What is Research?

1. What is Research? A research study is a study conducted to collect and analyse information in order to increase our understanding of a topic or an issue. There are a number of ways in which a research can contribute to a new body of knowledge. According to Ellis and Levy (2008), these include: Establishing causal relationship among variables of a study Evaluating the effectiveness of an approach in addressing a problem Examining the impact of a topic of a study Exploring in depth the effectiveness of a new approach Establishing a new method Developing constructs from a pool of observations Developing a predictive model in an approach to address a documented problem

2. Conducting a Research vs Writing a Report(Adapted from “Engineering Your Report: From Start to Finish” by Krishnan, L.A. et. al., 2003)

3. Conducting a Research: Topic Search • 1) Select a topic that is related to your field - that you are familiar with • Choose a topic of your interest and also current interest - continual research and ongoing publications of the research findings. Avoid topics that focus on areas that are obsolete, overly done or little known. • Choose a topic that is well-studied - select an area of interest that has a continual line of research – which approaches a theory from different perspectives. • Problem identified is researchable -Make sure the problem is specific and well-defined. Complete the research within the stipulated period • Risk of the project is mediocre - must not incur high cost; the scope of study is specific to an attainable population

4. Conducting a Research : Identify the problem • Look for a potential research problem • Read scholarly literature to identify the problem • Synthesize the literature and internalize the body of knowledge • Consult experts/experienced researchers to seek advice on whether the problem is research-worthy - if yes, then go ahead to propose a study to address it. - if no, then go back to step 1 to look up for another potential problem

5. What is a Good Problem? According to Gay (1996), the characteristics of a good problem are: The problem has theoretical or practical significance The problem has a solution that contributes to improvement of the area of study The problem can be adequately investigated by the researcher given the availability of skills, resources and time

6. How to formulate and clarify a research problem? • Why is this research important? • What real-life or everyday life problem, issue, question does the research relate to? • What is the end-result the research is trying to achieve • How can I attract the reader’s attention and concern? • How can I state the problem or context of the research in such a way that most people can easily relate to it?

7. Research Objectives • The objectives of a study summarize what is to be achieved at the end of the project. Research objectives are closely related to the statement of the problem. How should you state your objectives? • Are clearly phrased in operational terms specifying exactly what you are going to do (state the variables), where (identify the sample) and for what purpose (state what you want to achieve) • Use action verbs that are specific enough to be evaluated

8. Research Questions • They are based on the objectives of the study • Start with Wh questions such as Why? What? (commonly used) • Use simple present tense • Avoid Yes or No questions or one word answer. E.g Do/Does/Is/Are

9. Conducting a Research: Review literature Information gathered from various sources are important to give you a better picture of what you are going to investigate. The various sources are: • Books • Journals • Newspapers • Non-confidential government documents • Electronic sources – e-journal; e-book; websites (organizations and not individuals Any sources that you use in writing your report will need to be acknowledged (as in-text citation and reference at the end of the report). The information from the sources has to be paraphrased using your own words. Try not to use direct quotations as much as possible. However, if direct quotation is used, include the page number (Bloom, 2017, p.18)

10. Conducting a Research: Conduct Experiment and Collect Data The purpose of doing research and writing a report is to investigate and recommend solutions to a problem, the most important process in conducting a research is collecting data. Problem Research Solution

11. Conducting a Research: Analyse data The data collected would be in the form of: • Interview transcripts • Statistics from questionnaire results • Observation checklists You need a systematic method to process the data – examine and make connections with the data. All data must be recorded.

12. Conducting a Research: Draw Conclusions Based on the data collected, you must interpret and draw conclusions. You can compare your data with data from other studies, give possible reasons for your data, and also make generalisations. Your focus is making meanings, connections and relationships to answer your objectives and research questions.