EMBRY RIDDLE MATH222 Module 7 - Discussion: Formulating Research Questions

In a research project, the researcher normally has a research question in mind and then develops a research methodology. The methodology includes such things as determining the type of data that will be needed to address the question, how the data will be collected, and how the data will be analyzed. Due to time constraints, you will take a different approach to developing a research question. You will be given data that has already been collected and asked to develop a possible research question from the data.

For this discussion activity, open the StatCrunch file, Southwest Airlines Data. The variables are explained within the file description. Use the file is in the course StatCrunch group (Enrollment Instructions)

This discussion is a lead-in to the t-Test Course Project that you will be working on in the next module. You will be asked to do something similar to this activity for your project and also asked to collect and analyze the data. Look at the description of the variables in the file and the variables themselves. Then develop a “research question” that can be answered using a one- or two-sample t-test and confidence interval that might be interesting to explore using this data set. Some examples are:

• Is the average delay time longer at Midway than at Dallas?
• Is the average taxi time longer at Houston than at Dallas?

Develop your own research question. Be creative! Do not use one of the questions above or the ones your classmates post. Try to find something that might be interesting to you. After you post your question, also indicate the techniques you would use to answer it. For this Discussion Board activity, you don’t need to analyze the data. You only need to develop a research question. You should post it on the discussion board no later than the 4th day of the week. By the end of the week, return to the discussion, review the postings of other students, and comment on at least two of them.