research in motion

Archibold, Randall. (1999, January). As Parents Sweat, 4th Graders Cram for New Test. New York Times, v148 i51397, p. A1

Bracey, G. W. (1992, February). Predicting school success for at-risk children. Phi Delta Kappan, v73 i6, p. 492.

Phelan, Patricia; Davidson, Ann Locke; Cao, and Hanh Thanh. (1992, May). Speaking up: students’ perspectives on school. Phi Delta Kappan, v73 n9, p.695(9).

The following academic journal resources all utilized effective qualitative research methods. This report will identify and describe the approaches and methods taken in these studies to achieve the qualitative research.

The Research Design Symposium is meeting for the last time. The goal of this meeting will be to consider the value of qualitative research. The methodologies used in the studies above address the needed research concerning the matter of standardized tests and the causal relationship they have with anxiety. The approaches that will be discussed are ethnography, phenomenology, and field research. The methods that will be discussed are participant observation, direct observation, and unstructured interviewing.

The term ethnography comes from the field of anthropology. The purpose of this research approach is to study an entire culture. Typically, when one thinks of culture, we immediately think of ethnicity and perhaps location globally. However, recent studies have broadened this understanding to include “any” group or organization regardless of previously mentioned ideologies. The approach of ethnography is most common with the method of participant observation. However, the study listed above did not utilize this method. In fact, the method that the study used was unstructured interviewing. Unstructured interviewing involves direct interaction. The most important aspect about this method is that it does not possess a formal structured instrument or protocol. The interviewer is very “free” to move the conversation as he/she sees fit. I can understand why this method would be used to address research that involves ethnic difference. Sometimes researchers feel the need to direct the interview so that the participant does not feel manipulated and also so that the participant does not become offended by the interviewers assumptions or questions. Although this method is usually more difficult to interpret the interviewed data (because of its lack of structure), it is the broad undertaking that makes this method appropriate for the study.

The second study that used qualitative research used different approaches and different methods. The approach used was phenomenology. This approach has a long history and can be closely linked to the field of Philosophy. However, the purpose of this approach is to emphasize a focus on the participant’s experiences and interpretations of his/her environment. Additionally, the researcher would use this approach to better understand how the world is seen through the eyes of another person. This approach is to establish a “perception” and how the research supports or changes this perception. The method used in this study was direct observation. The researcher used video cameras to observe the phenomenon. The purpose of this method is to observe certain controlled sampled situations. Also, this method is not as long as other methods, and therefore, it tends to be more focused than other types of observations (participant observations). The researcher in this instance is not taking part in this experiment. His/her entire purpose is to be a ghost. Direct observation attempts to keep a distance so as not to bias the observations. For example, on reality shows currently on television, would the participants act different if they didn’t know that they were being watched by millions of people?
The final study mentioned earlier uses the approach of field research. Field research is very broad. The purpose of this approach is to gather qualitative data. Examples of this type of data include in-depth interviewing, direct observation, and written documentation. The researcher embodies himself/herself into the environment of the research. The researcher relies heavily on field notes and extensive use of coding.

The method used in the final study was direct observation. Oddly enough, field research is closely related to the method of participant observation. Participant observation is considered the most common methods of qualitative research. The most important aspect of effective participant observation is that the researcher must be engulfed in the context. It is almost as if the researcher is “under-cover”. The researcher must plan on spending years gathering data. He/she must also be willing to be wait until he/she is accepted within this culture or environment. The acceptance of the researcher is important for the researcher to observe the natural phenomenon as it happens. The researcher becomes a part of the research. This method is very extensive and thorough. This data may also be interpreted later in the form of a “case study”, which is also a qualitative method not used in the three studies presented.







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research channel

The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute is doing research on malaria vaccines. They are wanting to find out if the vaccines work. Since they do not know if the vaccines work, they are looking for volunteers who will try the vaccines and then hold a cup of mosquitoes that are infected with the most deadly form of malaria to their arm so they are bitten. This study is a continuation of a study that start at Walter Reed Army Institute of Maryland is is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Since people are being asked to be infected with malaria, this brings up all kinds of ethical questions. First of all, would these people get seriously ill and even die? According to the researchers this would not happen and people would only have flu like symptoms for about a single day.

However, while the researchers may be able to try to control the mosquitoes to the best of their abilities, it is uncertain that these people may not have some type of allergic reaction or end up getting some type of disease or other infection from the mosquitoes.

Also, would malaria spread if these people are out in the community? Researchers say that the malaria will not get to a point where it is infectious from person to person. Most likely this is true since they know the research that has already been happening.

Of course, the volunteers are given $2,000 for participating. The researchers have said that this is mainly compensation for missing work or replacing funds used to get to the site and any other costs volunteers may incur.

While this sounds a little bit on the dangerous sides, there are benefits as a whole. People really do care about others in third world country who are often infected with malaria and do not survive because vaccines do not exist and they cannot afford the medication. Thus, people who want to make sure that vaccines will be available to these people may have an urge to volunteer for this program.

While I like the idea of getting vaccines to people in third world countries, no amount of money would make me go get a vaccine that may or may not work and be infected with a possibly deadly disease. While I know that only flu like symptoms should occur, I would be scared that something would go wrong.

I want to live my life and not be willingly infected with a disease. I would be scared that I'd have something in my body or have some type of reaction either to the vaccine or to the disease that would end my life suddenly.

While I know that I can't control the length of my own life, I can try to take care of myself so I have a good life. I want to be able to spend time with my friends, my family, and my dog. If anything were to happen because of this, the money, no matter how much of an amount, would not do me any good. While it could help my family, it would not ease the pain of the loss.

I'd rather earn my money honestly than making myself into a medical guinea pig.





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If you can, contact new subscriber as soon as you can.

Maybe you're a WordPress.com user who'd like to monetize your popularity. Or maybe you're defecting from Blogger, Typepad, or some other platform. This guide will take you through the steps to migrate to the world of vast possibilities that is WordPress.

Step #1
First, you must understand the difference between hosting your own Wordpress blog and having a Wordpress.com account. While having an account at Wordpress.com is very useful, it will not allow you to fully customize your site or make money by placing advertisements on your blog. To use Wordpress and have full control, you must download software from Wordpress.org (not yet! see step 3). Think of it this way: Wordpress.com is a service, while Wordpress.org is product.

Step #2
Next you need to secure a domain name. Try to make the name easy to remember and relevant to the content your plan to publish. The following are a few of the very many places to buy a domain name:

* Register.com
* Buydomains.com
* Domain.com
* Bluehost.com

If you are new to self-hosted publishing, you may find it easier to buy a domain with a company that also provides hosting, as in the last example.

Step #3
Sign up for a hosting account that has the following minimum requirements:

* PHP 4.3 or greater
* MySQL 4.0 or greater
* The mod_rewrite Apache module

For most people you don't need to know what any of things are or how the really work. Just contact the hosting provider first (or check their website for account details) to be sure these are covered.

Dreamhost.com, Bluehost.com, and Godaddy.com are among the Wordpress recommended hosts. See wordpress.org/hosting for a full list.

Step #4
If you are hosting with a company where you did not buy your domain, you will need to change some settings to point your URL (www.yourdomain.com) to your Web server.

Go to the site where you bought your domain and login. Find the domain manager, then find DNS control panel. Look for entries that resemble the following

ns1.examplehostname.com
ns2.examplehostname.com

You will need to change this as prescribe by your hosting company.

Step #5
Now you need to create a database (this is where the MySQL requirement comes in), which will house all of your information.

Within your hosting account go to your hosting control panel. Select Databases, then Create New (the navigation will vary depending on the company you use). You will be asked to name the database, choose a user name and a password.

Make sure you record and save this information in a safe and secure place. You will also want to record the host name or location.

Step #6
NOW you're ready to start using WordPress. Depending on your host, you may be able to do a quick "one-click" installation of WordPress from within your hosting account. The good news is that the manual install is almost as easy:

Download the Wordpress software:

http://wordpress.org/latest.zip for Windows or Mac computers
http://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz for Linux

You will need to extract or unzip the file. Make sure to save all the folders and files in an easily accessible place on your computer.

Step #7
The extracted file will produce a folder called "Wordpress". Open the folder and look for a file called wp-config-sample.php. Open the file using Notepad or some other text editor.

