Exo4_B_Short Answ
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Prior Research and Applications
At this point, Mark has narrowed his focus on the social media research project he has started. After a lot of research and
reflection, he has decided to focus on investigating the effects of social media habits on well-being.
Mark is struck by the idea that this research might have some really interesting applications. For example, if it is true that a
person’s social media habits can influence their well-being, then an educational campaign targeting teenagers might be
worthwhile. Mark also wonders if any technology companies have ever created applications that would help people limit how
much time they spend logged in to social media platforms. For example, Mark thinks that maybe an app that sent a daily
summary of any notifications a user got on Facebook — instead of getting those notifications in real time throughout the day —
might help people spend less time online.
Mark decides to spend some time researching existing campaigns or applications with the goal of limiting social media use. His
search yields a few applications available for download that either restrict people’s access to their social media sites or to using
the Internet at all. These include:
AntiSocial: An application that allows users to select websites they want to block and for how long
SelfControl: An application that allows users to block access to the Internet entirely for a preset amount of time
Cold Turkey: An application that does not block a user’s access to the Internet or to any particular websites but does
track and display how one spends his or her time online
Mark wonders who is using these apps. Are busy professionals utilizing them? Do his students know about them or use them?
Can parents install these apps for their children? He’s also now more convinced than ever that his research investigation will
have an interested audience. Not only is the social science issue very well-researched, but there are real-world applications for
the findings. Mark believes he’s building a solid case for the research department’s next project.
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Organizing the Findings
Mark spends some time organizing his findings. He maps out some of the key takeaways he’s discovered.
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Overall, Mark now understands that social media can have a positive or negative influence on adolescents depending on their
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intentions when using the sites. Social media can be beneficial for some users because they help maintain relationships,
especially ones from afar. Further, they provide users positive feedback in the form of social support.
However, people who spend more time on social media lurking and monitoring (viewing others’ profiles without posting or
commenting) reported having higher anxiety. Adolescents reported that this anxiety came from a fear that friends were hanging
out without them, that they might miss the online conversation, or that others might be saying negative things about them.
Further, more social media use correlates to depression but only when users are “surveilling” others’ posts and feeling envious.
In thinking about presenting these findings to his university research department, Mark knows that he will need to reference the
credible works that have led him to these conclusions. He has a few resources that he is certain he will use. The first is the
article, “#Being Thirteen: Social Media and the Hidden World of Young Adolescents’ Peer Culture” (Underwood, 2015). This
article provides much of the information about teens’ intentions behind their habits when using social media sites. Another study
— “Facebook Use, Envy, and Depression Among College Students: Is Facebooking Depressing?” — helped Mark find
information on social media users’ envy (Tandoc et al., 2015).
Mark’s list includes several other resources that, while credible, are no longer relevant since he has organized his findings and
narrowed his focus. He will need to cull through this list and remove any that are not pertinent to the message that he will deliver
during his pitch to the department leaders.
Tandoc, E. C., Ferrucci, P., & Duffy, M. (2015). Facebook use, envy, and depression among college students: Is Facebooking
depressing? Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 139–146. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053
Underwood, M. (2015). #Being thirteen: Social media and the hidden world of young adolescents’ peer culture. CNN.
https://assets umentcloud.org/documents/2448422/being-13-report
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What Is a Research Question?
Now that you have located credible resources on your social science issue and spent some time
evaluating those resources, it is time to develop your research question. The research question
should look at all the preliminary research that you have done on your social science issue and
propose a new question.
That question could target gaps in the current research. The research question could also look
to the future of the field and propose a question that would require entirely new research.
For example, consider a social scientist that is examining the social norms related to e-cigarette
use in teens. He has researched the negative health effects of e-cigarettes. He has researched
the social norms related to teen use of e-cigarettes. He has researched the efficacy of social
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https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053
https://assets umentcloud.org/documents/2448422/being-13-report
media campaigns that teach kids about the dangers of alcohol and cigarette use. However, he is not currently aware of any
social media campaigns that educate students about the dangers of e-cigarette use. Therefore, he presumes that there are not
currently studies determining whether such a campaign could influence their social norms. There is potential here for new
research! His research question becomes: How could a social media campaign aimed at educating teens about the health risks
of e-cigarettes change their social norms?
