Fundamentals of Research in Education course content

1. Lecturer: Yee Bee Choo
IPGKTHO

2. 1. Introduction
2. Background of the Study
3. Statement of the Problem
4. Research Objectives
5. Research Questions
6. Research Hypotheses
7. Scope of the Study
8. Limitations of the Study
9. Significance of the Study
10. Operational Definitions
Basic
Elements in
Educational
Research
(Chapter 1 of
Research
Proposal)

3. Choosing a Research Problem
• A research problem is an educational issue,
controversy, or concern that guides the need for
conducting a study.
• Examples of some research problems for
educational:
1. The disruptions caused by at-risk students in
classrooms
2. The increase in violence on college campuses
3. The lack of parental involvement in schools for
students with challenging behaviours
(Creswell, 2012)

4. Choosing a Research Problem
Five ways to assess whether you should research a
problem:
1. Study the problem if your study will fill a gap in the
existing literature
2. Study the problem if your study replicates a past
study but examines different participants and
different research sites
3. Study the problem if your study extends past research
or examines the topic more thoroughly
4. Study the problem if your study gives voice to people
silenced, not heard, or rejected in society
5. Study the problem if your study informs practice
(Creswell, 2012)

5. Choosing a Research Problem
How to justify the need
to study the research
problem?
Personal experiences
Used in qualitative
research, such as
ethnography and case
study
Personal or others’
experiences in the
workplace
Used in both
quantitative and
qualitative research,
such as action research
Suggestions made by
other researchers as
reported in the
literature
Used in both quantitative
and qualitative research,
such as experiments, and
surveys
(Creswell, 2012, p.67)

6. Title/Topic
• Have a clear and precise title.
• Avoid long and winded titles that are long and
ambiguous.

7. 1. Introduction
• This is a brief description of what the research
proposal is about.
• It should not be confused with the background of the
study.
• In an introduction, the writer should
1. create reader interest in the topic,
2. lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads
to the study,
3. place the study within the larger context of the
scholarly literature, and
4. reach out to a specific audience.

8. 1. Introduction
• The introduction doesn’t need to be overly long,
a few paragraphs should be enough, but it is the
most critical as it establishes the nature, context,
and scope of your study.
• It should include:
– Clear Statement of the Problem
– Purpose of the Study
– Definitions
– Significance of the Investigation
– Literature Review
– Questions or Hypothesis

9. 2. Background of the Study
• The choice of a specific subject for research begins in
its wider context, comprising a variety of issues.
• This background (or context) helps to understand the
specific problems addressed by the researcher.
• The various elements considered at this stage should
be related among them to show how they lead to the
problem that is going to be isolated and treated by the
researcher.
• In the process of showing the current state of
knowledge, it will show how the problem was
revealed, what the problem is and why it is worth
answering.

10. 3. Statement of the Problem
• The purpose statement is a statement that
advances the overall direction or focus for the
study.
• It describes the intent of the study, the
objectives, and the major idea of a study.
• It often appears as the last sentence of an
introduction which begins with the phrase
“The purpose of this study is…”
(Creswell, 2012)

11. 3. Statement of the Problem
• Flow of ideas to a “Statement of Problem” Section (Creswell, 2012)
Topic Research
Problem
Justifications for
the Research
Problem
Deficiencies in
the Evidences
Relating the
Discussion to
Audiences
Subject area A concern or
issue, a
problem
Evidence from
the literature or
practical
experience
Evidence that is
missing
Audiences that will
profit from the study
Example
Parents’ role in
promoting
access to college
by
underrepresente
d students
Need for
better access
for students
of colour
Past literature
has documented
poor attendance
We need to
evaluate how
parents can
promote access
Parents can better
assess their role
Counselors can better
involve parents
Colleges can better
work with parents

12. 4. Research Objective
• A research objective is a statement that
specifies goals that the researcher plans to
achieve in a study.
(Creswell, 2012)

13. 5. Research Questions
• Research questions are questions that narrow
the purpose statement and research
objectives to specific questions that the
researcher seeks to answer.
(Creswell, 2012)

14. Differences among the Topic, Research Problem,
Purpose and Research Questions
• A research topic is the broad subject matter
addressed by the study.
• A research problem is a general educational
issue, concern or controversy addressed in
research that narrows the topic.
• A purpose is the major intent or objective of the
study used to address the problem.
• Research questions narrow the purpose into
specific questions that the researcher would like
answered or addressed in the study. (Creswell, 2012)

15. Differences among the Topic, Research Problem,
Purpose and Research Questions
Topic
Research Problem
Purpose of
Statement
Research
Questions
General
Specific
Weapon possession by
students in schools
Escalating violence in
schools due, in part, to
students possessing
weapons
To identify factors that
influence the extent to
which students carry
weapons in high schools
Do peers influence
students to carry
weapons?
(Creswell, 2012)

16. Differences among the Topic, Research Problem,
Purpose and Research Questions
Topic
Research Problem
Purpose of
Statement
Research
Questions
General
Specific
Distance Learning
Lack of students in
distance education
classes
To study why students do
not attend distance
education classes at a
community college
Does the use of Website
technology in the
classroom deter students
from enrolling in a
distance education class?
(Creswell, 2012)

