Educational Research: Educational Research: Research Problems andResearch Problems andthe Research Planthe Research Plan

EDU 8603

Educational Research

Richard M. Jacobs, OSA, Ph.D.

Research begins with a Research begins with a problem...problem...

The The research problemresearch problem……a question arising from personal

experience or thought…lends itself to further investigation

…transforms through the problem identification process into the research topicresearch topic

Sources of research problems...Sources of research problems...

theory replication

personal experience

personal experiencepersonal experience……hunches

…serendipity

…sensitivity

theorytheory……an organized body of concepts,

constructs, generalizations, and principles that can be subjected to investigation

replicationreplication……conducting the study again to verify or

disconfirm previous findings

The characteristics of a good The characteristics of a good research topic...research topic...

interesting

…related to area of expertise and of significant personal/professional interest

researchable

…can be investigated through the collection and analysis of data

of practical significance

…contributes to the body of human knowledge and/or professional practice

manageable

…fits the level and skills of the researcher(s), needed resources, and time restrictions

The statement of the research topic...The statement of the research topic...

Indicates the variables of interest to the researcher (X, Y), the specific relationship between those variables that will be investigated, and the nature of the participants involved

…accompanied by a presentation of the background of the topic

…provides justification for the study in terms of its significance

…indicates the prediction of the results of the research findings

…states the limitations of the study

The review of the literature...The review of the literature...

The systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem

…identifies research already completed of significance to the research topic

…points out research strategies and specific procedures that have not been found to be productive in investigating the research topic

…facilitates interpretation of study results

Cautions from experience...Cautions from experience...

bigger does not mean better heavily researched topics provide best

primary sourcessources less-researched topics require the

review of any study meaningfully related to the topic in order to formulate a logical framework for the study and a sound rationale for the research hypothesis

Literature sources...Literature sources...

primary secondary

tertiary

primary …a published study written by the

researcher(s) who conducted the study

secondary (“cited in”)…contain complete bibliographic

information in the references section that can direct the researcher(s) to relevant primary sources

…an excellent source indicating significant research studies that have influenced the research

tertiary…reports what others have

summarized about a particular research topic in a convenient format

…oftentimes not a reputable source for the breadth and depth of research into a particular topic

Cautions from experience...Cautions from experience...

carefully evaluate sources

keep careful notes of the literature reviewed

build correctly formatted bibliography during the literature review process

write abstract for each entry which includes key words

Writing a review of the literature…Writing a review of the literature…

involves a technical form of writing that requires clarity in definitions and consistency in the use of terms

in the social sciences, the normative guide is the Manual of Style of the American Psychological Association

The five elements of a review of the The five elements of a review of the literature…literature…

2. Analyze/organize references (in reverse chronological order)

3. Compare/contrast like references

4. Arrange references (“V” form)

1. Outline

5. Summarizes literature and identifies implications

The review of the literature frames The review of the literature frames the hypothesis…the hypothesis…

A hypothesishypothesis……tentative prediction of the results of the research

findings that states the relationship between the variables identified in the research topic

Types of hypotheses…Types of hypotheses…

Inductive hypothesis…

…a generalization based on observed relationships

…oftentimes used for qualitative research studies

deductive hypothesis…

…a generalization derived from theory…oftentimes used in quantitative

research studies

research hypothesis (H1)……states an expected relationship

between at least two variables…directional: states the expected direction of

the relationship or difference

…nondirectional: states that a relationship or difference exists

null hypothesis (H0)……states that there is no significant relationship

or difference between two variables

Stating a hypothesis…Stating a hypothesis…

A good hypothesis is stated clearly and concisely, expressing the relationship between two variable and variables in measurable terms

involves at least three variables…

P: the participants

X: the treatment, causal, or independent variable

Y: the observed outcome, effect, or dependent variable

P who get X do better on Y

than P who do not get X

Stating a research hypothesis…Stating a research hypothesis…

There is no difference on Y between P who get X

and P who do not get X

Stating a null hypothesis…Stating a null hypothesis…

Other general considerations…Other general considerations…

Ethical obligationsLegal restrictionsGaining accessConducting a pilot study

Ethical obligations…Ethical obligations…

the ends do not justify the means…a primary responsibility to maintain the well-being of study

participants

…National Research Act of 1974 requires prior review and approval by an approved board as well as informed consent of study participants

Legal restrictions…Legal restrictions…

the issues of confidentiality and personal privacy…The Privacy Act of 1974 safeguards and protects the privacy of

students’ educational records (“freedom from harm”)

the issue of deception…a study that requires deception should be reviewed by an advisor

and/or the Human Subjects Review Committee

Gaining access…Gaining access…

Oftentimes requires getting approval to conduct the study in the chosen site

…use salesmanship to demonstrate the design’s careful study, value of study, as well as its minimal intrusiveness into and inconvenience for participants’ routine

Conducting a pilot study…Conducting a pilot study…

a small scale field test of the research study provides a means to identify unanticipated problems or issues

…allows for revisions and improvements to the research plan prior to conducting the study

The research plan…The research plan…

A detailed description of the procedures to be used to investigate a research topic

…provides an overview of the study to be conducted and permits an assessment of the impact of any changes that may be needed as the study is undertaken

…indicates the tentative prediction of the results of the research findings

An overview of the five basic An overview of the five basic components of a research plan...components of a research plan...

2. Method3. Data Analysis4. Time Schedule

1. Introduction

5. Budget (if appropriate)

1. The introduction section...1. The introduction section...

Provides an overview of the topictopic to be studied, reviews the related reviews the related literatureliterature to present a rationale for conducting the study and, where appropriate, states the hypothesishypothesis in a style to facilitate the reader’s understanding

Statement of the Statement of the topictopic……given the nature of the particular

research approach adopted, describes the background of the topic and provides a rationale for the significance of the study

Review of the literatureReview of the literature……provides an overview of the topic and

references related to what is currently known (unknown) about the topic

…indicates the need for further research

Statement of the hypothesisStatement of the hypothesis……clearly and concisely states the

expected relationship (or difference) between the variables of the study, defining those variables in operational, measurable, or common-usage terms

2. The method section...2. The method section...

Describes the procedures used by the researcher to select participants, measure effects, and analyze the data…the approach to the conduct of the study

defines the method (e.g., descriptive, causal-comparative, correlational, experimental, historical, ethnography)

Research participantsResearch participants……identifies the number, source, and

characteristics of the samplesample and defines the populationpopulation from which the sample will be selected

InstrumentsInstruments……the research that will be used in the

study to measure the variables stated in the hypothesis

Materials/ApparatiMaterials/Apparati……identifies any special booklets,

training manuals, or computer programs as well as any machines or ancillary items to be used when conducting the study

DesignDesign……the general strategy for the conduct of

the study

ProcedureProcedure……a description of each step that will be

followed when conducting the study, from beginning to end, in the order in which each step will occur

3. The data analysis section...3. The data analysis section...

Identifies the analysis technique(s) to be used in the study

4. The time schedule section...4. The time schedule section...

Lists the major activities or phases of the proposed study and the corresponding expected completion time for each activity

5. The budget section...5. The budget section...

Identifies the costs associated with conducting the study

To recapitulate...To recapitulate...

…Introduction

…Method …Data Analysis

The five elements of a research plan…

…Time Schedule

…Budget (if appropriate)

Mini-Quiz…Mini-Quiz…

True or false…

…the worth of a research topic is a function of the amount of literature available on the topic

false

True or false…

…abstracting the references involves locating, reviewing, summarizing, and classifying the references

true

True or false…

…the majority of research findings contribute to the body of human knowledge

false

True or false…

…Boolean operators involve the use of connectors in a search string to broaden and narrow a key word search

true

True or false…

…qualitative research involves special ethical considerations because the degree of proximity between participants and researcher(s) can introduce subjectivity into data interpretation

true

True or false…

…a good research hypothesis is inconsistent with theory or previous research

false

True or false…

…time spent in the library after formulating the research topic will save time in the long run

true

True or false…

…in a research study, references are arranged in chronological order

false

True or false…

…the hypothesis is formulated from a theory or the review of the related literature before the study is executed

true

True or false…

…the analysis of the data does not lead to a hypothesis being proven or disproven

true

True or false…

…any research study that requires deceitful practice cannot be carried out

false

True or false…

…topics that contain the word should cannot be answered by research of any kind, because they ultimately are a matter of opinion

true

True or false…

…the review of the literature provides a rationale for the research hypothesis

true

True or false…

…researchers normally start the review of the literature by reading primary sources

false

True or false…

…a researcher sets out to prove the hypothesis

false

True or false…

…a refereed journal is one in which the articles have been reviewed by a panel of experts

true

True or false…

…an operational definition explains what a variable is

false

Fill in the blank…

…the researcher does not know the identities of the participants providing data for the study

anonymity

Fill in the blank…

…the group to which the researcher would like the results of a study to be generalizable

population

Fill in the blank…

…a chart that identifies the concurrent activities that are part of a research study

Gantt chart

Fill in the blank…

…the researcher knows the identities of the participants providing data for the study but will not release those identities to anyone else

confidentiality

Fill in the blank…

…a number of individuals selected from the population for a study

sample

Fill in the blank…

…a tool used by researchers to gather data

instrument

Fill in the blank…

…the general strategy for conducting a research study

design

Fill in the blank…

…a field test of a research study usually tried out on a small scale to identify unanticipated problems or issues

pilot study

Which type of hypothesis…

nondirectional

…there is a significant difference in the achievement of 10th-grade biology students who are instructed using interactive multimedia and those who receive regular instruction only

Which type of hypothesis…

null

…there is no significant difference in the achievement level of 10-grade biology students who are instructed using interactive multimedia and those who receive regular instruction only

Which type of hypothesis…

directional

…tenth-grade biology students who are instructed using interactive multimedia achieve at a higher level than those who receive regular instruction only

This module has focused on...This module has focused on...

…which describes the procedures to be used to investigate a research topic

the research plan

The next module will focus on...The next module will focus on...

...as the foundation for understanding the importance of selecting a representative group of participants as well as the techniques to achieve this outcome

research participants