You start with your research paper and work on it throughout the semester. Please follow 4 steps when you work on your research paper. Please review Research Paper Grading Criteria Rubric and sample paper in module 5. 

Step 1: Select a research topic directly related to marriage and the family covered in the textbook or beyond the book.    

Step 2: After you select your paper topic, you review literature. Or you start with literature review and then select a research topic. In literature review, you browse the Internet and visit the library to collect the existing data about the topic under study. There are two purposes of reviewing literature. First, you gather the existing data about the topic under study. Literature review will help you decide how you will work on your paper. By reviewing literature, you will know how to fit your research in the mainstream of the area under study. 
Step 3: You formulate a hypothesis. For example, you try to find out the main causes or effects of divorce. You can hypothesize that the loss of sexual desire is more likely to cause divorce. This probably is one of the hypotheses you formulated. Remember that hypotheses should be direct, specific, and measurable. Please post your paper topic and two hypotheses in module 5.

Step 4: You design questionnaire based on your two hypotheses and use your survey results and your secondary sources to support your two hypotheses. 

Step 5: You write your paper and please refer to grading criteria and sample paper because your paper is graded according to the grading rubric. Please submit your paper including title page, introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, conclusion, and reference page using APA guidelines in Module 5. 

How to formulate a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a suggested explanation of a phenomenon. A hypothesis is a statement of the relationships between factors or causes and the problem or phenomenon under study.  

You as a researcher can identify a problem or phenomenon, find the main causes or effects of the problem, and provide the possible solutions to the problem. For example, if you study the problem of divorce and try to find the main causes of divorce, you may hypothesize that lack of communication is more likely to cause divorce. In this case, lack of communication is one of the main causes of divorce.  Also remember that a hypothesis should be direct, specific, and measurable. For example, if you study gender inequality or women as minority group, you try to argue that women are subordinated and discriminated against. You can hypothesize that women are more likely to earn less income than men do. Income here is measurable and is an indicator to measure discrimination against women. You can examine discrimination against women in aspects of income, power, occupation, education, etc. The following hypotheses might help for brain storm purpose. Your sources that you have collected also will assist you.

• A child is more likely to progress when both parents are involved in their education.
• Children that their parents are not involved tend to face difficulties in school.
• Gays and lesbians are likely to be treated more unfairly when it comes to job offerings.
• Children whose parents divorce are more likely to experience emotional and mental trauma.
• Children whose parents divorce are more likely to get divorced in the future.
• Women who go out with unknown men are more likely to experience date rape.
• Adults who experienced child abuse are more likely to be violent or abusive as an adult.
• African Americans are less likely to obtain jobs compared to other minorities.
• The more a person belongs to minority group, the less likely the person will find employment.
• Conduct Disorder is more prevalent in black males than any other minority group.
• The wealthy are more likely to obtain the finest health care such as organ transplant.
• If healthy food were more accessible and less expensive, there would be less obesity in the United States.
• Couples with alcohol addictions are more likely to experience higher domestic violence rates than couples with relatively low levels of alcohol addiction.
• Couples with alcohol addictions are more likely to report lower levels of trust and safety. 
• Children with divorced parents are more likely to experience a different lifestyle than children with married parents.
• Children with divorced parents are more likely to experience emotional strain towards their school performance.
• Children with a history of abuse are at risk of developing psychiatric problems as adults. 
• Children who are abused in their childhood are more likely to abuse their own children.

  RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC IDEASSS
  -Family diversity
  – family and marriage
  -gender and family
  -intimacy friendship and Love
  -marriage in societal and individual perspective
  – marriage work and economic
  -intimate violence and sexual abuse
  – coming apart : separation and divorce
  – new beginnings :single parent families, remarriage, and blended families