Critical Thinking

Identifying a Research Question & Forming a Hypothesis

Research questions help writers focus their research by laying out a path through the research process by focusing work on a specific, justifiable argument. The scope of the topic “international trade” is immense, and narrowing this field is necessary for writing a report that did not generalize or make presumptive arguments. Because my career interests are in the field of education and inequalities in education, I decided to focus my paper of the connection between educational attainment and international trade. After some broad research into this area of research, I found that there was not a wealth of information relating educational attainment and trade openness. Additionally, of the information that was available, there was a strong focus on Western nations, which supported my previous knowledge that developing nations often do not see the same benefits to global policies as developed nations. Thus, from the elephantine topic of “international trade,” I narrowed my research to answer this question: “Do more open trade policies increase educational attainment?” My hypothesis was that there was a correlation, but the correlation was stronger with developed nations than developing nations.

Researching Literature and Collecting Data

The next phase of my report was to do a systematic investigation into the sources and materials relevant to my research question. By searching the university library catalogue, finding reputable databases and academic journals, and consulting with my professor, I was able to write a chronological review of relevant literature and was able to strengthen my hypothesis. Next, I had to determine how I would perform my analysis. Because there is no clear and objective way to measure trade openness or educational attainment, I had to apply my prior knowledge of the situation and consider what measures best fit the question I was trying to answer. Finally, I collected data on international trade policies and educational attainment from the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization to use for my analysis.

Analysis of Data, Testing Hypothesis

Using skills learned in other classes such as policy analysis and data management, I was able to test my hypothesis. With software applications Excel and Stata, and quantitative analysis techniques such as multivariate regressions, gravity models, and t-testing, I determined that more liberalized international trade policies did result in an average gain to educational attainment, and just as I hypothesized, there was a discernable difference between which nations saw an increase. However, contrary to my hypothesis, it was not whether a nation was developing or developed that differentiated their educational attainment gains, but what kinds of exports a nation specialized in.

Evaluation of Results

Problem solving does not end with finding an answer, but continues into evaluating the answer and forming new questions. The results of my analysis showed that countries that exported skill-intensive products had greater gains to educational attainment than countries that exported low-skill-intensive products. To conclude my report, I provided a discussion of these findings, including a summary of potential implications as well as how future studies could continue this line of analysis. Lastly, I suggested that my hypothesis could be tested again with different measurements of trade openness and educational attainment, as there may be rationales not to perform the analysis in the same way I did.

Takeaways

To be a successful public servant, one must be able to analyze, synthesize, think critically, and solve problems. Although there are many instances of these skills being honed during my time at the Bush School, this project demonstrates all of these succinctly. Through forming a research question and collecting data I was able to think critically about what question I was trying to answer. By using my policy analysis skills, I was able to determine what methods and steps I would need to take to solve my problem. Evaluating and discussing my results allowed me to synthesize my findings and state the benefits of my research. Via the process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, and evaluating the information I found, I will be able to use critical thinking skills to address issues in my career life.