ARAŞTIRMA YÖNTEMLERİ

‘Purposive sampling’ method is employed when the researcher intentionally is interested in a population with certain knowledge, experience, or history.

‘Random sampling’ is a strategy that enables every member in the population to become selected and be a part of the study. Random sampling is essential as it avoids the likelihood to select a biased sample. ‘Random sampling’ is the most reliable
strategy to identify your sample because it enables every member in the population to
become selected at an equal chance and be a part of the study. Consequently, the findings of the study that are based on random sampling can be generalized to its population.

Systematic sampling is the selection of a sample systematically from the population- it belongs to the non-random sampling strategy.

Review p.139 'Convenience Sampling' section.

Census is data collected from every member in the society by governments for official purposes and could vary from general demographic information such as sex, age, education, place of birth to questions about households. If the entire population is surveyed, meaning it is a census representing 100% the population.

Quantitative research, or also called scientific research method, is a way of obtaining information that provides the researcher with accurate and reliable data that is numeric in nature and has been obtained through testing or comparing ideas in the public arena.

Correlational studies enable the researcher to identify how one or a set of variables are related to another or enable the researcher to make predictions. Especially in the case where it is difficult to conduct an experimental study, the researcher can make use of the available data to analyze the relationships among different variables (McNabb, 2004). Correlational research contradicts with experimental research in the sense that no variable is manipulated in this method.

Experimental research is unique yet not so common in political research as the
nature of experimental research demands manupulating of the independent variable in the experiment. More explicitly, it is a research type that explicitly attempts to influence a particular variable. Second, it is considered to be the best method to test hypothesis related to cause-and-effect relationships (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2010). In addition, ethics is of utmost consideration.

There are different types of surveys, therefore, as the researcher you need to relate your survey design to your research questions. Butt et al. (2016) provide
a list of survey types that can be utilized in political science research such as cross-national surveys, national time series, election surveys, and panel
surveys.

Dillman, Smyth, and Christian (2014) underscore that the researcher needs to avoid four types of errors as cornerstones of good quality surveys.
• Coverage error, which refers to drawing samples form a list of irrelevant samples to represent the population
• Sampling error, which exists any time when the researcher reaches some of the sample and not all members. For instance, instance, to understand the attitudes of political participation of university students the researcher only randomly selects students from one province as the available population rather than the whole country to generalize the findings to the target population;
• Nonresponse error, which occurs when some particular units of analysis tend to answer some particular items which are likely to influence the estimate of the findings;
• Measurement error is described as the difference between the estimate produced and the true value in case the respondents may answer inaccurately to the survey questions.

Tips for writing good survey questions
• Each question should have only one single objective. ‘I volunteer at governmental elections and NGOs’ Note, what if the participant only volunteers in one institution!
• Adopt the same definitions or concepts throughout the survey. For instance, if your key term is university students, keep it like that, and do not alternate it with college students in different parts of the survey.
• Avoid leading items that imply a preferred way to answer.
For example:
‘I think that women make best teachers.’
1) Totally Disagree 2) Disagree 3) Undecided 4) Agree 5) Totally agree
• Avoid rating within the questions such as ‘I always attend student protests.’
1) Never 2) Rarely 3) Sometimes 4) Frequently 5)Always
Avoid loaded questions, especially during face-to-face interview survey, which may emotionally charge the respondent. For example: Do you have cancer?
• Use questions that are simple and easy to understand, and cause no misunderstanding.
• Avoid using technical jargon. It may discourage the individuals to continue with the survey.
• Avoid negative or double negative expressions such as ‘I do not like the politicians,’ or ‘I do not dislike politics.’
• Be precise, avoid estimations such as ‘Estimated how many students are there in your class?’ ask ‘What size is your class.’

-Research questions should be feasible.

-Research questions should be significant.

- Research questions should be ethical.

-Good quantitative research questions should be specific. 

-Good research questions should be measurable.

Random sampling is a strategy that enables every member in the population to become selected and be a part of the study. Random sampling is essential as it avoids the likelihood to select a biased sample.

Content-related validity requires expert judgment in the field of study. Decision on ‘Have I asked the most appropriate question/item to find answers?’.

Using quantitative methods to sample data from the entire population also created a lot of controversy, as in the example of the 1990 Census which provoked a major lawsuit in the US for not including the differentiated poor living in the inner cities and the loss of their political presentation. The correct answer is A.

Quantitative research, or also called scientific research method, is a way of obtaining information that provides the researcher with accurate and reliable data that is numeric in nature and has been obtained through testing or comparing ideas in the public arena. Quantitative research is based on observation and the measurement of repeated incidences of a political phenomenon. The correct answer is C.

Correlational research contradicts with experimental research in the sense that no variable is manipulated in this method. Thus, it is important to say that correlation should not be confused with causal relation, it only provides an existing or nonexisting relationship between variables. Thus, correlation does not necessarily refer to the existence of a causal relationship between the variables. The correct answer is D.

In the case the regression line is approaching -1,00 or + 1,00 indicating there is a negative correlation for the former and a positive correlation for the latter. In other words, if it is close to 1 there is a positive correlation between the variables. The correct answer is A.

There are many things that a survey researcher should do before starting to conduct interviews. Among them are deciding what research design to use, reading the secondary literature, decide on sampling strategy and formulating a research question. The correct answer is E.

There are many types of surveys that political scientists use. Qualitative surveys are not one of these categories. The correct answer is B.