Research Questions

& Hypotheses

Research questions/hypotheses
Viewed within the context of
logical structure and
objectives

Research
Questions
(descriptive
objectives)

Hypotheses
(comparison
objectives)
Apply to a sample
not population (or
census).

Research Questions

Detail the problem statement

Further describe and refine the issue
under study
Add focus to the problem statement
Guide data collection and analysis
Sets context
4

Problem Statement Sample

Information literacy is a prevalent topic in the literature of library and

information science (LIS), and most writings on the topic focus on methods for
engaging faculty to work together with librarians to integrate information
literacy into the overall curriculum. Attention from the regional accreditation
organizations to information literacy, especially as it is defined by ACRL,
implies both a responsibility for librarians to participate actively in student
learning outcomes through a program of study in information literacy, and
serves as an opportunity for librarians to become true partners in student
learning. Nevertheless, no study has examined the extent to which discussion
of the accreditation organizations, their guidelines, and related documents
appear in the scholarly communications of LIS. The purpose of this study is to
fill that void by determining the extent to which particular accreditation
documents are explicitly addressed, and by identifying any patterns as to the
particular documents, or themes within those documents, which comprise the
focus of these writings. In particular, this study analyzes the conversation
librarians are having about information literacy, and the extent to which these
discussions reach outside of the library profession and reference the six
regional accreditation organizations statements on information literacy.

Related Research Questions

This study specifically covers two questions:

Which regional accreditation organizations are cited in United States
LIS writings on information literacy, and how extensively are they
mentioned?

Are only the accreditation organizations mentioned, or are specific

documents and publications identified?

Are the aspects and themes from Developing Research and

Communication Skills and or Figure 1 prevalent in the LIS writings?
Do they relate to:

Responsibilities and Collaboration: dispersal of lead responsibilities and

partnerships between librarians and teaching faculty in some aspect of
information literacy instruction, from designing assignments, having
librarians guest lecture, or team teaching.
Assessment of student learning outcomes: defined in terms of
demonstrated gains in student learning throughout a program of study.[i]
Critical thinking: bringing students beyond the mere access of information
to being able to evaluate information and apply it to a specific purpose
information effectively, ethically, and legally.

Hypotheses

Set up an experiment or situation to

test
Suggest relationships (or lack thereof)
between and among variables
Predict causes and relationships prior
to testing.

Variables

A variable is any property of a person, thing,

event, setting, and so on that is not fixed.
In a casual relationship

The variable first identified in an hypothesis is

usually the independent variable. This is the
variable that determines, influences, or produces
the change in the other main variable
The other variable is usually the dependent
variable or the subject variable. This variable is
dependent on or influenced by th4e independent
variable(s)
8

Hypotheses (Some Types)

Null
Alternative
Directional
Other

Null Hypothesis

The absence of a relationship or

difference in the results; any
relationship or difference is due to
chance or sampling error
Example: There is no statistically
significance difference between _____
and ____ regarding ______.
10

Alternative/Directional

Expresses a
relationship between
the variables under
study
Alternative: points a
direction and
requires
assumption that is
specified and
objective

Expresses a
relationship
between the
variables under
study
Directional: points
a direction and
requires evidence
via literature
11

Hypotheses

Support
Not supported

Not: prove, accept,

rejection (a finality
to such verbs)

12

Qualifications

Significance testing takes a rich set of

information you get from a dataset and
reduces it to a series of binary,
accept/reject statements. Thus, some
prefer to use qualitative data collection
A key question is: Can the findings be
explained any other way? Is there a
good possible alternative explanation?
13

Some Criteria

Briefly, clearly, and explicitly stated

States the relationship between variables
Testable and has explanatory power
Value neutral
Basis for selecting a hypothesis and being
able to support it (supported by and
consistent with theory and previous
research)
14

Problem Statement Sample

Research shows that, although libraries generally

acknowledge the necessity and benefit of marketing
their services, most engage in promotional activities
without the guidance of a formal marketing plan.
Librarians and library administrators often identify
lack of funding, lack of staff, and lack of time as the
main barriers to developing and implementing a full
marketing plan. However, no study has examined
those libraries which do have marketing plans and
those which do not to compare their relative levels
of budget and staff in order to discover what, if any,
connection exists between these factors and
marketing planning.
15

Related Hypothesis

Null

Alternative

No relationship exists between levels of funding

and staffing and the existence of a formal
marketing plan.
Formal marketing plans exist in institutions with
greater levels of funding and staffing.

Directional

Lower funding and staffing results in lower levels

of marketing planning.
16

Satisfaction

Emotional response
(sense of
contentment that
arises from an actual
experience in relation
to an expected
experience)
Frames willingness to
revisit and customer
loyalty

Complementary to
service quality
Applies to all or
certain library
service area
Focuses overall or
on specific
transactions
17

Hernon & Altman, Assessing Service Quality

Extensive list of questions

Reprint Guidelines for Customer
Satisfaction Surveys
Provide sample data collection
instrument

18

Listening to Customers Voice

Passive Approach

Casual comments
Comment cards
Compliant analysis

Proactive Approach

Satisfaction surveys*
Focus group
interviews

*Diagnostic tools (like

taking the
temperaturea
general reading)
19

Customer satisfaction surveys are a form

of feedback from those who have
received services

20

Examples: Satisfaction of
users

What: Are customers satisfied with our

current circulation loan periods?
Who: Random sample of current
cardholders who have borrowed within
the last year.
Where: Our public library
When: Data collected over four months
How: Survey
21

Example: User Satisfaction

Research
Questions

Hypotheses

22