Research I

(magsi)
How is research important?
 With the field of Technology, (it
Research in everyday life: Challenges and
provides a) better way of living
Opportunities
 Health: new medicine, superbugs
 Agriculture: GMOs, pest control
What is research?
 Awareness and Preparedness (natural
Re – again, anew
disasters)
Search – look thoroughly
 Alternatives: biofuels
 Environment: (helps combat)
“…gathering of data, information, and facts
pollution
for the advancement of knowledge.”
 Also helps in the fields of
(Shuttleworth, 2008)
Biodiversity, Business, Sports
“…to collect and analyze information to
 Discoveries beyond the Earth
increase our understanding.” (Creswell,
 Discoveries and Inventions:
2008)
elements, inventions, innovations,
etc.
Research is an organized and systematic
way of finding answers to questions.
A researcher systematically investigates
Organized: research involves planning
hypothesis, suggests new interpretations of
Systematic: research looks for the most
data, and poses new questions for future
appropriate methodology
exploration.
Finding answers: the ultimate goal of
research
Science
Questions: essential part of research
 Systematic study of the natural world
based on facts gathered through
 Answers the questions who, what,
scientific method, observation, and
when where, why, and how?
experimentation
 A voyage of discovery, a movement
 Makes observations
from the known to the unknown
 Perform experiments
 A systematic and objective analysis
Scientific Method
and recording of controlled
 Evidences refer to any observations
observations that may lead to the
and/or results from experiments
development of theories, etc.
 Objective
 Should not be biased
Why do we research?
 Can be verified by more than one
To get…
source
1. A degree
2. Recognition
The Scientific Method
3. A challenge
 Researching and experimentation
4. A solution to a problem
1. Define Question – formulate the
5. Intellectual joy
problem
6. To serve society
2. Gather Information – on your topic;
- increase standard of living (science
don’t go too broad
and technology)
3. Form Hypothesis – should be
- showing the right path to society
quantifiable
(social and behavioral sciences)
 4. Test Hypothesis – interviews, Criteria for Selecting a Topic
questionnaires, experimentation, etc.  Interest (topic should be interesting
5. Analyze Data – statistical methods to you)
6. Interpret Data – give conclusions to  Problem Solving
your analysis; summarize findings  Previous Research
7. Publish Results – presenting of  Theory
results  Relevance / Applicability /
8. Retest – to verify if data is true; data Importance
should be replicable  Novel / Interesting
 Feasibility
Hypothesis – an educated guess  Ethical Acceptability
Control – factor in an experiment that is
missing the variable but is the same as Define your field of interest; take into
others in every other way consideration the available information,
Data – written / recorded observations made available literature, and your time
while using the scientific method availability
Theory – a hypothesis that has been tested
many times and is supported by data Avoid topics that are:
Single Variable – factor being tested; factor 1. Controversial
that is different from all others 2. Highly technical
3. Hard-to-investigate
Creating a Topic – Identify Inquiry, State 4. Too broad
Problem 5. Too narrow
 Topic 6. Vague
Area you want investigated
Wider notion Who – which groups have interest in this
Done prior to investigation topic?
Starting point; is broad What – are the most important issues at
 Title stake?
Attracts reader’s attention Where is the topic relevant?
Represents entirety of paper When did the situation start?
Done after investigation
Works of a summary Sources
Specific 1. Peer-reviewed journals, books,
government publications (preferred)
2. Mass-media communications
Subject Matter of the Research 3. Professional periodicals
 Begin with a problem 4. General periodicals
 Inferential, critical, integrative, 5. Previous reading assignments
creative 6. Work experience
 A topic is researchable if the
knowledge and information about it  The research problem enables you to
are supported by evidence tat is generate a set of research questions
observable, factual, and logical  To give your study a clear direction,
you have to break the general
 question into several specific
research questions
 Lay the foundation for the research
study
 1 general question that reflects the
study, and 2-4 specific questions
Guidelines
1. Establish a clear relation between the
research questions and the
problem/topic
2. Formulate questions that can arouse
curiosity with discoveries
3. Should include all dependent and
independent variables
4. S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable,
attainable, realistic, time-bound)
Purpose of Research
1. Categorize – forming a typology of
objects, events, concepts; useful for
which things belong together
2. Describe – observation as means of
collecting data; examines situations;
what is the norm?