Or, consider Mark. He has examined the benefits and drawbacks of using social media, depending on a person’s intention when
using these sites. He has identified some apps that can help a person limit his or her social media use, but he has not
discovered any studies showing their efficacy. He hasn’t found any research showing ways to influence teens’ habits or
intentions when using social media or whether that would have a positive effect on their well-being. Mark has a few potential
research questions that he could ask.
A good research question requires analysis and critical thinking. Your question should have more than a simple “yes” or “no”
answer. If your question can only be answered by a series of facts, then it is not critical enough.
Avoiding Unworkable Research Questions
Remember that not every question can be answered through research. Your audience won’t be interested in reading research
papers that answer questions to which they already know the answers. Read each of the unworkable research questions below,
then see how he or she revises the question into something that can be answered using research. Click the arrows to move on
to the next person or back to the previous person.
Shawna
Proposed unworkable research question: “Why is interacting on Twitter a waste of time?”
Alicia
Proposed unworkable research question: “What are the barriers to access healthy foods for a person living with
diabetes and allergies in Shelton?”
Donald, teaching
Proposed unworkable research question: “Why is child poverty bad?”
Luis, business
Proposed unworkable research question: “Is it immoral for Christian business owners to serve patrons that do not
uphold Christian principles?”
Assessment advice: Stay away from topics that are based on opinion or taste. Stick to questions that can be answered
through research.
Writer: Shawna
Social Science Issue: the effect of social networking on mass communication
Thought process: All of my friends are obsessed with Twitter. They say it has
revolutionized the way that the public has mass conversations online. I think it’s a
bunch of people complaining and talking about Beyonce. What a waste of time!
Proposed research question: Why is interacting on Twitter a waste of time?
Issues: As I did preliminary research, I realized that it was really difficult to define
Critical research questions:
Lead to more questions
Require further analysis of text
Provoke further discussion
Move you outside of your own frame of reference in order to understand issues on a larger scale
Focus on the audience and the message (which you will learn more about in the next learning blocks)
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what should be considered a waste of time. I needed to revise my research question into something I can support with research.
Revised research question: What effect has Twitter had on mass interaction and conversation?
Assessment advice: Stay away from topics with scopes that are too narrow or topics that are only of personal importance.
Your topic should be of local, regional, national, or international scope.
Writer: Alicia
Social Science Issue: availability of nutritious foods to low income populations
Thought process: I have diabetes, a shellfish allergy, and I like to cook healthy
dishes full of vegetables. I’m lucky that there are many grocery shops within
driving distance of my house. Many low socioeconomic areas in the United States
do not have access to healthy food options. Just one town over, in the poorer town
of Shelton, there aren’t any grocery stores accessible by public transportation; only
fast food restaurants.
Proposed research question: What are the barriers to access healthy foods for
a person living with diabetes and allergies in Shelton?
Issues: When I started my research, I found that it was really difficult to find
resources addressing my whole research question. There is no research on the
town of Shelton. When I thought about it, I realized that this question is pretty
narrow; I have to widen my focus.
Revised research question: What effect does geography have on health in the
United States in terms of availability of healthy food?
Assessment advice: Avoid questions that you and your audience already know the answer to and are not likely to disagree
with.
Writer: Donald
Social Science Issue: child poverty in the United States
Thought process: I read an article about children living in poverty the other day;
it’s a very prevalent issue. Poverty can affect every aspect of a child’s life, so there
are many avenues for research.
Proposed research question: Why is child poverty bad?
Issues: I was discussing my research project with a friend and told her about my
research question. She answered this question in five minutes, and she didn’t
need any of the research I found! I realized that this research question might be
too obvious.
Revised research question: How does living in poverty during childhood impact a person’s mental health throughout their life?
Assessment advice: Stay away from topics that are based on moral belief or faith. Stick to questions that can be answered
through research.
Writer: Luis
Social Science Issue: the influence of religion on business
Thought process: Some companies founded or owned by people with strong religious beliefs deny services to people who do
not share their beliefs. These people believe that in all aspects of their lives, they must uphold their beliefs; thus, they feel that
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the act of serving people who act immorally would be, in and of itself, and immoral
act.
