An Introduction to the Research Process Dr Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr.

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. By the end of this module, you should be able to: Define educational research Identify the importance of educational research Name problems with research today Describe the research process Identify ethical considerations in conducting research Reflect on the skills you bring to the research process Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. What Is Research? The researcher asks a question. The researcher collects data. The researcher indicates how the data answered the question. Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. A Definition of Research Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information in order to increase our understanding of a topic or issue. Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition What are the factors that determine student achievement?

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Importance of Research Reason 1: Research adds to our knowledge. Addresses gaps in knowledge Expands knowledge Replicates knowledge Adds voices of individuals to knowledge Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition What are the factors that determine student achievement? Gender, Race, Student Background, Family – Student level factors Teacher, Classroom, School Budgets, School equipment – School level factors Is there INTERACTION between Student level and School level factors?

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Importance of Research (cont’d) Reason 2: Research helps improve practice. Educators gain new ideas for their job. Educators gain new insights into approaches. Educators can connect with other educators. Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition What are the factors that determine student achievement? Student level factors – What are the implications to teaching practice? Mother tongue? School level factors – What are the implications to school practices? Streaming?

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Importance of Research (cont’d) Reason 3: Research helps inform policy debates. Research allows people to weigh different perspectives on issues. Research enables people to make informed decisions regarding policy. Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition What are the factors that determine student achievement? Student level factors – What is the impact of existing policy/ies? School vouchers? School level factors – What kind of policy interventions are necessary? Government funding

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Problems with Research Today Contradictory or vague findings Questionable data Unclear statements about the intent of the study Lack of full disclosure of the data collection procedure Inarticulate rendering of the research problem Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Process of Research Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition Identify the Research Problem Review the Literature Report and Evaluate Research Specify a Research Purpose Collect Data Analyze and Interpret Data

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Process of Research: Identify the Research Problem Specify a problem Justify a problem Suggest a need to study the problem for audiences Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Process of Research: Review the Literature Locate resources Books Journals Electronic resources Select resources Determine the relevant resources for the topic Organize the resources by developing a “Literature Map” Summarize the resources in a literature review Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Process of Research: Specify a Research Purpose Identify the purpose statement The major intent of the study The participants in the study The site of the study Narrow the purpose statement Quantitative: Write research questions and/or hypothesis Qualitative: Identify a central phenomenon and write sub-questions Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition What are the factors that determine student achievement? Quantitative approach – Mean scores of student achievement (SAT, PSLE); controlling for student and school level factors Qualitative approach – Nuances in classroom sub-cultures that promote or impede student achievement, for example: “student voice”, “teacher-talk”

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Research Process: Collect Data Determine the data collection method Select the individuals to study Design data collection instruments and outline data collection procedures Obtain permissions Gather data Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Research Process: Analyze and Interpret Data Take the data apart to look at individual responses Represent the data in tables, figures, and pictures Explain conclusions from the data that address the research questions Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. The Research Process: Report and Evaluate Research Report research Determine the audience for the report Structure the report Write the report sensitively and accurately Evaluate research Assess the quality of research using recognized standards in a discipline Standards can come from the academic community, school districts, or federal or state agencies Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Ethical Considerations in Research Respect the rights of the participants Honor the requests and restrictions of the research site Report the research fully and honestly Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

© 2009, Vicente Chua Reyes, Jr. PHD. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Skills Needed for Research Curiosity to solve puzzles Long attention span Library and computer resource skills Writing and editing skills Adapted from : John W. Creswell Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition