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Major topics to be addressed

Explore types of research, variable concepts, and questionnaire design in communication studies. Learn about qualitative vs. quantitative research, levels of measurement, and operationalization. Define variables and construct effective questionnaire items for effective communication strategies analysis.

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Major topics to be addressed

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  1. Major topics to be addressed • Types of research • Fundamental concepts

  2. I. Types of research • Quantitative vs. qualitative A case study A survey study An experimental study

  3. A survey study A survey study is a study in which a questionnaire is usually used and a relatively large number of subjects are involved.

  4. What is a questionnaire? Open-ended questions 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) Closed questions

  5. II. Fundamental concepts • Variable • Levels of measurement • Operationalization

  6. (1) What is a variable? Definition A variable, as its name suggests, is a feature that must vary from person to person or from object to object.

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

  8. Levelof measurement Qualitative in nature and numbers do not have numeric values • Nominal scale • Ordinal scale • Interval scale An rank order: ranks in a competition The distance between every two consecutive points on a scale is equal.

  9. Scaling techniques • Likert scales are widely used in questionnaire design • simple, reliable and versatile • 3, 5, or 7 options form a continuum. 5 options

  10. Frequency scale Do you guess the meaning of new words when reading English novels for pleasure? 1 = Never 2 = Occasionally 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Very often

  11. Degree of agreement scale 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Uncertain 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree

  12. 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 __: __: __: __: __: __: __ Boring Brave__: __: __: __: __: __: __ Cowardly Handsome__: __: __: __: __: __: __ Ugly

  13. 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.

  14. Communication strategies CD OP Achievement & avoidance strategies in four skills Questionnaire items concerning achievement strategies and avoidance strategies They can be divided into Achievement strategies vs. avoidance strategies. Refer to measures that have been taken to deal with communication problems Measures taken to solve a problem to reach the original goal Measures taken to avoid solving a problem

  15. Tasks for before-questionnaire design • Specify the variable(s) you want to investigate • Define the variable(s) conceptually

  16. 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?

  17. 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

  18. 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

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