1 Educational Research background To get a general insight about what Educational Research is

What is research?

According to Kothari (2004) Research …

is an investigation of finding solutions to scientific and social problems through objective and systematic analysis. It is a
search for knowledge, that is, a discovery of hidden truths. Here knowledge means information about matters. The information
might be collected from different sources like experience, human beings, books, journals, nature, etc. A research can lead to
new contributions to the existing knowledge. Only through research is it possible to make progress in a field. Research is
indeed civilization and determines the economic, social and political development of a nation. The results of scientific research
very often force a change in the philosophical view of problems which extend far beyond the restricted domain of science itself
(p.2).

1. What is research?
2. Why is it research important?
3. What are the main purposes of research?
4. What are the man features of research?
5. What research may contribute with?
6. What kind of development does research to the society?

Discussion
 To determine the need and the must of conducting educational research
2 Educational Research: A need or a must for for future EFL teachers
EFL teachers

Educational research a need or a must

Research and development activities that will assist teachers in meeting the educational needs of students and society are fundamental.
Although some educational innovations result from intuition, optimal school improvement strategies are derived from the thoughtful
application of research to teaching and learning processes. The challenge is to develop ways of using the findings of research to
improve educational practice and policies in order to enhance student learning. This is increasingly true in the context of the growing
complexities and global forces impacting education, schools and communities.
Taken from: https://www.teachers.ab.ca/About%20the%20ATA/What-We-Think/Position%20Papers/Pages/Educational%20Research%20and%20Development.aspx

1. What does the term educational research include?

2. What are the major tasks of educational research?
3. What are the successes of educational research?
4. What are the failures of educational research?
5. Why is educational research attacked so frequently?
6. Would we miss educational research if it did not exist? and - finally
7. How can we enhance the value of educational research?
 To know the process to conduct Educational Research
3 Practical use of Educational Research
 To select a Research Topic according the significance and interests
4 Selecting a Research Topic To describe a research problem

The ability to develop a good research topic is an important skill. An instructor may assign you a specific topic, but most often
instructors require you to select your own topic of interest. When deciding on a topic, there are a few things that you will need to do:

 brainstorm for ideas

 choose a topic that will enable you to read and understand the literature
 ensure that the topic is manageable and that material is available
 make a list of key words
 be flexible
 define your topic as a focused research question
 research and read more about your topic
 formulate a thesis statement
Be aware that selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find
adequate information. Before selecting your topic, make sure you know what your final project should look like. Each class or
instructor will likely require a different format or style of research project.
Taken from: https://www.umflint.edu/library/how-select-research-topic

1. What topic would you like to study?

2. Why would you like to study that topic?
3. What other topics would you like to study?
4. Provide a definition of your topic
5. Ask different questions about your topic
6. Formulate a thesis statement
7. What is your connection with the topic?
8. Choose your topic
 To state Research objectives and questions
5 Stating Research objectives and questions

The specification of research questions or hypotheses (i.e., what is to be studied) and research strategy (i.e., how to conduct the study)
is an extremely important part of any research project (Yin, 1989:19). Research questions or hypotheses influence the strategy that is
employed in order to either provide answers to the questions or verify/falsify hypotheses. What research strategy to use ought to
depend on the nature of the problem domain (i.e., sociology, biology, physics, mathematics, etc.) and exact formulation of research
questions.
Formulation of precise research questions requires deep insights into the domain of study: Do the questions that are to be answered
"fit" the research domain? Are they the ones worthiest of investigation? To which degree will answering the questions contribute to
any progress within the research area? Do practitioners perceive the research questions to concern real problems?
Step 1. Draft a research question/hypothesis.

Example: What effects did 9/11/01 have on the future plans of students who were high school seniors at the time of the terrorist
attacks?

Example (measurable) Questions: Did seniors consider enlisting in the military as a result of the attacks?, Did seniors consider
colleges closer to home as a result?

Step 2. Draft a purpose statement.

Example: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the 9/11/01 tragedy on the future plans of high school seniors.

Step 3. Revise and rewrite the research question/hypothesis.

Example: What is the association between 9/11/01 and future plans of high school seniors?

