Presented by Dr. Shiv Ram Pandey

Aims and Objectives Aims: are broad statements of desired outcomes, or the general intentions of the research, which 'paint the picture' of your research proposal emphasize what is to be accomplished, not how it is to be accomplished address the long-term project outcomes, i.e. they should reflect the aspirations and expectations of the research topic do not need to be numbered Once aims have been established, the next task is to formulate the objectives. Generally, a project should have no more than two or three aims statements, while it may include a number of objectives consistent with them.

Con… Objectives: are the steps you are going to take to answer your research questions or a specific list of tasks needed to accomplish the goals of the project emphasize how aims are to be accomplished must be highly focused and feasible address the more immediate project outcomes make accurate use of concepts and be sensible and precisely described are usually numbered so that each objective reads as an 'individual' statement to convey your intentions For each specific objective you must have a method to attempt to achieve it. The development of a realistic time schedule may help to prioritize your objectives and help to minimize wasted time and effort.

Con… Aims and Objectives should: be presented concisely and briefly be interrelated. The aim is what you want to achieve, and the objective describes how you are going to achieve that aim i.e.: – make sure that each aim is matched with specific objectives be realistic about what you can accomplish in the duration of the project and the other commitments you have i.e.: – the scope of your project must be consistent with the time frame and level of effort available to you provide you and your assessors with indicators of how you: – intend to approach the literature and theoretical issues related to you project – intend to access your chosen subjects, respondents, units, goods or services and develop a sampling frame and strategy or a rationale for their selection – will develop a strategy and design for data collection and analysis – you will deal with ethical and practical problems in your research

Con… Aims and Objectives should not: be too vague, ambitious or broad in scope: – though aims are more general in nature than objectives it is the viability and feasibility of your study that you have to demonstrate and aims often present an over-optimistic picture of what the project can achieve just repeat each other in different terms just be a list of things related to your research topic spend time discussing details of your job or research site i.e.: – it is your research study your assessors are interested in and you should keep this in mind at all times. contradict methods, that is, they should not imply methodological goals or standards of measurement, proof or generalizability of findings that the methods cannot sustain

Con… An objective is a clear statement of something that needs to be accomplished over a period of time. SMART objectives are: Specific – states exactly what you need to achieve Measurable – includes a quality or quantity measure Agreed – between you and your Reviewer Realistic – can be challenging but must be achievable Time-bound – with a clear end date or timescale

Con… SPECIFIC Objectives should clearly state what you are expected to achieve, using action verbs to describe what has to be done? For example: Not specific: Encourage more people to join the Sports Centre Specific: Increase membership of the Sports Centre Not specific: Conduct research Specific: Formulate plans for research on topic X

Con… MEASURABLE Objectives should include a quality and/or quantity reference so that you can measure whether or not you have achieved them. For example: Not measurable: Increase membership of the Sports Centre Measurable: Increase membership of the Sports Centre by 10% Not measurable: Formulate plans for research on topic X Measurable: Formulate plans for research on topic X and submit grant application to X Research Council.

Con… AGREED Objectives should be agreed between you and your Reviewer, relevant to your job and driven by University strategy and School/Institute/Section plans. Your Reviewer will help ensure that your objectives are relevant and appropriate.

Con… REALISTIC Objectives should be challenging but achievable i.e. they should not be unrealistic. For example, it might be realistic to plan to lose 10 pounds in weight but it would be unrealistic to plan to lose 10 pounds in one week. Objectives should also take account of the skills, knowledge and resources needed to achieve them. You may need to consider whether you need any training or development(or other support) in order to achieve the objective.

Con… TIMEBOUND Objectives should include a time reference, such as a specific deadline. For example: Not timebound: Increase membership of the Sports Centre by 10% Timebound: Increase membership of the Sports Centre by 10% over the next six months Not Timebound: Formulate plans for research on topic X and submit grant application to X Research Council Timebound: Formulate plans for research on topic X and submit grant application to X Research Council by 1 June The time reference for other objectives might be in terms of frequency or turnaround time. For example: Timebound: Once a month, update all library web pages and printed guides Timebound: Circulate minutes of Committee Y within five days of the meeting.

Hypotheses Hypotheses are tentative statements of the expected relationships between two or more variables A hypothesis is a preliminary or tentative explanation or postulate by the researcher of what the researcher considers the outcome of an investigation will be. It is an informed/educated guess. – There is a significant positive relationship between self- concept and math achievement – The class using math manipulatives will show significantly higher levels of math achievement than the class using a traditional algorithm approach

Reasons for using hypotheses – Provides specific focus – Provides for testing of the relationships between variables – Directs the investigation – Allows the investigator to confirm or not confirm relationships – Provides a framework for reporting the results and explanations deriving from them – When supported provides empirical evidence of the predictive nature of the relationships between variables – Provides a useful framework for organizing and summarizing the results and conclusions

Con… Types of hypotheses Inductive and deductive Inductive hypotheses are formed through inductively reasoning from many specific observations to tentative explanations Deductive hypotheses are formed through deductively reasoning implications of theory

Con… Research or statistical Research hypotheses are conjectural statements of the expected results Directional: a specific outcome is anticipated (e.g., the class using manipulatives will demonstrate higher achievement levels than the class using a traditional instructional approach) Non-directional: an outcome is anticipated but the specific nature of it is unsure (e.g., there will be achievement differences between the groups of children using co-operative group strategies or individualized instruction) Statistical hypotheses are statements of a relationship or difference that can be tested statistically Null hypothesis: a statistical statement that no difference or relationship exists – This is purely statistical in nature – This does not represent the outcome anticipated by the researcher

Con… A research study includes at least two hypotheses—the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. The hypothesis being tested is referred to as the null hypothesis and it is designated as H It also is referred to as the hypothesis of no difference and should include a statement of equality (=, ≥, or £). The alternative hypothesis presents the alternative to the null and includes a statement of inequality (≠). The null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis are complementary

Con… Criteria for evaluating research hypotheses – Stated in declarative form – Consistent with known facts, prior research, or theory – Logical extension of the research problem – States an expected relationship between two or more variables – Can be tested – Is clear and concise

Con… The null hypothesis is the statement that is believed to be correct throughout the analysis, and it is the null hypothesis upon which the analysis is based. For example, the null hypothesis might state that the average age of entering college freshmen is 21 years. H 0 The average age of entering college freshman = 21 years If the data one collects and analyzes indicates that the average age of entering college freshmen is greater than or less than 21 years, the null hypothesis is rejected.

Con… In this case the alternative hypothesis could be stated in the following three ways: (1) the average age of entering college freshman is not 21 years (the average age of entering college freshmen ≠ 21); (2) the average age of entering college freshman is less than 21 years (the average age of entering college freshmen 21 years)

Concluding Points It should have elucidating power. It should strive to furnish an acceptable explanation of the phenomenon. It must be verifiable. It must be formulated in simple, understandable terms. It should corresponds with existing knowledge