3. Explain – deals with complex
issues; aims to move beyond ‘just
getting the facts’ in order to make
sense of the myriad of other elements
involved, such as human, political,
social, cultural, and contextual
4. Evaluate – involves making any
judgment about the quality of objects
and events; methods must be
relevant to the context and intentions
of the research
5. Correlate – investigates the
relationship between the phenomena
to see whether and how they
influence each other; phenomena are
measured as levels of association
6. Predict – done in research areas
where the correlations are already
known; predictions of possible future
behavior or events are made on the
basis that if there has been a strong
relationship between two or more
characteristics
7. Control – requires an understanding
of an event or situation; needs to
know what the cause and effect
relationships are; all of technology
relies on this ability to control
Characteristics of Research
 Realistic – undertaking must result
to empirical data
 Logical – follows valid, definite
principles, frameworks, and
procedures
 Cyclical – starts with a problem and
ends with another
 Analytical – empirical data is
analyzed to elicit desired meaning
from the obtained information
 Objective – analysis and
interpretation must be free from any
bias
 Critical – careful and precise in
processing of ideas and judgment
 Replicable – being able to repeat the
procedure for verification (at least 3
replicates per experiment)
Factors to Consider in Doing Research
 Timeframe
 Money
 Facilities and data
 Expertise
Types of Research
 Basic Research (Fundamental, Pure)
(Patton, 1990)
search for basic knowledge
aims to understand, explain,
formulate, or test theoretical
construct and propositions
more descriptive; exploring what,
why and how questions
 Applied Research (Patton, 1990)
aims to find potential solutions to
human and social problems
 more prescriptive; explores the how
question
based on basic researches
 Evaluation Research (Patton, 1990)
Undertaken to see whether a
program or activity has met the
objectives set for it
1. Summative Evaluation – (ex.)
exams given to students in school
to assess the effectiveness of
teaching or the deployment of a
curriculum
2. Formative Evaluation – (ex.)
tests/activities given to students
to shape teaching methods that
will result in optimal learning
 Action Research (Patton, 1990)
Aims at solving problems within a
program, organization, or
community
Enables the practitioners to bring
about an improvement in their own
practice
Qualitative
 Deepens understanding of a
phenomenon
Quantitative
 Generalize ideas or concepts in a
broader perspective
The Research Process
Topic -> Literature Reviews -> Research
Questions / Hypothesis -> Research Design
-> Research Ethics Clearance -> Data
Collection -> Data Analysis -> Report
Writing
(Warry and Park, 2006)
Qualities of a Successful Researcher
 Curious; inquisitive
 Efficient; time management
 Logical
 Effective
 Active
 Practical
 Inventive
 Honest
 Cost-effective
Research Ethics
“Ethics is knowing the difference between
what you have a right to do and what is right
to do.” (Potter Stewart)
Ethical Principles
 Honesty
 Objectivity
 Integrity: sincere and consistent
 Carefulness: free from careless errors
 Openness
 Respect for intellectual property
 Trustworthiness
 Social and legal responsibility
Ethical Issues in Research
 Human rights in research
 Animal rights and welfare
Human
 Right to voluntary participation
 Right to informed consent
 Right to be protected from harm
 Right to confidentiality
 Right to anonymity
Animals
(as much as possible, try to)
 reduce
 refine
 and replace
animal subjects
Animal Welfare Act of 1998 – protects and
promotes animal welfare
Data Privacy Act of 2012 – right of an
individual
Areas of Scientific Dishonesty
 Fabrication and falsification of data
 Non-publication of data
 Faulty data gathering procedures
 Plagiarism
1. Types of Data
 Quantitative Data:
information that can be
measured or written down
with numbers
 Qualitative Data:
information expressed by
means of natural language
descriptions
2. Variables
 something that varies in each
experiment or test
 A representation of persons
or objects that can be
manipulated, controlled, or
merely measured for the sake
of research
 Independent – what you change
 Dependent – change that happens
because of the independent variable
 Control – remains constant and
unchanging
Test groups – receives independent
variable
Control group – exists for basis of
comparison
3. Observation
 Quantitative: precise
numerical observations
 Qualitative: descriptive
observations
4. Inference
 A reasonable conclusion
drawn from your gathered
observation
5. Prediction
 Educated guesses about
future events that can be
drawn from inferences
Scientific Reasoning
 Deductive Reasoning
(general to specific)
Testing known concepts and data using new
empirical data; Theory testing; top-down
approach; conclusion follows logically from
premises
Theory -> Hypothesis -> Observation ->
Confirmation
 Inductive Reasoning
(specific to general)
Infers theoretical concepts and patterns from
your observations; Theory-building; bottom-
up approach; conclusion is likely based from
premises
Observation -> Pattern -> Tentative
Hypothesis -> Theory