Hypotheses:
Iranian government has been blamed for the uncontrollable spread of corona in Iran.
In my hypothesis, the independent variable is Iranian regime's inhumane and dictatorial policies — the assumed cause. The dependent variable is the increased prevalence of corona-virus in Iran — the assumed effect.
The hypothesis that the inhumane and dictatorial policies of the Iranian regime have increased the prevalence of the corona-virus in Iran is not only based on speculation, but also on the knowledge and understanding that I have gained of the Iranian regime over the years. This essential ambiguity about “how” and “why” Iran became the third virus center after China and Italy is a question that has occupied the minds of most unbiased researchers. Based on the Announcements of the Iranian government leaders at the early days of spreading Corona virus, it is clear how important it is to address this hypothesis. For instance, Iran's Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei) has accused his country's enemies of exaggerating Corona's threat shortly before the election to discourage voters from running in the polls, as he is well aware that support for his government is very low. Furthermore, in a statement issued on February 25, Iranian President (Hassan Rouhani) refused to acknowledge the rapid spreading prevalence, claiming that it was "one of the enemy's conspiracies to shut down our country by spreading terror" (Phillips & Robinson, 2020).
Thus, according to these selfish statements by the heads of government and despite international warnings, the authorities took no precautionary measures and they lost important time to control the spread of the virus. Despite the fact that the city of Qom was introduced as the first high-risk city of Corona, more than 700 Chinese students continued to attend the seminary of Qom and Al-Mustafa International University. Religious shrines were open in Qom (because shrines have a large annual income for the government). Airlines were open for a long time after the virus was spread. In another stance, Rouhani publicly refused to create nationwide quarantines, calling them "anarchic" and proud of Iran's public health system (Phillips & Robinson, 2020).These are just a few examples of the facts confirmed by the Corona Advancement Process in Iran. The people of my country are the victims of the hard and dictatorial policies of the totalitarian regime, whose whole goal is to preserve power and protect its political, economic and ideological interests, and they are in danger. In this way, I begin to experiment and research to defend my hypothesis.
Proposal:
The first important parameter of a hypothesis is that it must be testable (Combes, 2019). Then, I can support or reject my hypothesis through scientific research methods such as experimentation, observation, survey, interview, case study, focus group and statistical analysis of data. According to Combes (2019), since the hypothesis is a test answer to the research question that has not yet been tested so I decided to test my hypothesis through a field experiment. Based on the experience of researchers, the best way to prove a hypothesis is through field experimentation and direct observation (Aziz, 2017, 101).
Given the current situation, that is, quarantine due to the threat of corona-virus and on the other hand, because my hypothesis is regarding the situation in my country (Iran), because I am far from there and I cannot be there. Therefore, I can't do the experiment by arranging face-to-face interviews with people, handing out polls manually and directly, or directly observing the ground and other ways of collecting information manually. For solving this problem, I use the online research method to prove my controversial hypothesis. I will also use my previous research and studies that I have conducted, to prove my hypothesis.
Why did I choose the field experiment method?
Since my hypothesis is based on human studies and the dependent variable in this hypothesis is the prevalence of the disease and the involvement of a wide range of people, I prefer to use the field experimental method. In my study of social research, which focuses specifically on people, I found that most experts believe that, the field experiments allow researchers to exercise more control and flexibility. According to Chen & Konstan (2015), one of the challenges of field experiments is their significant and high cost. If the use of online facilities offers more affordable conditions for field experiments. “The Internet presents today’s researchers with unprecedented opportunities to conduct field experiments” (Chen & Konstan, 2015). The Internet offers us many opportunities to connect with people, and most social researchers benefit from this. As Chen & Konstan (2015) stated, E-mail is one of the most common technologies used by researchers today so, I will also use the same feature to advance my research methods. This is where I need to start the data collection process through documents, interviews, participant observation, questionnaires, surveys, and other methods studying human subjects.
According to Aziz (2017, 101), research is generally about achieving new conclusions or validating previous conclusions. Therefore, the research design plays an essential role in the validity of the collected data and its analysis and therefore its main findings.
First, I need people to start my research; thus, I have to take some basic steps.
1- I prepare a case study and determine my goals from the research that I want to do in it. In addition, I provide a background in this research.
2- I start sending letters or text messages to my friends, my relatives, my family, etc. and with a short explanation about the research, and I invite them if they desired to help me advance my research. Privacy of participants is one of the most important principles of my research.
3- As much as possible, I try to talk to people working in medical centers among the participants. (Due to the subject of the hypothesis)
4- I use the “focus group” method and invite several control groups to exchange views online (using audio and video applications on the Internet). Coordination of time is done with the agreement of the participants.
5. I design a questionnaire so that I can survey the applicants. I try to make this questionnaire clear and precise so that participants do not have any ambiguity in their answers. I seriously avoid asking biased questions. In addition, because the participants are in Iran and one of the inhumane characteristics of the Iranian dictatorship is control over the people, I must be careful in asking questions so that their security is not threatened and they are not afraid to answer.
6- After collecting the information, I start statistical analysis of the data. My analysis includes a number of variables and multivariate analyzes such as frequencies, percentages and graphs, means and standard deviations, chi square, analysis of variance, correlation & multiple regression.
Note: Because of the sensitivity of the subject being tested and because the statistics change over time, I repeat the survey periodically (every one or two months). Repetition can be helpful to complete and ensure test results.
