Research Process, Res 341

Research Process Paper Res/341 Research and Evaluation 1, James Espino, Penni Kjellesvik, Cassandra Kowieski, Takako Tizon May 15, 2010 Lance Milner Research Process Paper Some individuals believe that education and earnings go hand in hand. The lesser the education, the smaller the wages, and thus with a greater education may lead to an increase in wages. The focus of this discussion will involve what the research process entails for the subject of wages and the relationship between education, and wage earnings.

This research project will discuss the purpose of the research, define the problem, propose three possible hypothesizes, identify the variables, and define the problem in quantifiable measurements. Additionally, why the research is important, what question the research will answer, and the necessary steps to follow in the research process will clearly be shown. Purpose of Research According to some research studies the level of education that an individual obtains directly correlates to the wages that he or she will earn over his or her lifetime.

The higher the degree of education that a person attains can affect the amount of wages that he or she will earn. Research shows that there is also a difference in wage earnings by males and females who have earned the same degrees. “The highest paid 10% of male workers with advanced degrees earned $3,260 or more weekly, compared to $2,252 or more for women of the same education level” (Wall Street Journal, 2009). The research suggests that there is an advantage of an increase in earning power by an individual who continues his or her education, and advances the degrees that he or she holds.

This research may be important for anyone who is considering whether or not he or she should continue to further his or her education. The time, effort, and expense that a person invests in continuing his or her education may result in producing the potential for a higher income in earned wages in many fields of industry throughout their life. Problem Definition A problem could be any situation where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal states.

The problem in this case would be what research method to use when trying to see the relationship between education and wages. In order to find the solution to this problem we would need to look at what extent does an individual’s level of education contribute to the earnings of that individual during the duration of his or her career. Simply noting the external factors that will play a role during the investigation is only the beginning. A wealth of information still needs to be addressed.

Ultimately the research will determine if a person with a degree will generally earn more than an individual with less education during his or her career. Research Hypothesis After properly defining the problem for the research, the next step is to identify the research hypothesis. In this search of the correlation between level of education and the wages earned, there are three possible hypotheses for the outcomes this research may show. First hypothesis is simply that the higher the level of education, the higher potential of earning.

Second hypothesis that higher the level of education and the level of motivation affecting it, greatly influences the potential of higher earnings The third hypothesis is that the higher the level of education and the gender of an individual, influenced by their social background, greatly correlate to the potential earnings. In the three hypothesizes mentioned the variables must be tested to confirm or deny the theories. In the three hypotheses explained above, they share a common dependent variable.

The dependent variable in this scenario is the potential wage earnings. Dependent variable or criterion variable is the primary reason for this research (Sekaran, 2003). The independent variables are the level of education and the gender of an individual that affects the earning potential for an individual. Independent variables are known as predictor variables, and they are the cause of influence on the dependent variables (Sekaran, 2003). Social background is another variable in two of the hypotheses, which are identified as the moderating variables.

Social background of an individual may affect the influences of the independent variables in the way that his or her cultural differences may affect the way he or she perceives the importance of education, and work ethics. Moderating variables are the third type of variables, which can have an effect on the original relationship between the dependent, and independent variables (Sekaran, 2003). The level of measurement for these variables is a classification as either categorical or qualitative variables. The dependent variable of the wage earnings is a qualitative variable, which is measured on a ratio scale.

The independent variable of gender is a categorical variable, which measures on a nominal scale. Level of education is a continuous variable which is measured on an interval scale. Lastly, the moderating variables mentioned above are measured as a categorical variable on a nominal scale (Doane & Seward, 2007). Remaining Steps in Research Process The remaining steps for this research project are to examine the current literature available for the subject of wages, earning potential, and evaluate their relationship with gender, social background, and education.

In addition to comparing the research literature with other subsequent years, sampling design, data collection, and data analyses steps will be taken. Obtaining further information and analyzing the information gathered may support one of the three hypotheses, or could reveal a different result. Obtaining information specifically for each gender, and social background in relation to education level, and wage earnings, as well as profession will be reviewed, documented, and evaluated for further clarification. Summary

This research process paper’s discussion focuses upon researching the topic of wage earnings and their relationship to higher education. The research steps involve, the purpose of the research, describing the research problem and why it has importance, defining the problem, defining the problem with quantifiable measurements, proposing three hypotheses that may result from this research, define operational definitions for each variable, identify the variables to be tested, and define both the level of measurement for each variable, and the measurement scale for each variable.

The remaining steps of the research for wages, wages earnings and education are to examine and evaluate the literature available for the most current year and compare with other subsequent years, sampling design, data collection, and data analyses. In concluding this research project we are attempting to prove that the higher the education level an individual has the greater the earning power an individual has. References Doane, D. P. , & Seward, L. E. (2007). Applied statistics in business and economics.

Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Sekaran, U. (2003). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (4th ed. ). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Wall Street Journal(2009). Women’s Wages Outpaced Men’s During Recession, https://online. wsj. com/article/SB25572097632690573. html. , retrieved May 14, 2010. U. S. Department of Labor. (2010). Equal Pay and Compensation Discrimination. Retrieved from https://www. dol. gov/dol/topic/wages/educational. htm.

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