Wordpress is very kind and gives you instructions within this document. You must simple look for the following lines and replace the promting text with your own information:

define('DB_NAME', 'putyourdbnamehere');
define('DB_USER', 'usernamehere');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'yourpasswordhere');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

For example, on the first line you would erase putyourdbnamehere and type your database name. e.g. myblogdb

Save the file, renaming it as wp-config.php

Step #8
Now move all the folders and files to your Website's server or directory. Make sure you move each of the entries from the Wordpress folder (not the entire folder itself).

If your site IS your blog you should put the file in the root directory. If the Wordpress blog is an addition to your site, you should create a subdirectory. For example, if you name the subdirectory "blog" then your Wordpress blog will be found at yourdomain.com/blog

You will need to use an FTP client. Your host might provide one, or you can download one for free. Some popular FTP clients can be found at winscp.net, filezilla-project.org, and cyberduck.ch (for Mac). You will need a user and password from your hosting account to access your server via the FTP client.

Your almost done!

Step #9
You have installed Wordpress on your servers. Now open a browser and type www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php OR if you install in a subdirectory go to www.yourdomain.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php

Your Software will guide you through the final installations steps, which includes choosing an adminstration name and password (add this to your cheat sheet!).

Your done! Enjoy your blog :)




Source article: Web Log and News Blog and online blogging and Best Blogging Software and Online Blogging
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research topics

When you consider starting a business then you need to do a little bit of research. The research will help you see how successful the business would most likely become. You can also find out the small details within a field regarding a business that we often forget or aren't aware of because the business isn't in operation yet. Here are ten ways to help you research a business opportunity.

1. Talk to experts that you know that are already in the field. You need to speak to people that are already in the type of business that you are interested in. You need to ask them questions. You want to know basically how it works from start to finish and any problems that the person may run into. You want to basically know what it is like on a regular basis to run a business. You need to talk to a few people in order to get a more in depth information. You need to speak to the owners of the business instead of just an employee since the owners does know exactly what goes on from day to day in the business.

2. See how profitable it is. You want to make sure that that the type of business that you want to start will make you enough money. The important thing is to consider if it is worth it depending upon how much time and energy you have to put into it. If the other businesses in the area are struggling to keep their doors open each day then it probably isn't a good idea since those other businesses don't generate enough sales or services rendered.

3. Can your company be better than the competition? You need to ask yourself that question. If every person in town always want to go a certain company for a certain item or even service then you need to become better than the competition. You want your customers to think that your company is better than your competition even with excellent customer service and cheap prices.

4. Does the type of business that you are interested in starting require a lot of funding in the beginning? Some companies are cheaper than others to start in the beginning. You need to figure out if you will have enough money for advertising and all the other expenses. You want to have enough money saved in the bank for your personal use too besides money for business. It is important to able to support yourself for basic living expenses along with being able to have enough money for your business too.

5. Will you be able to generate enough sales? Is their enough people in the city or town to offer services or items to the customers? You need to think about it. If your competition doesn't have a website then make sure that you have a business website. You always want to offer the next best thing or something else that they don't offer. If your competition doesn't offer credit accounts then you probably should offer credit accounts to business owners and individuals. You want to be different than your competition. If your competition doesn't advertise on radio then you need to advertise on radio.

You need to go to the city to look all the new companies that have been started recently within the last few years. Make sure to see how many of them ever renewed their business license. Look to see how many companies haven't been successful in the same field that you want to start a business in. You want to see many companies have been successful offering the same type of products or items. The records will give you a general idea of how well your company should succeed.




Reference research: beauty research and home research and sport research and my bookmark page




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research methods in psychology

Today's educators are bombarded with information from all sides about the latest and greatest research-based instructional techniques in teaching. With all these crazes about instructional methods and the confusion about which one really works and which one is a dud, no wonder our teachers are so exhausted! As charming and inspirational as all these latest claims and success stories seem to be, educators need to be careful when choosing and implementing a new or old "miracle" instruction method. There are things a teacher needs to do before making any big changes to their curriculum and instruction.

First things first, what supporting evidence is there? Educators need to use their resources wisely and take all initial information with skepticism. Before actually outright backing the "amazing" new research supporting a particular method, whether it be Indirect Instruction, Cooperative learning, etc..., educators must do their research. Talk to colleagues, look the strategy up online, check out education magazines and journals, and any other resource material available. Find out what evidence there is out there to support the research-based strategy. Furthermore, make sure the sources you are calling upon for information are reliable. Reliable sources offer reliable evidence, so seek out unbiased, professional resources. Weigh pros and cons, consistencies and inconsistencies, before making a decision on the strategy at hand.