Weaknesses and Strengths:
Some of the strengths of my research design:
1- One of the strengths of this plan is the use of online programs and facilities and the use of technology in advancing the plan. In this way, the presence of people in a particular places is not required and the distance in relation to people is not decisive. I can connect with people who are in the midst of a crisis, even from long distance.
2- It is possible to collect data faster and easier this way.
3- Because I am a student, this method is cheaper for me and financially affordable.
4- The possibility of generalizability, preservation and design quality in this method is more possible. The most important advantage of my field research is its generalizability in real life. Because the subject of my hypothesis has particularly affected people's daily lives.
Some of the weaknesses of my research design:
1- My experiment is about Iran and my control groups participate from inside Iran. Since the atmosphere in my country is dictatorial, I do not expect participants to tell the truth 100 percent, out of fear or security concerns.
2. Field experiments typically require some time to be studied and researched in order to achieve the desired results and close to the goal, and to have strong research support (Aziz, 2017, 104). Since it has only been a few months since Corona began to spread, I think it's a little too early to experiment. I think many people's comments and responses may be triggered by feelings of fear or anxiety about the disease.
3. One of the weaknesses of my experiment is that it is difficult to control external variables that can affect the results of my experiment.
Samples:
Samples are a central part of advancing my research, my studies and measurements. According to Kenton (2019), a sample is a smaller and controllable version of a larger group of population, and population size depends on resources, budget, and survey method. It is not possible to use the whole population for research, so I choose a sample of people who represent the whole population.
Features of the sample selected for my research:
1. I try to use men and women in the same proportion in my samples.
2- The second indicator is age, which I prefer to choose over 18 years old.
3- In accordance with the hypothesis, I try to use people who work in medical centers.
4- If possible, I will use patients and those who have experienced this disease in my samples.
5- Engaging regular people with different job positions. For example: students, company managers, simple employees, housewives, freelancers more...
6- In the focus group, I enter at least 10 people and follow all the above indicators.
7- For the survey section, I will try to send a questionnaire to at least 30 people and I will include the people who delivered the questionnaire by the specified time.
8- I use people with different opinions, but I will certainly not use people who are part of the government because I want my results to be unbiased.
Note: Due to the research topic and because they are samples of people in Iran, I prefer to use non-random samples.
Expected Results and Analysis
This section should be a worthy indication of what I expect from my research. In this section, I need to analyze the data and the possible outcomes of the hypotheses and the questions I have asked. This part of my research will be a good place to summarize the importance of my work. Of course, it is not entirely possible to predict the exact outcome of my studies, so my expected results will not be accurate. However, I can define the overall result that I expect from my own research in this way.
1- I expect most people to blame the government for the spread of corona. They will not hold themselves responsible.
2- I expect that people in Iran will not express their views clearly due to fear of dictatorship.
I can predict this result because I have seen well the monopolistic and selfish policies of the Iranian regime during these years, and I am aware of the people's anger towards this government. It has always been proven that the ruling dictatorship in Iran thinks only of its own survival in power and never takes action to defend and protect the people.
Clearly, the inhumane nature of the Iranian regime is known to the whole world. And most Western experts and politicians blame the Iranian regime, and in particular Ali Khamenei, for the Corona outbreak in Iran. For instance, John Ram Curtis, a U.S. representative in District 3 of the Utah Congress and a member of the Central Committee on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives, blamed the Supreme Leader Khamenei for the widespread spread of the coronavirus in Iran, saying he denies the scientific facts. He stressed that the anger of the Iranian people over Khamenei's guilt in this matter has heated up the hashtag of Khamenei's virus on social media. (Soltani, 2020).
After collecting the data, I will start analyzing them through both ways of conducting an analysis (SPSS and Excel). With the help of the Statistical Analysis Tree, I will identify the variables, and then analyze the data using a variety of methods: categorical and numerical, chi-square, meaning and development, correlation, regression, ANOVA and graphs. Using frequencies and percentages from the data, I will be able to generalize and then conclude from the results. The analysis will identify the truth about the hypothesis. Considering the fact that the subject of my hypothesis is a pervasive and ongoing, I will use credible and as unbiased sources as much as possible to generalize my studies. Sources such as journals, books, magazines, newspapers, interviews etc. With the help of Holistic data collection and mixed research methods, I can also conclude with stronger results.
References
Aziz, H. (2017). Comparison between Field Research and Controlled Laboratory Research.
Academic Affairs College of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved from http://www.fortunejournals.com/articles/comparison-between-field-research-and-controlled-laboratory-research.pdf
Chen, Yan. & Konstan, J. (2015). Field experiments: a selective survey of methods. Journal of
the Economic Science Association volume 1. Retrieved from
Combes, Sh. (2019). How to write a hypothesis. scribbr. Retrieved from
Kenton, W. (2019). Sample. Corporate Finance & Accounting. Retrieved from
Phillips, J. & Robinson, N. (2020). Iranian Regime’s Reckless Disregard Made the Coronavirus
Outbreak Worse. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/middle-east/commentary/iranian-regimes-reckless-disregard-made-the-coronavirus-outbreak-worse
Soltani, A. (2020).A US congressman: Khamenei is to blame for the widespread spread of the
Coronavirus. voanews. Retrieved from https://ir.voanews.com/a/5391940.html
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