Chapter five of our reading regards the introduction and its
place in research design. Creswell discusses the importance of developing a “narrative
hook” for readers, to build interest in your paper. He includes a five point
organizational tool called the “Deficiencies Model of an Introduction” to help
readers properly organize a paper’s introduction. This five point plan includes stating the research
problem, referencing studies that have dealt with the problem, discusses deficiencies
within those earlier studies, and ends with the significance of the study as
well as a purpose statement.
Chapter six of our reading discusses the purpose statement
in more detail. Creswell includes a brief definition of the purpose statement: “[a
statement that] sets the objectives, the intent, or the major idea of proposal
or study” (112). He then includes specific information about how to create an
effective qualitative purpose statement. A few of the key ideas are to focus on
a single concept, use action verbs, and include information regarding the strategy
of inquiry or data collection. Creswell also introduces the idea of the “script”
as a helpful tool in creating purpose statements. He gives several examples of
purpose statements that are effective, and shows how such statements might be
constructed using a template or script. Creswell also provides similar
information regarding the quantitative purpose statement. He lists key
differences between quantitative and qualitative purpose statements (for
example, a quantitative purpose statement must mention the independent,
intervening, and dependent variables of the study). Finally, Creswell discusses the mixed methods
purpose statement. In a mixed methods purpose statement, the writer must
specify to readers why she chose to include both qualitative as well as
quantitative data.
Chapter seven of our text discusses research questions and
hypotheses. To make research questions effective, focus on one or two central
questions followed by 5-7 sub-questions (129). It’s also important to relate
this central question to your specific strategy of inquiry. For quantitative
research, make sure to mention the dependent and independent variables
involved, as well as any theories being tested in the research. A mixed methods
research question will have to include both elements of a qualitative and
quantitative study.
I actually enjoyed reading these chapters, despite the
somewhat dryness of the writing. I appreciate that this book exists as a tool
to help us in our research, and I will certainly use these templates in the future.
It seems that creating a mixed methods study is significantly more difficult,
because it has several intervening steps that you do not need to worry about in
a quantitative or qualitative study. I also appreciate Creswell’s information
on style and diction. Though he only mentions these elements in passing, I’m
glad that he pushes for simple and easily understandable language. Too often, I
find that writing is unnecessarily dense or florid; I’m glad that such writing
is not preferred.
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