� Determine two researchable hypotheses for the research problem you have selected and the
independent, dependent, and control variables for each hypothesis.
� What changes in magnitude and relations do you expect between the dependent and independent
variables for each hypothesis?
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 3: 2 or 3 paragraphs in which you do the following:
� Identify your selected empirical research problem and the units of analysis. Include support for these
units as being reasonable for comparison and how you would avoid the ecological and individualistic
fallacies.
� Determine two researchable hypotheses based on your research problem. For each hypothesis,
identify the independent, dependent, and control variables. Moreover, estimate expected changes in the
magnitude and relations between the dependent and independent variables.
When appropriate, be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the
reading(s) and/or video program(s) and use APA format.
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Week1RC
Research topics will vary from one to another and will depend on the situation and the
needs of the researcher. Through research, it becomes easy to understand various dynamics or
situations at hand. Research involves different concepts and process that researchers need to
understand and embrace.
The empirical research problem identified is ‘what are the causes of poverty in Sub-
Saharan Africa?’ In this research problem, the unit of analysis is the communities that reside in
Sub-Saharan Africa. Units of analysis in this matter are the major entity the study seeks to
analyze (LaFountain & Bartos, 2002). Community in Sub-Saharan Africa is the unity of analysis.
Individualistic and ecological fallacies may lead to errors in the study. Ecological errors arise
because of reasoning about differing units of analysis where by data generated from individuals
is used to draw conclusions on a group (LaFountain & Bartos, 2002). To avoid such errors, the
researcher should ensure that the data generated from the group is used to draw conclusions on
that particular group but not on specific individual. For instance, in this case, the conclusions
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derived from the study should state that the community is power as whole because of reasons
they found out.
Hypothesis that related to this topic include:
Ignorance contributes to increased cases of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa
Dependent variable is ignorance while independent variable is increased case of poverty while
controlled variable is similar to Independent variable. These two variables are related since they
affect each other. The expected change in magnitude is average. Increasing level of literacy will
reduce poverty to some level but is not a guarantee.
Poor governance causes poverty in Sub Saharan Africa
In this second hypothesis, the independent variable is poor governance while dependent variable
is the causes of poverty. Controllable variable is governance. Similarly, the independent and
dependent variable have closer relationship in the sense that they affect each other. The change
in magnitude between the two is expected to be higher because is there is good governance, is
possible to formulate possibilities that can drive the region forward and help eradicate poverty.
WEEK1RC 4
References
LaFountain, R., & Bartos, R. (2002). Research and statistics made meaningful in counseling and
student affairs. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
