Descriptive Research
Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit of instruction students will be able to:
1. Identify examples of descriptive research (surveys, case studies, documentary analyses, developmental studies, correlational studies)
2. Identify the steps and key principles involved in constructing a questionnaire (determining objectives, delimiting the sample, constructing the questionnaire, conducting a pilot study, writing cover letters, sending the questionnaire, following up, analyzing the results, and preparing the report)
3. Understand the purpose and value of the Delphi Method (repeated surveys to get consensus)
4. Identify advantages and disadvantages of conducting personal interviews in comparison to questionnaires (see table).
5. Recognize examples of normative surveys (Physical Best, President 's Challenge)
6. Distinguish between longitudinal and cross-sectional types of developmental research (study across time versus snap shot)
7. Identify examples of observational research (e.g. ALT-PE)
8. Understand the distinction between causation and association in correlational research.
Descriptive and Predictive Research
You will remember from earlier readings that there are many types of research that can be categorized as "descriptive." These included the following:
Surveys (questionnaires, Delphi method, interviews, normative)
Case Studies
Job Analyses
Documentary Analysis
Developmental Studies
Correlational Studies
The commonality that each of these share is that they are a measure of status - rather than prediction. Of course we might choose to predict future events based on our findings but that is not the intent of the techniques described in this chapter.
Survey Techniques
Imagine yourself the athletic director at Central Washington University. In addition to creating successful program you would clearly want a program that attracts the support of the student population at the university. While you might suppose that
At the completion of this unit of instruction students will be able to:
1. Identify examples of descriptive research (surveys, case studies, documentary analyses, developmental studies, correlational studies)
2. Identify the steps and key principles involved in constructing a questionnaire (determining objectives, delimiting the sample, constructing the questionnaire, conducting a pilot study, writing cover letters, sending the questionnaire, following up, analyzing the results, and preparing the report)
3. Understand the purpose and value of the Delphi Method (repeated surveys to get consensus)
4. Identify advantages and disadvantages of conducting personal interviews in comparison to questionnaires (see table).
5. Recognize examples of normative surveys (Physical Best, President 's Challenge)
6. Distinguish between longitudinal and cross-sectional types of developmental research (study across time versus snap shot)
7. Identify examples of observational research (e.g. ALT-PE)
8. Understand the distinction between causation and association in correlational research.
Descriptive and Predictive Research
You will remember from earlier readings that there are many types of research that can be categorized as "descriptive." These included the following:
Surveys (questionnaires, Delphi method, interviews, normative)
Case Studies
Job Analyses
Documentary Analysis
Developmental Studies
Correlational Studies
The commonality that each of these share is that they are a measure of status - rather than prediction. Of course we might choose to predict future events based on our findings but that is not the intent of the techniques described in this chapter.
Survey Techniques
Imagine yourself the athletic director at Central Washington University. In addition to creating successful program you would clearly want a program that attracts the support of the student population at the university. While you might suppose that