been approved. A key issue here is that it must be replicable, meaning someone else should be able to do the study based on your detailed description. The second part of this step is when you go out and collect your data.

5) Analysis. Merely collecting the data is not enough, you must also make sense of it- this is the analyses portion. Along with this comes fitting your results in to the literature and making sense of it based on your theory – did it come out as predicted? If not, why not? 

Next time, I will discuss some data collection issues. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu