What is research?

1. What is research? Collecting data and information in order to make a conclusion about certain events or topics. Qualitative Research: gathered by means of observation, case study, questionnaire, and work samples. Subjective in nature. Quantitative Research: gathered by experiments, scores, and other types of numerical data. Objective in nature.

2. Qualitative or Quantitative? A student observes purchases in the cafeteria as part of a project on people’s favorite soda. Qualitative A teacher does an experiment using different teaching methods for two classes to see which class scores higher on an exam. Quantitative A magazine does a survey on makeup brands to see which one consumers think is longer lasting. Qualitative Work samples of a particular student are kept to track the student’s growth in a particular subject. Quantitative The number of wins for football teams is recorded to compare. Quantitative

3. What is marketing? The way a company represents its service or product in order to influence more people to purchase.

4. Discussion Question: How does research influence a company’s marketing strategy? Discussion Question: What type of research is best for marketing, qualitative or quantitative? Does it depend on the type of business? Explain.

5. The graduation committee of Victoria College is planning a graduation dinner party and wonders about their classmates’ preferences for food to be served at the event. They have email addresses of most of the class and would like to learn their classmates’ preferences from among three possible entrees. What type of research will be most useful in this situation and for what reason(s)? • An observational study where they can collect honest data on what their classmates eat. • An experiment where the committee could select choices to offer classmates during lunch on one or more days. • A survey because the committee has a specific question to ask and a specific population to ask. • Any of the above.

6. Deborah goes to the gym in the evenings between 5 and 8 PM to walk and run on a treadmill. Deborah often has to wait for one of the four treadmills to become available for use. Deborah would like to convince the gym that they need to purchase one or two more treadmills. Which of the following describes the type of research that is most practical for Deborah to consider in this situation? • Observational study to discover a conclusion based on unbiased observation, to document information, and to use the information to influence a decision. • A survey to gather data from a randomly selected population to answer specific questions. • An experiment to study specific factors and results of treatment on variables while controlling other variables in a controlled environment. • All of the above.

7. A local business is trying to find ways to market their products to a wider audience. They need to know what types of products would be most popular to market to bring people in. What method of research would be most useful in finding out this information? • Observational study to see what most of their current customers purchase. • A survey of current customers to see what products they prefer and why. • An experiment where they offer trials of certain products and get customer reviews. • All of the above.

8. The local elementary PTA is sponsoring a school picnic as a reward for the students who read the most books. They want to find out what snack they should serve. What would be the best method of research? • Survey the parents to find out what snacks they want their kids to have. • Observe the students in the cafeteria to see what they eat at lunch. • Survey the students to see what snacks they prefer out of certain options. • All of the above.

9. For his class research project, Jamal wants to conduct an experiment. Which of the following scenarios is an appropriate description of conducting an experiment to answer a question? • Jamal could research which superhero seems to be most popular among boys 6 to 9 years of age by asking a population of boys to select which superhero is their favorite, given choices of several of the most revered superheroes from recent movies. • Jamal could research whether more male or female students study at the campus library during weekday evenings by going to the library several evenings and counting the males and females present. • Jamal could research the effect of playing video games on social interaction by having one group play a video game with no social interaction, another group play a video game with little social interaction, and the third group play a video game that is based on social interaction. Then, the social interaction of each group is recorded as they engage in social activities with other children. • None of the above.