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Major topics to be addressed

Types of research

Fundamental concepts

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I. Types of research

Quantitative vs. qualitative

A survey studyAn experimental study

A case study

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A survey study

A survey study is a study in which a qu

estionnaire is usually used and a relati

vely large number of subjects are invol

ved.

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What is a questionnaire?

Any written instruments that present

respondents with a series of questions or

statements to which they are to react either

by writing out their answers or selecting

from among existing answers (Brown,

2001:6)

Open-ended questions

Closed questions

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II. Fundamental concepts

Variable

Levels of measurement

Operationalization

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(1) What is a variable?

Definition

A variable, as its name suggests, is a f

eature that must vary from person to p

erson or from object to object.

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What are the variations of a variable given below? Gender Anxiety Motivation Belief Language proficiency Teaching approach Learning style

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Level of measurement

Nominal scale

Ordinal scale

Interval scale

Qualitative in nature and numbers do not have numeric values

An rank order: ranks in a competition

The distance between every

two consecutive points on a

scale is equal.

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Scaling techniques

Likert scales are widely used in questionnaire design simple, reliable and versatile

3, 5, or 7 options form a continuum.

5 options

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Frequency scaleDo you guess the meaning of new words

when reading English novels for pleasure?

1 = Never

2 = Occasionally

3 = Sometimes

4 = Often

5 = Very often

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Degree of agreement scale

1 = Strongly disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Uncertain

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly agree

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Semantic differential scaleHow much do your parents encourage you to study French?Not at all __: __: __: __: __: __: __ Very much

They also used a similar method to find out the subject's impressions of French people from France:

Interesting __: __: __: __: __: __: __ BoringBrave__: __: __: __: __: __: __ CowardlyHandsome__: __: __: __: __: __: __ Ugly

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Definition of a variable

A variable needs to be defined conceptually

and operationally.

A conceptual definition is a

theoretical explanation that helps

clarify people’s understanding of

the variable investigated. It is also

called a construct.

An operational definition specifies exactly what you have to do in order to measure something that has been defined conceptually. Such a definition is characterized by explicitness which makes possible not only measurement but also evaluation and replication.

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Communication strategies

CD OP

Refer to measures that have

been taken to deal with

communication problems

They can be divided into

Achievement strategies

vs. avoidance strategies.

Measures taken to solve a problem to reach the original goal

Measures taken to avoid solving a

problem

Achievement

& avoidance

strategies in

four skills

Questionnaire items concerning achievement strategies and avoidance strategies

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Tasks for before-questionnaire design

Specify the variable(s) you want

to investigate

Define the variable(s) conceptua

lly

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Research questions

What strategies do Chinese

university students use in reading

English?

What strategies do Chinese

university students use in writing a

composition in English?

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Questionnaire construction contest

Construct a questionnaire to answer the research question given. In addition to a complete questionnaire, you should also include the following information:– Types of information you would like to

obtain; types of scaling techniques you would like to employ; the categories you plan to have; types of respondents

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Questionnaire design contest

A panel of judges (6 tutors + 6 representatives from 6 six classes)

10-minute presentation 10-minute question-answer section

Small Class contest Big class contest