1. Educational Research: Research Problems and the Research Plan
Richard M. Jacobs, OSA, Ph.D.

2. Research begins with a problem...
The research problem…
…a question arising from personal experience or thought
…lends itself to further investigation
…transforms through the problem identification process into the research topic

3. Sources of research problems...
 personal experience
 theory
 replication

4. personal experience…
…hunches
…serendipity
…sensitivity

5. theory…
…an organized body of concepts, constructs, generalizations, and principles that can be subjected to investigation

6. replication…
…conducting the study again to verify or disconfirm previous findings

7. The characteristics of a good research topic...
 interesting
…related to area of expertise and of significant personal/professional interest

8. …can be investigated through the collection and analysis of data
 researchable
…can be investigated through the collection and analysis of data

9.  of practical significance
…contributes to the body of human knowledge and/or professional practice

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

11. 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

12. …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

13. The review of the literature...
 The systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem

14. …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

15. Cautions from experience...
 bigger does not mean better
 heavily researched topics provide best primary sources
 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

16. Literature sources...
 primary
 secondary
 tertiary

17.  primary
…a published study written by the researcher(s) who conducted the study

18.  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

19.  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

20. 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

21. 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

22. The five elements of a review of the literature…
1. Outline
2. Analyze/organize references (in reverse chronological order)
3. Compare/contrast like references
4. Arrange references (“V” form)
5. Summarizes literature and identifies implications

23. The review of the literature frames the hypothesis…
A hypothesis…
…tentative prediction of the results of the research findings that states the relationship between the variables identified in the research topic

24. Types of hypotheses… Inductive hypothesis…
…a generalization based on observed relationships
…oftentimes used for qualitative research studies

25. deductive hypothesis…
…a generalization derived from theory
…oftentimes used in quantitative research studies

26. 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

27. null hypothesis (H0)…
…states that there is no significant relationship or difference between two variables

28. Stating a hypothesis…
A good hypothesis is stated clearly and concisely, expressing the relationship between two variable and variables in measurable terms

29. X: the treatment, causal, or independent variable
involves at least three variables…
P: the participants
X: the treatment, causal, or independent variable
Y: the observed outcome, effect, or dependent variable

30. Stating a research hypothesis…
P who get X do better on Y
than P who do not get X

31. Stating a null hypothesis…
There is no difference on Y between P who get X
and P who do not get X

32. Other general considerations…
Ethical obligations
Legal restrictions
Gaining access
Conducting a pilot study

33. 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

34. 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”)

35. the issue of deception
…a study that requires deception should be reviewed by an advisor and/or the Human Subjects Review Committee

36. 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

37. 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

38. The research plan…
A detailed description of the procedures to be used to investigate a research topic

39. …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

40. An overview of the five basic components of a research plan...
1. Introduction
2. Method
3. Data Analysis
4. Time Schedule
5. Budget (if appropriate)

41. 1. The introduction section...
Provides an overview of the topic to be studied, reviews the related literature to present a rationale for conducting the study and, where appropriate, states the hypothesis in a style to facilitate the reader’s understanding

42. Statement of the topic…
…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

43. Review 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

44. Statement 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

45. 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)

46. Research participants…
…identifies the number, source, and characteristics of the sample and defines the population from which the sample will be selected

47. Instruments…
…the research that will be used in the study to measure the variables stated in the hypothesis

48. Materials/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

49. Design…
…the general strategy for the conduct of the study

50. Procedure…
…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

51. 3. The data analysis section...
Identifies the analysis technique(s) to be used in the study

52. 4. The time schedule section...
Lists the major activities or phases of the proposed study and the corresponding expected completion time for each activity

53. 5. The budget section...
Identifies the costs associated with conducting the study

54. To recapitulate... The five elements of a research plan… …Introduction
…Method
…Data Analysis
…Time Schedule
…Budget (if appropriate)

55. Mini-Quiz… True or false…
…the worth of a research topic is a function of the amount of literature available on the topic
false

56. True or false…
…abstracting the references involves locating, reviewing, summarizing, and classifying the references
true

57. True or false…
…the majority of research findings contribute to the body of human knowledge
false

58. True or false…
…Boolean operators involve the use of connectors in a search string to broaden and narrow a key word search
true

59. 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

60. True or false…
…a good research hypothesis is inconsistent with theory or previous research
false

61. True or false…
…time spent in the library after formulating the research topic will save time in the long run
true

62. …in a research study, references are arranged in chronological order
True or false…
…in a research study, references are arranged in chronological order
false

63. True or false…
…the hypothesis is formulated from a theory or the review of the related literature before the study is executed
true

64. True or false…
…the analysis of the data does not lead to a hypothesis being proven or disproven
true

65. True or false…
…any research study that requires deceitful practice cannot be carried out
false

66. 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

67. True or false…
…the review of the literature provides a rationale for the research hypothesis
true

68. True or false…
…researchers normally start the review of the literature by reading primary sources
false

69. …a researcher sets out to prove the hypothesis
True or false…
…a researcher sets out to prove the hypothesis
false

70. True or false…
…a refereed journal is one in which the articles have been reviewed by a panel of experts
true

71. …an operational definition explains what a variable is
True or false…
…an operational definition explains what a variable is
false

72. Fill in the blank…
…the researcher does not know the identities of the participants providing data for the study
anonymity

73. Fill in the blank…
…the group to which the researcher would like the results of a study to be generalizable
population

74. Fill in the blank…
…a chart that identifies the concurrent activities that are part of a research study
Gantt chart

75. 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

76. …a number of individuals selected from the population for a study
Fill in the blank…
…a number of individuals selected from the population for a study
sample

77. …a tool used by researchers to gather data
Fill in the blank…
…a tool used by researchers to gather data
instrument

78. …the general strategy for conducting a research study
Fill in the blank…
…the general strategy for conducting a research study
design

79. 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

80. Which type of hypothesis…
…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
nondirectional

81. Which type of hypothesis…
…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
null

82. Which type of hypothesis…
…tenth-grade biology students who are instructed using interactive multimedia achieve at a higher level than those who receive regular instruction only
directional

83. This module has focused on...
the research plan
…which describes the procedures to be used to investigate a research topic

84. The next module will focus on...
research participants
...as the foundation for understanding the importance of selecting a representative group of participants as well as the techniques to achieve this outcome