Exam 5: Identifying Interests and Operationalizing Topics: Forget That Perfect Study

Which of the following is considered riskier for inexperienced counselors and researchers?

Alan is new to the field of research. He has chosen a simple research project to understand the overall sequence of steps to be followed in developing the research idea. He has successfully completed the stage of identifying research variables. Which of the following steps should Alan take to begin the collection and analysis of relevant data?

_____ explore the degree to which two or more research constructs are related or vary together.

The function of a testable research question or hypothesis is to provide direction for experimental inquiry.

Operational definitions are referred to as a sort of manual of instructions that spells out what an investigator must do to measure or manipulate research variables during the procedures of a study.

Identifying a topic of research is the same as developing a specific research question or hypothesis that can guide research.

In the context of identifying a research idea, theory and research from one topic can be extended to another related topic.

A problem arises when researchers investigate a given construct but develop different operational definitions for it.

The primary function of an operational definition in the development of a research idea is to:

Depression scores on a standardized test, such as the MMPI-Depression scale, are examples of independent variables.

A great deal of research in counseling involves extending the results of previous research.

In nonexperimental studies of research, the _____ in a regression equation are sometimes referred to as independent variables.

_____ essentially ask what some phenomena or events are like and explain the variables of interest with questions such as how much, how often, what percentage, and so on.

The independent variable in a research study is the variable that is:

Which of the following is a reason to pay particular attention to the discussion section of articles when specifying research questions and hypotheses?

It is not recommended for students to bring their own observations and beliefs into their research topics.

It is essential for researchers to focus on investigating a few constructs only and not to try to do too much in developing an original contribution.

Identify a major federal grant funding agency for counseling research.

Identify a main component in the process of selecting a research topic and developing a research idea into a testable hypothesis.

Once a research question enters the formative stage and an investigator continues to develop the design and methodologies of a particular study, the original research question cannot be changed.