WHAT IS EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH?
Generally, educational
research is defined as research that investigates the behaviour of students,
teachers, administrators, parents and other members of the community who
interact with educational institutions. The word behaviour is taken broadly to
mean such phenomena as learning, attitudes, aptitudes, abilities, interests,
practices, processes, emotions and so forth.
An area that has been the focus of educational
research for decades is "learning". Since education is fundamentally
concerned with the development of individuals, the central purpose educational
research is to find ways to improve student learning. For example, a classroom
teacher experimenting with alternative ways of explaining laws of physics and a
full-time researcher comparing the effectiveness of different reading methods
in early literacy programmes are both engaged in a search for ways to improve
student learning, and, in this sense, are both engaged in educational research
Research is a way of
thinking and to qualify as a research it needs to have certain characteristics
such as follows (adaptation of Leedy, 1993, Borg & Borg, 1983)
You need only to look
around and everywhere you see phenomena which will arouse your curiosity.
For example, why are children in this school unable to read? Why
are girls performing better than boys? These are situations in which the
meaning of which you do not comprehend. By asking relevant questions we
create an inquisitive environment which is the prerequisite for research.
Research arises from a question that is intelligently asked with regards to a
phenomenon that the researcher observes and is puzzling him or her.
One does not discover
the truth or explanations about a phenomenon without serious and meticulous
planning. Research is not just by looking-up something in the hope of
coming across the solution to your problem. Rather it entails a definite plan,
direction and design.
Successful research
begins with a clear, simple statement of the problem. The statement of the
problem should be stated precisely and grammatically complete, must set forth
what it seeks to discover and enables one to see what one is attempting to
research
Divide the main problem
into appropriate subproblems, all of which when resolved will result in the
solution of the main research problem.
Having stated the
problem and the related subproblems, the subproblems are then each viewed
through logical constructs called hypotheses. A hypothesis is a logical
supposition, a reasonable guess, an educated conjecture which may give
direction to thinking with respect to the problem, and thus, aid in solving it.
Having defined the
problem, the subproblems and hypothesis, the next step is to collect whatever
facts pertinent to the problem. Organise the data collected into a form that is
potentially meaningful.
The research process is
a process for conducting srudies, be it for a research paper, an oral
presentation, or something else assigned by your professor. Because research is
a process, you need to allow yourself ample time to refine and change your
topic. You may find that your topic is too broad or too narrow.
Your topic will need to be searched in different
resources that may require numerous library visits and/or computer sessions. In
addition, you may also find that you need help from a librarian and/or your
supervisor. Research is not an overnight process. Selecting a topic and
locating information resources early in the semester will facilitate the entire
research process.
The research process is a process for conducting
studies, be it for a research paper, a project paper, dissertation or thesis.
The following seven steps outline a simple and effective process for conducting
research. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the topic, you may
need to rearrange or recycle these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs:
Definition
Educational research is a careful,
systematic investigation into any aspect of education. From the French word
"recherche" which means to travel through or survey.
Purposes for Studying Educational
Research
- To orient students to the nature of educational
research: its purposes, forms, and importance.
- To provide information which helps students become more
intelligent consumers of educational research: where to locate it, how to
understand it and critique it.
- To provide information on the fundamentals of doing
educational research such as selecting a problem, using available tools,
organizing a project, etc.
Types of Educational Research
There is not general agreement on
the types of educational research which exist. The types that will be presented
in this primer are as follows:
- Ethnographic - attempts to describe group behavior and
interactions in social settings. It relies on qualitative techniques
especially observation and careful recording of events and social
interactions.
- Historical - attempts to describe and explain
conditions of the past. It generally relies on qualitative data such as
written documents and oral histories.
- Descriptive - attempts to describe and explain
conditions of the present. It relies on qualitative and quantitative data
gathered from written documents, personal interviews, test results,
surveys, etc.
- Correlational - attempts to explore relationships or
make predictions. It relies on quantitative data such as test scores,
grade point averages, attitudinal instruments, etc. which can be
correlated and shown that some relationship exists between or among them.
- Action and Evaluation Research - attempts to determine
the value of a product, procedure, or program in a particular (e.g.,
school, district) setting with the goal of improving same. Action and
evaluation research does not attempt to generalize results for a broader
population.
- Causal Comparative - attempts to explore cause and
effect relationships where causes already exist and cannot be manipulated.
It relies on both qualitative and quantitative data such as written
documents, interviews, test scores, etc.
- Experimental - attempts to explore cause and effect
relationships where causes can be manipulated to produce different kinds
of effects. It relies mostly on quantitative data such as test scores and
measures of performance