17. 5. Research Questions
Examples of research questions with appropriate methodology
1. Are younger students more anxious in English subject than older
students?
(experimental research)
2. How do parents feel about the school counselling programme?
(survey research)
3. What are the cultural influences that affect the professional
development of athletic trainers in a high school setting?
(ethnographic research)
4. How do special students experience in the inclusion education
with normal students?
(ethnographic research)

18. 5. Research Questions
Examples of research questions with appropriate methodology
5. How does a group of Year 6 students understood school failure and
remedy it in the classroom?
(case study)
6. Does the use of digital storytelling improve Year 6 students’ oral
communication skills?
(action research)
7. What are the teachers’ perceptions of using technology as a
teaching and learning tool in the classroom?
(survey research)
8. Why do students drop out before they finish their secondary school
education?
(case study)

19. 6. Research Hypotheses
• Hypotheses are statements in quantitative
research in which the investigator makes a
prediction about the outcome of a relationship
among attributes or characteristics.
• They are based on results from past research and
literature where researchers have found certain
results and can now offer predictions as to what
other researchers will find when they repeat the
study with new people or at new sites.
(Creswell, 2012)

20. 6. Research Hypotheses
• A hypothesis is, simply put, a prediction of some sort
regarding the possible outcomes of a study.
• A research question is often restated as a hypothesis.
For example:
• Question: “Do individuals who see themselves as
socially attractive want their romantic partners also to
be socially attractive?”
• Hypothesis: “Individuals who see themselves as
socially attractive will want their romantic partners
also to be (as judged by others) socially attractive.”
(Creswell, 2012)

21. 6. Research Hypotheses
Directional and Non-directional Hypotheses
• A Directional Hypothesis is one that indicates
the specific direction (e.g. higher, lower,
more, less) that a researcher expects to
emerge in a relationship.
• Non-directional Hypothesis does not make a
specific prediction about what direction the
outcome of a study will take.
(Creswell, 2012)

22. 6. Research Hypotheses
Null and Alternative Hypotheses
• A null hypothesis makes predictions that of all
possible researchers might study, there is no
relationship between independent and
dependent variables or no difference between
groups of an independent variable or a
dependent variable.
• An alternative hypothesis is any hypothesis other
than the null.
• If the null hypothesis is not accepted, then the
alternative hypothesis is used.
(Creswell, 2012)

23. Research question Research hypothesis Null hypothesis
Is there a relationship
between teachers’
attitudes toward the
curriculum & student
achievement?
There is a positive
correlation between
teachers’ attitudes
toward the curriculum &
student achievement.
There is no correlation
between teachers’
attitudes toward the
curriculum & student
achievement.
Is there a difference in
achievement between
students who are given
detailed written
comments on their work
compared to students
who are given grades
only?
Students receiving
detailed written
comments on their work
will show higher
achievement than
students who are given
grades only
There is no difference in
achievement between
students receiving
detailed written
comments on their work
compared to students
who are given grades
only

24. 7. Scope of the Study
• The scope of the study (time /space or
geography or disciplinary) refers to the
boundaries or limits within which the study
needs to be kept.
• The reasons for such limits may be
geographical, historical, ideological, person or
any other.
• The researcher focuses on the precise issue
he/she intends to consider.

25. 8. Limitations of the Study
• The limitations of the study are those
characteristics of design or methodology that
impacted or influenced the interpretation of the
findings from your research. Possible limitations:
– Constraints on generalisability due to sample size
– Lack of available/reliable data
– Lack of prior research or studies on the study
– Methods used to collect the data (internal and
external validity)
– Self-reported data (bias)

26. 9. Significance of the Study
A research should show its contributions in:
1. New knowledge relating to the theory
2. New teaching strategy, products, instrument,
instructional material, etc.
3. Who (what individuals or groups) can use this
new knowledge or information yielded by the
research to change or improve the present
situation? How will the study contribute to the
improvement of the profession? E.g. policy
makers, educators, administrators, teachers,
students, etc.

27. 10. Operational Definitions/ Terms
• All key terms in the problem statement and
hypothesis should be defined as clearly as
possible.
• A term should be defined by stating the
actions, processes, or operations used to
measure or identify examples of it.

28. Tutorial 2
• Identify a research problem you wish to carry out based on your teaching
and learning experiences during your past practicum.
• Draft your Chapter 1 for your research proposal with the following
elements (not more than 2 sentences):
1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Background of the study
4. Statement of the problem
5. Research objectives
6. Research questions
7. Research hypotheses
8. Scope of the study
9. Limitations of the study
10. Significance of the study
11. Operational definitions

29. Main References
• Creswell, J.W. (2012). Educational research:
planning, conducting and evaluating
quantitative and qualitative research. (4th Ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
• http://www.unilus.ac.zm/Documents/RESEAR
CH%20PROPOSAL%20FORMAT.PDF