research jargons m1

• Applied research


  The research that is conducted to formulate knowledge with the aim of improving a certain practice or method
• Basic research


  The research that examines theories or concepts
• Concepts


  The building blocks or important components of theories
• Conceptual Definition


  The definition that tells the researcher what a concept means in abstract or theoretical terms
• Constitutive Definition


  The basic meaning found in dictionaries
• Control group


  The one that does not undergo the treatment in experiments
• Correlational study


  A type of research design that shows the relationship between variables but not limited to cause-effect
• Data


  Pieces of information; can be in the form of numbers or words
• Deductive Reasoning


  The basis for quantitative research and is influenced by premises
• Dependent variable


  The concept that the researcher is most interested or concerned about; the quality he/she is observing
• Descriptive study


  A research design that illustrates "what is, e.g. a survey
• Experiment


  A research design employed to determine "cause-effect relationships
• Experimental group


  The one that undergoes the treatment in experiments
• External validity


  A type of validity that tells how generalizable the findings are even outside of the study since it concerns other populations
• Extraneous


  A variable that may affect or contaminate the data
• Heterogeneous


  A group whose members are very different or varied
• Homogeneous


  A group whose members are very similar
• Hypothesis


  A statement proposed by the researcher expressing the relationship between or among the variables
• Independent variable


  The concept being studied that usually tells the researcher about the influence or cause; the one that the researcher is manipulating or controlling
• Inductive reasoning


  The basis for qualitative research approach
• Internal Validity


  A type of validity that tells the extent to which a study measures what is supposed to (accuracy within the study)
• Measures of central tendency


  Averages (e.g. mean, median, mode)
• Measures of variability


  Spread (e.g. standard deviation)
• Mean


  The arithmetic average
• Median


  The middle where half the scores fall above, half below; disregards the presence of outliers
• Mode


  The score that occurs the most
• Operational definition


  The definition that tells how a term is used in a certain study
• Principal investigator


  The person who is responsible for the research
• Population


  A group of items characterized by its similar interest
• Random


  Something that happens by chance
• Qualitative


  A research design that uses narrative data
• Quantitative


  A research design that uses data with numerical representation or values
• Random sample


  A sample wherein everybody has the same chance of being assigned to any group
• Research


  A systematic, unbiased way to acquire facts
• Research design


  The game plan or method the researchers use to find out what they want to know
• Relationship


  The connection or bond between two variables
• Sample


  A smaller group that characterizes a larger population
• Standard deviation


  A measure of spread; Tells the researcher about the average deviation of a group of scores from the mean
• Statistical Significance


  An important finding that does not likely happen by chance
• Statistics


  Mathematical tools used to evaluate data; must be compatible with research designs