After thorough research has been done, the next important question is: "How should the research-based program be implemented?" And "What methods does the research show to be most advantageous?" These questions' answers would most probably appear in your research since it was suppose to be incredibly thorough. If not, you'll want to look it up. Many teachers forget this step, and as Grassen states in the article "What Does It Mean To Be a Research-Based Profession" teachers simply aren't properly implementing research-based strategies are thus losing out on potential benefits of the programs. "Cooperative learning was designed to complement teacher-directed instruction by providing further opportunity for students to work together using what they have learned. In most schools today, cooperative learning is used to replace teacher-directed instruction and students are expected to construct their own knowledge working in groups." (N.d). Clearly, teachers need to put a great deal of thought into this step as improper implementation of the program can have catastrophic consequences on learners.

Read up on each research-based method, decide what sorts of lessons would benefit from their use, and which wouldn't. Talk to colleagues about what methods they use in the classroom, why, and how they implement them. Most of all, be aware of comparisons being drawn between different research-based strategies. Look for comparative studies as opposed to non-comparative studies. Comparative studies are more likely to give you accuracy in research. Educators need to look at the whole picture. How is class A using strategy A performing compared to class B using strategy B? How do these same classes perform after trading strategies? How is school A using strategy A performing compared to school B using strategy B? And so on...

Lastly, before implementing any research-based strategy, an educator should ask themselves "Am I biased?" Be sure to be honest with yourself. Try to go into deliberation with an open and unbiased mind. Take into account all reliable sources whether they are in-line with your initial beliefs or opinions on the strategy or not. Remain unbiased until the end. Your openness and willingness to learn can determine the accuracy of your research.

There are a great many research-based programs out there and being implemented everyday. Many of them just don't have the proper supporting research for an educator, especially a new and inexperienced one, to simply throw their weight behind. Don't ask your students to do homework without doing your own. Research your methods before putting them into practice. Find out what's behind them, what's supporting them, and how they should be used to the biggest advantage in the classroom. Without such information your newest instructional plan could be a huge failure. Don't follow fads and trends, look for rock solid evidence and implementation methods before making that big leap of bringing it into your classroom.

Reference:

Grossen, B. (n.d). What Does It Mean To Be a Research-Based Profession? Retrieved March 8, 2007, from University of Oregon, Eugene Website: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu

Northwest Regional Education Laboratory. (2005). Research-Based Strategies. Retrieved March 5, 2007 from, Focus on Effectiveness Web site: http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/




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research chemicals

Few people would climb a mountain blindfolded. Yet company executives routinely pursue markets with blinders on-ignorant of market characteristics, the competition, and barriers to entry. Good ideas and good products aren't enough; a variety of factors can prevent first-class concepts from becoming profitable businesses. Opportunities need to be carefully investigated through objective market research. Investing in research can both save a business from making costly mistakes and increase its long-term profitability.

It's a common misconception that only large companies can afford market research. Just the opposite is true; small companies cannot afford not to invest in research. When resources are limited, mistakes are more damaging. Many small businesses fail because their owners don't do their homework-before starting the business and during the first crucial months. By performing a comprehensive market investigation-on their own or by enlisting the services of professional researchers-business owners can avoid pitfalls, increase revenues, and differentiate themselves from their competition.

Types of Market Research

Customer satisfaction is probably the most common form of market research but other kinds of research are equally important. The main categories are:• Competitor analysis - identifies who it is, pinpoints the strengths and weaknesses of other firms in the same market, shows where they are having success, and what they plan to do in the future. The objective is to stay a step ahead by taking advantage of their weaknesses, or at least keep up with them.• Market opportunity assessment - size, growth rate, trends, barriers to entry.• Product analysis - features, price points; determined by talking to potential customers to assess their desires before the product is introduced.

Research can be primary or secondary and quantitative or qualitative. A business needs primary research-which involves direct contact with sources of information-if it is trying to determine very specific, detailed information or is dealing with a technology, product, or service so new that there is a very limited existing body of literature. Customer satisfaction also requires primary research.

Secondary research involves the review of a body of existing literature about a topic. It is most suitable when a company wants a general overview of a broad topic, analyst opinions, and high-level quantitative information of an existing market.

