Research
CM 670 -- Advanced Research Methods
I was pleasantly surprised with my experiences in CM 670 in the Fall 2020 semester. I had never had a research class before, so I knew that I had a lot to learn. My biggest challenge came with the statistics section at the end of the semester. Since I had never had a class before, I didn’t have any experience with quantitative methods, and reading statistics was a challenge because of that. Thankfully after that unit, I feel more confident in my ability to read and understand what the statistics mean.
I naturally gravitated towards and really enjoyed qualitative content analysis for past research projects, and while I still think that is my favorite research method, I also developed an appreciation for other methods. Surveys and qualitative content analysis are probably my realistic top two for practical applications, but I also find experimental research methods like eye tracking fascinating.
My ideal career for the future is going into the user experience field. Depending on what part of the field I go into, I may be using methods like experimental stimulus and surveys to determine the best design for a product or content analysis to better understand the language and content included in websites in the field.
Qualifications
One thing this class taught was the importance of ethical practices and methodical approaches to research, particularly as it relates to human subjects in communication studies.
As one of the first things we did in the class, I achieved my CITI certifications for both human subjects research practices and responsible conduct in research.
View my certifications using the buttons below.
Every student, researcher, and employee has some kind of history, and the form that history comes in depends on the demands of the field one is trying to step into.
Employers look for resumes with employment history, whereas researcher positions may prefer a Curriculum Vitae, or C.V. as it is more commonly known.
View both my resume and C.V. below.
Qualitative Research
The purpose of this research is to explore and examine how people feel about virtual media and the interactions that take place using them.
The class mainly focused on quantitative research methods with human subjects, but we did spend a couple of weeks discussing various qualitative research methods, such as content analysis, ethnography, and focus group interviews. The only assignment we completed on this topic was a focus group interview plan, which you can view and learn more about below.
Focus Group Protocol
Quantitative Research
Validity/Reliability Threats
The researchers measured “Social Media” and “Disorder” variables, which seem to accurately measure what they were looking for in the research.
After we finished with the qualitative unit, we moved into tht bulk of the class's material. This started with a week on validity and reliability in research. We discussed the need to determine if the research truly studied the variables it needed to and if the results were able to be trusted for scientific results.
Survey Plan
How do UAH faculty members perceive students based on the way they communicate in and outside of the classroom?
One of the most common forms of human subjects research is the survey. Users are offered the opportunity to provide feedback and improve products even when they don't realize they are contributing to research like this.
I was asked to create a survey plan to answer the question shown to the left.
Content Analysis
...founding year does not seem to have a large effect on the presentation of the founding story of each company...
While I prefer its qualitative sister, we also discussed how to perform a quantitative content analysis. This method requires the use of code sheets and tight structure to successfully capture the intent of the researcher's goal. Coding requires working with a partner, and this project taught me the importance of being on the same page and a methodical approach during content analysis.
Conversation Analysis
Despite the power dynamic as a father-daughter participant pair, there does not seem to be much deferral or exertion of power presented in the conversation.
Conversation analysis is a quantitative method that takes hours to complete and requires tremendous attnetion to detail. Every part of the conversation under scrutiny has to be recorded, transcribed, annotated, and then analyzed to achieve results. It is intriguing, though, and the results have the potential to be eye opening.
Experimental Stimulus
Does the amount of perceived math in a mechanical engineer’s common work day affect middle and high schoolers feelings towards pursuing it as a career?
Experimental stimulus is more of what everyone thinks of when the term "research" is used. This is where people are brought into a situation and their experience is according to the variable group they are randomly assigned to test how some variable affects the human. The experiment I designed for this class was simple with only one variable and two test groups.
Statistics
Descriptive Statistics
Descriptives
Distributions
Hypothesis Testing
The statistics unit was where I met most of my challenges in CM 670. P-values, samples sizes, variance, and the like were basically Greek when I opened the first lecture video. Week one used some basic analyses like mean, median, and mode, which was approachable and an easy way to start understanding how to interpret the data I was seeing.
Tests of Difference
McNemar's | Wilcoxon |
T-test
Chi-Square | Anova |
Mann-Whitney | Independent T-test | Kruskal-Wallis
Week two of statistics was definitely more challenging and intense with the discussion of tests of difference. This week took what we learned about different variable types, normality, and the numbers of independent variable groups and explored a few of the statistical tests used to analyze differences between variables.
Tests of Relationships
Spearman
Pearson
After the tests of difference the week before, week three was much easier. We looked at tests of relationship and correlation, and especially how it isn't causation. These tests and charts were easy to decipher and showed me how to test for correlation between variables instead of always looking for the differences.
Research Writings
Literature Review
Social Media and...
...Crisis Comm.
...COVID-19
...Black Lives Matter
...Natural Disasters
While I never actually completed the research and wrote the paper, this class taught me how to write a literature review and prepare to conduct the research for a project--in this case, my qualitative content analysis. The literature review is also important to a research paper because it is where the hypothesis argument or research question is presented.
Annotated Bibliography
How does the frequency of social media posts about COVID-19
compare to the frequency of other crises in 2020?
We actually discussed research writings at the beginning of the semester, but as they are a part of what is presented to the public after the research is complete, they will conclude this research section.
My annotated bibliography is composed of sources that sought to provide context needed to explore the question to the left.