Proposed research question: Is it immoral for Christian business owners to
serve patrons that do not uphold Christian principles?
Issues: As I began my research, I realized that I couldn’t prove that a company is
morally obligated to do anything without referring to the Bible, other religious texts,
or beliefs about religion or morality in general. However, I can’t assume that a
general audience is going to accept the Bible as evidence. If I want to make the
argument that a company should make decisions based on some belief system, I’ll
need to base my argument on credible research—like the measurable influence of
religion on business practices. Also, I shouldn’t ask a yes or no question.
Revised research question: How does a company’s stated religious principles
relate to sales revenue across different demographics?
Mark’s Research Question
Now that Mark has selected the credible sources that will provide the backbone for his research investigation, he is ready to
come up with his research question. In coming up with a research question, Mark asks himself the following:
What do I want to learn more about?
What would others want to learn more about?
Who would benefit from the research findings?
Who could best help in addressing the issue?
Mark’s search for sources opened the floodgates of additional questions related to social media habits that Mark is interested in
answering. However, he keeps coming back to his daughter Julia. How does her social media usage affect her state of mind and
emotional health? He believes that her intentions while using social media are contributing to her anxiety. She is definitely
monitoring others’ posts, and she compares herself to others. Mark isn’t sure how to change her attitude while using her social
media sites, but he wonders whether using social media less, or even differently, would help lessen her anxious behaviors. He
wonders if she would consider using one of those apps he discovered. Suddenly, Mark realizes he has his research question:
How could phone applications that limit social media engagement influence teens’ habits and intentions?
Mark knows that he is not alone in wanting an answer to this question. With technology and social media being such a huge part
of adolescent culture, he reasons that many parents of teenagers must be wondering the same thing. In fact, anyone working
with teens‐high school teachers, for instance‐would likely be interested in his findings.
Mark’s research question leads him to ask some additional questions that would dictate the next steps in his investigation. He
must now consider the following:
Which apps will he use for his investigation?
Based on the research, can he make a prediction about how those apps will influence teens’ habits and intentions? What is
his hypothesis of the outcome?
How will he recruit and select participants for his research?
How might he be able to measure any changes in habits and intentions?
Based on the outcome, who would be most interested in the findings?
Mark looks forward to continuing his investigation; he feels that the applications of this research will be helpful to parents and
teens everywhere. Further, he is excited to have a workable research question to submit to his university research department.
He is sure they’ll approve the idea.
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Mark’s Final Thoughts
Mark’s research investigation began with a simple question born out of his concern for his daughter. What effect did her social
media habits have on her mood and behavior? Mark’s quest for an answer to this question was an eye-opening, informative
experience. As he searched for articles and studies on the social media habits of adolescents, he was excited to find that there is
a significant amount of research on this topic. However, there are many more questions related to this social science issue yet
to be answered. Mark’s research question, which he hopes will be approved as a project for his university research department,
is just one step toward mapping the issue more completely.
Mark’s experience locating and evaluating credible resources has helped him form a well-rounded understanding of the social
science issue. Further, his work finding credible sources that support his research question have him feeling confident that his
university colleagues will see the value in his research proposal. Finally, he is excited to approach his wife and Julia with the
suggestion of using an app that could help curb social media use, and as a result, potentially Julia’s anxiety. Mark’s research
investigation has been a positive experience, and he is interested to see where further work in these areas will take him and his
family personally and professionally.
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- Module Four: Performing the Research Investigation, continued
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4-1 Considering Research Applications
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Prior Research and Applications
Prior Research and Applications
Exercise: Identifying Applications
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Exercise: Filling in the Gaps
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4-2 Choosing Sources
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Organizing the Findings
Organizing the Findings
Social media and well-being
Exercise: Sorting the Sources
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Exercise: Choosing Your Sources
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4-3 Forming a Research Question
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What Is a Research Question?
What Is a Research Question?
Avoiding Unworkable Research Questions
Mark’s Research Question
Mark’s Research Question
Exercise: Forming Your Research Question
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4-4 Putting It All Together
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Mark’s Final Thoughts
Mark’s Final Thoughts
Research Investigation Progress Check 2
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Module Four Short Responses
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Looking Ahead
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