Primary research is usually more expensive than secondary. Costs vary, depending on:• Sample size• How the survey will be administered - by mail, by telephone, online, focus groups• Whether just raw survey results or analysis and recommendations are desired

If resources are limited, a company can do secondary research in-house, provided in-house staff knows what resources are available, where to access the information, and how to interpret it. The Internet makes secondary research much easier and less expensive, because so many agencies have made information available for free. For example, government agencies worldwide furnish a wealth of quantitative information. Company Websites offer much valuable information, such as press releases, annual reports and financial filings, job openings, and product data sheets.

IT analysts and management consulting firms often make a limited number of reports and white papers available for free. Some companies also furnish free white papers, but these seldom are objective assessments.

Syndicated research reports are also available. These reports consist of long-term market forecasts, often segmented by geographical regions or vertical markets. Many businesses rely heavily on quantitative market forecasts to determine whether it makes sense for them to enter a new market or develop a new product. For established markets and products, syndicated research can be quite useful, but in the case of new products or technologies, such reports are less reliable.

Make the Most of Market Research

A business can dramatically improve its chances of getting valid results by clearly defining its objectives. Asking the right questions is crucial-a company should be able to clearly state what it wants to determine. It is not the responsibility of an outside research firm to identify what the client wants from a study. It is the research firm's responsibility to clearly explain its methodology and how it will approach a study.

Additionally, a research request should not be biased in favor of a particular result. Frequently, individuals who commission research have vested interests in a particular outcome. If the results are not to their liking, they try to discredit the study and ignore its results. It is best to have high-level decision-makers who have the best interests of the entire company at heart involved in the research process.

Research should not be based on an untested assumption. For example, a company should not assume there is demand for its new widget and ask a research company to find out how the product should be priced. Before developing the widget, the company should determine if there is a market for it.

Like any other investment, market research should be measured by the return it delivers. Return can be measured both by increased profitability and cost savings derived from not making mistakes. To receive any benefit, a company has to make a commitment to act on the results of a reliable research study. Market research can be a powerful business tool for those companies willing to remove their blindfolds.

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research groups

Boundaries
In every era of rapid human development, boundaries that previously were thought to be sacred, have been breached. Embryonic stem cell research is no different. The controversy arises because there is experimentation on living tissue, and some would claim that this brings pain to tissue that already has human life.

Debate
This debate rages between those that claim that the good of some cannot be gained by the pain of others. So, currently, the financial resources needed for research are limited because it is a hot issue. To think debate whether government should pay for it, is a delicate topic! It’s not good for election results.

Taxes
Traditionally, taxes are paid to a government with the intent that the it makes decisions for the group, ensure the safety and wellbeing of the group and spend the accrued money on anything that the people cannot provide for themselves individually. While some would argue that this safety and wellbeing only encompasses the invasion of other countries (war), others would argue that it includes a broad spectrum of services that enhance and contribute to human beings. Ergo, embryonic stem cell research, which would provide healing for many with conditions such as Alzheimer's, 68 different cancers, auto-immune disease and healing the heart muscle, should seriously be considered as a candidate for government funding. Research, currently, is limited as a result of a short supply of. Much needs to be done and the sooner it is done, the more grief and pain will be prevented.

Fears
One of the great fears of the general populace that would discourage the government from funding stem cell research is the fear of cloning, that it would increase the difference that already exists between the haves and have-nots. If this fear can be overcome, and the benefits of stem cell research can be sold more positively. Resistance to it might fade. I have found that reasoning attributed to religious strong points often fade in the face of obvious benefits (with no accompanying negatives).

The Big Question
The greatest reason why the government should fund it is that governments were created to act as leaders for the group and to bring to the group those services which individuals cannot provide as a result of lack of sufficient individual resources.

In this instance, however, the question is whether business or government should provide the finance. Perhaps, there’s more than one solution. Perhaps, the government can provide some financial input in return for a portion of the profits. Perhaps, when research is complete, the research company would donate a certain percentage of its new technology to those that live ‘beneath the breadline’.

Conclusion
While, in many instances, health is a personal responsibility, it is unfortunate that few human beings have the capacity to live the way that optimal life styles demand. Illness is, therefore, always a probability or possibility. If governments were created to look after the wellbeing of the people, government should seriously consider investing in research that brings healing to humanity.






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