Methodology Examination Essay A theory can be defined as a set of principles that explain and predict observed relationship. In her study, my friend seeks to find out the relationship between class level (upper-class and lower-class) and the effort students put in their academic work. In this study, the theory is defined. The approach is that students from upper-class get better grades compared to those in the lower-class because they take their academic work more seriously. The independent variable in this research is class level while the dependent variable is the grade scores. The relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable is stated in theory.
In this research, my friend has conceptual variables which are merely abstract and can only be used to form research hypothesis. However, she needs to convert the theoretical variables into measured variables using a diagram of the research hypothesis. For instance, she has to be clear that she is looking for the number of students in the upper-class and those in the lower-class versus those who score GPA of, say 3.5 and above. The operational definition of how to convert the conceptual variables into measured variables is not clearly stated.
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The evidence is significant for any research. In his study, my friend has relied on a survey question where students are asked whether or not they agree with a statement. The evidence collected is non-empirical since it is not based on an individual's direct observation. Instead, the research relies on the responses given by the target population. The design can be classified as experimental because it has a definite theoretical framework of how the hypothesis is to be tested and how a conclusion is to be reached from the findings. The research is not trustworthy because there is no way of verifying whether the students are genuine in their responses. The best way would be to see the GPA score of the students and compared lower class versus upper classes. Based on her collected evidence, her conclusion is justified. However, what is questionable is the methodology used in getting the evidence.
The validity of any research findings depends largely on the methodology used by the researchers. In this study, the methodology used could have likely given a biased result. Students would most likely agree with the statement since no student would want to identify himself or herself as less serious when in upper levels of study. The alternative explanation for the findings could be that no student wanted to determine as less serious, especially when they are in upper classes. There are some dynamics at play in the grades that students get. It is wrong to make a sweeping statement that students in the upper levels of study are more serious in their academic than those in the lower levels. The findings of the study give room for alternative explanation. This is an indictment of the methodology used. The researcher should have done more observational data collection, like going to the students' academic records throughout the years to establish the trends in performance.
I would design a new study where data is collected from the students' academic records. In this new study, I would like to see for myself the trend of how students' performance change over the years as they transition from the lower levels to upper levels of study. This would give a more accurate picture of how performances change over the years. As a follow, I may want to do a survey to understand the students' explanation for the observed trend in their performances.
