In this sheet, you match the hypothesis to one (and usually more) possible analytic approaches that could be used to answer them. This activity sparked discussion in several areas:
1) the importance of how these constructs are measured (is presence of allergies a yes/no question? is it self report?)
2) The importance of research design (correlational studies can't answer some of these conclusively), and the importance of including statistical controls
3) How interchangeable these inferential statistical approaches are. Most had several ways the question could be approached. This eases some of the stress that you will pick the "wrong" analysis.
Some notes from our discussion on the paper about Academic Urban Legends. Bottom line of the article we read is that you should try to find, and read, the original source. By not doing so, we are encouraging an “avalanche of low-quality research”. More on the discussion after the jump.
It is easier to get sources now than it was in the past. It’s hard to find an excuse for not getting to the original sources given the availability / technology.
What is the point of citations / Why do academic papers cite other academic papers?
1. To give credit to the original idea (everyone is watching you!)
2. Build an argument, demonstrate that you have a knowledge of the state of the field
3. Validation – to prove that that these ideas are out there, and others are researching this area
4. Make your research relevant
5. To help your readers to find more information about the subject.
Skimming vs. Reading thoroughly
We had a discussion about whether skimming was a good thing or a bad thing. The answer of course is “it depends” on what you’re reading the article for.
Reading an article thoroughly doesn’t always give you a better grasp of the article, you may identify flaws or confusing parts of the article. But it’s better to understand that the paper is flawed than to include the findings without a total understanding of it.
Skim through several articles to identify ones that are meaningful for your argument, then read them thoroughly.
Everyone’s terrified. No one knows what they want to work on. Everyone has something that they find hard. Because this stuff IS really hard. If they aren’t anxious or nervous, they are compensating, and pretending. Never walk into a room and expect that you are the smartest person in it, because you probably aren’t. Don’t let that scare you, let it feed you. Do what you do the best that you can do it and that is your success. The most successful in this business are not always the smartest. They are the luckiest, or products of their environment, or maximizing where opportunity meets preparation. Everyone will second-guess themselves. Everyone will feel like they don’t belong. Everyone will feel like they are the first person to ever make that mistake. We’ve all made that mistake.
You made it in. You belong here … for as long as you want to be here. You aren’t pretending to be anything, you aren’t an impostor. You’ve proven yourself. You’re a scientist. Go discover something … go observe. Big or small, you’ll be the first to see it. And that’s why we do this.
In class on 11/12 we will discuss reviewing. First, we will read of some of the posts on Sh*t My Reviewers Say. Have you received any reviews like this?
Next, in class we will read Henry Roediger's twelve tips for being a good reviewer. I will hand them out in class. It is also available here.
Prompts I will ask you to think about:
1) What is the point of peer review?
2) What does a good peer review look like?
3) Could the publication system work without peer review? Why or why not?
There’s an old saying: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
I always struggle with splitting large tasks into small, do-able pieces. When I look at all the things I have to accomplish, I feel pretty overwhelmed: Finish the dissertation. Do all the grading. Set up next semester’s...
In case you missed and wanted to see the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy's Symposium on Children, here's a video of the whole thing!
“We all need to have a creative outlet - a window, a space - so we don’t lose track of ourselves.”
- Norman Fischer
People outside the academy may see us as quite regimented and boring, but a closer look inside my department will reveal some amazingly passionate and creative people. There’s…
Something I always preach to my students: we live in community with others.
When we embark on a course together - literally, in the sense of sharing a classroom and engaging in a course of lessons - we learn the most in interaction with one another. This is why attendance and participation are...
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