Step 1: Identify the Problem

The first step in the process is to identify a problem or develop a research question.
The research problem may be something the agency identifies as a problem, some
knowledge or information that is needed by the agency, or the desire to identify a
recreation trend nationally.

Step 2: Review the Literature

Now that the problem has been identified, the researcher must learn more about the
topic under investigation. To do this, the researcher must review the literature related
to the research problem. This step provides foundational knowledge about the
problem area. The review of literature also educates the researcher about what
studies have been conducted in the past, how these studies were conducted, and
the conclusions in the problem area. In the obesity study, the review of literature
enables the programmer to discover horrifying statistics related to the long-term
effects of childhood obesity in terms of health issues, death rates, and projected
medical costs. In addition, the programmer finds several articles and information
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that describe the benefits of
walking 10,000 steps a day. The information discovered during this step helps the
programmer fully understand the magnitude of the problem, recognize the future
consequences of obesity, and identify a strategy to combat obesity (i.e., walking).

Step 3: Clarify the Problem

Many times the initial problem identified in the first step of the process is too large or
broad in scope. In step 3 of the process, the researcher clarifies the problem and
narrows the scope of the study. This can only be done after the literature has been
reviewed. The knowledge gained through the review of literature guides the
researcher in clarifying and narrowing the research project. In the example, the
programmer has identified childhood obesity as the problem and the purpose of the
study. This topic is very broad and could be studied based on genetics, family
environment, diet, exercise, self-confidence, leisure activities, or health issues. All of
these areas cannot be investigated in a single study; therefore, the problem and
purpose of the study must be more clearly defined. The programmer has decided
that the purpose of the study is to determine if walking 10,000 steps a day for three
days a week will improve the individual’s health. This purpose is more narrowly
focused and researchable than the original problem.

Step 4: Clearly Define Terms and Concepts

Terms and concepts are words or phrases used in the purpose statement of the
study or the description of the study. These items need to be specifically defined as
they apply to the study. Terms or concepts often have different definitions depending
on who is reading the study. To minimize confusion about what the terms and
phrases mean, the researcher must specifically define them for the study. In the
obesity study, the concept of “individual’s health” can be defined in hundreds of
ways, such as physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health. For this study, the
individual’s health is defined as physical health. The concept of physical health may
also be defined and measured in many ways. In this case, the programmer decides
to more narrowly define “individual health” to refer to the areas of weight, percentage
of body fat, and cholesterol. By defining the terms or concepts more narrowly, the
scope of the study is more manageable for the programmer, making it easier to
collect the necessary data for the study

Step 5: Define the Population

Research projects can focus on a specific group of people, facilities, park
development, employee evaluations, programs, financial status, marketing efforts, or
the integration of technology into the operations. For example, if a researcher wants
to examine a specific group of people in the community, the study could examine a
specific age group, males or females, people living in a specific geographic area, or
a specific ethnic group. Literally thousands of options are available to the researcher
to specifically identify the group to study. The research problem and the purpose of
the study assist the researcher in identifying the group to involve in the study. In
research terms, the group to involve in the study is always called the population.
Defining the population assists the researcher in several ways. First, it narrows the
scope of the study from a very large population to one that is manageable. Second,
the population identifies the group that the researcher’s efforts will be focused on
within the study. This helps ensure that the researcher stays on the right path during
the study. Finally, by defining the population, the researcher identifies the group that
the results will apply to at the conclusion of the study.

Step 6: Develop the Instrumentation Plan

The plan for the study is referred to as the instrumentation plan. The instrumentation
plan serves as the road map for the entire study, specifying who will participate in the
study; how, when, and where data will be collected; and the content of the program.
In the obesity study, the researcher has decided to have the children participate in a
walking program for six months. The group of participants is called the sample,
which is a smaller group selected from the population specified for the study. The
study cannot possibly include every 10- to 12-year-old child in the community, so a
smaller group is used to represent the population. The researcher develops the plan
for the walking program, indicating what data will be collected, when and how the
data will be collected, who will collect the data, and how the data will be analyzed.
The instrumentation plan specifies all the steps that must be completed for the study.
This ensures that the programmer has carefully thought through all these decisions
and that she provides a step-by-step plan to be followed in the study.

Step 7: Collect Data

Once the instrumentation plan is completed, the actual study begins with the
collection of data. The collection of data is a critical step in providing the information
needed to answer the research question. Every study includes the collection of some
type of data—whether it is from the literature or from subjects—to answer the
research question. Data can be collected in the form of words on a survey, with a
questionnaire, through observations, or from the literature. In the obesity study, the
programmers will be collecting data on the defined variables: weight, percentage of
body fat, cholesterol levels, and the number of days the person walked a total of
10,000 steps during the class.

The researcher collects these data at the first session and at the last session of the
program. These two sets of data are necessary to determine the effect of the walking
program on weight, body fat, and cholesterol level. Once the data are collected on
the variables, the researcher is ready to move to the final step of the process, which
is the data analysis.

Step 8: Analyze the Data

All the time, effort, and resources dedicated to steps 1 through 7 of the research
process culminate in this final step. The researcher finally has data to analyze so
that the research question can be answered. In the instrumentation plan, the
researcher specified how the data will be analyzed. The researcher now analyzes
the data according to the plan. The results of this analysis are then reviewed and
summarized in a manner directly related to the research questions. In the obesity
study, the researcher compares the measurements of weight, percentage of body
fat, and cholesterol that were taken at the first meeting of the subjects to the
measurements of the same variables at the final program session. These two sets of
data will be analyzed to determine if there was a difference between the first
measurement and the second measurement for each individual in the program.
Then, the data will be analyzed to determine if the differences are statistically
significant. If the differences are statistically significant, the study validates the theory
that was the focus of the study. The results of the study also provide valuable
information about one strategy to combat childhood obesity in the community.

As you have probably concluded, conducting studies using the eight steps of the
scientific research process requires you to dedicate time and effort to the planning
process. You cannot conduct a study using the scientific research process when
time is limited or the study is done at the last minute. Researchers who do this
conduct studies that result in either false conclusions or conclusions that are not of
any value to the organization.