Steven R. Terrell, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at Nova Southeastern University, where he taught quantitative and qualitative research methods for over 30 years. He is the author of over 150 journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and presentations, as well as several books. Dr. Terrell is a past member of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association and served two terms as Chair of the Online Teaching and Learning Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association. He serves on the editorial boards of several national and international journals and was named Fellow and Distinguished Scholar of the International Institute for Applied Knowledge Management. Currently, Dr. Terrell serves as part-time faculty in the School of Computing at Middle Georgia State University.
Description
Developing a valid hypothesis can be a sticking point in writing a research article, dissertation, or thesis. This concise, engaging guide shows readers how to write a precise hypothesis that reasonably explains the event being investigated and is testable through the collection and analysis of data. Key topics include defining the independent and dependent variables (aEUROoecauseaEURO and aEUROoeeffectaEURO) needed to develop directional and non-directional hypotheses, the relationship between research and null hypotheses, the identification of data needed to test a hypothesis, and interpretation of the analyses. Examples are drawn from quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies from a variety of disciplines; case study exercises offer learn-by-doing practice opportunities. Other pedagogical features include chapter objectives, boxed key words and concepts, tips on things to do and avoid, and an end-of-book glossary.