Step 4. Revise and rewrite the research question/hypothesis.

Example: Purpose Statement (Declarative): The purpose of this study is to explore the association between 9/11/01 and future plans of
high school seniors.
Note: Both are neutral; they do not presume an association, either negative or positive.

Taken from: http://www.idi.ntnu.no/grupper/su/publ/html/totland/ch012.htm

1. What is to be studied?
2. How to conduct the study?
3. Where would you conduct the study?
4. Who will be part of your study?
5. What difficulty are you planning to study?
6. Why are you studying that?
7. What are you planning?
8. What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature
9. review focuses on?
10. What are the main themes and relevant sub-themes?
11. What do the different writers have to say about these?
12. How do these compare and contrast?
13. What are the strengths/weaknesses of the work under review?
 To conduct a literature Review
6 Conducting a literature Review

Conducting a literature Review

A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Occasionally you will
be asked to write one as a separate assignment (sometimes in the form of an annotated bibliography—see the bottom of the next page),
but more often it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or thesis. In
writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and
what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your
research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of
the material available, or a set of summaries.

Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature review lets you gain and
demonstrate skills in two areas:
1. information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized
methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books
2. critical
A literature review must do these things:
a) be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you are developing
b) synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known
c) identify areas of controversy in the literature
d) formulate questions that need further research

1. What is a review of the literature?

2. What is the specific thesis, problem, or research question that my literature review helps to define?
3. What type of literature review are you conducting? Are you looking at issues of theory? methodology? policy? quantitative
research (e.g. on the effectiveness of a new procedure)? qualitative research (e.g., studies)?
4. What is the scope of my literature review?
5. What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media)?
6. What discipline are you working in (e.g., nursing psychology, sociology, medicine)?
 7. How good is your information seeking?
8. Have you been narrowed enough to exclude irrelevant material?
9. Is the number of sources you have used appropriate for the length of my paper?
10. Have you critically analyzed the literature you use?
11. Do you follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them? Instead
of just listing
12. Have you cited and discussed studies contrary to your perspectives?
13. Will the reader find your literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?

Taken and adapted from: https://www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/assets/docs/ppt/GraduateStudentConference/lit_review_handout.pdf

 To select the appropriate methodology for a research study
7 Selecting the methodology for a research study
 To collect Data and choosing participants
8 Collecting Data and choosing participants

Collecting Data and choosing participants

Quantitative research requires standardization of procedures and random selection of participants to remove the potential influence of
external variables and ensure generalizability of results. In contrast, subject selection in qualitative research is purposeful; participants
are selected who can best inform the research questions and enhance understanding of the phenomenon under study.1,8 Hence, one of
the most important tasks in the study design phase is to identify appropriate participants. Decisions regarding selection are based on
the research questions, theoretical perspectives, and evidence informing the study.

The subjects sampled must be able to inform important facets and perspectives related to the phenomenon being studied. For example,
in a study looking at a professionalism intervention, representative participants could be considered by role (residents and faculty),
perspective (those who approve/disapprove the intervention), experience level (junior and senior residents), and/or diversity (gender,
ethnicity, other background).

The second consideration is sample size. Quantitative research requires statistical calculation of sample size a priori to ensure
sufficient power to confirm that the outcome can indeed be attributed to the intervention. In qualitative research, however, the sample
size is not generally predetermined. The number of participants depends upon the number required to inform fully all important
elements of the phenomenon being studied. That is, the sample size is sufficient when additional interviews or focus groups do not
result in identification of new concepts, an end point called data saturation. To determine when data saturation occurs, analysis ideally
occurs concurrently with data collection in an iterative cycle. This allows the researcher to document the emergence of new themes
and also to identify perspectives that may otherwise be overlooked. In the professionalism intervention example, as data are analyzed,
the researchers may note that only positive experiences and views are being reported. At this time, a decision could be made to
identify and recruit residents who perceived the experience as less positive.
1. How would you choose the data instruments?
2. What do you have to take in mind?
 To design data collection Instruments
9 Designing data collection Instruments
 To leaner how to analyze data and report the findings
10 Analyzing data and reporting the findings To submit an Educational Research Proposal