Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Area: ENGLISH
Focus: Language and Literature Research
LET Competencies:
1. It is the utilization of various methods and strategies to gather truthful and accurate
information about problems and issues related to language and literature study.
2. It is the carrying out scientific method or analysis; it entails the application of formal,
systematic, and intensive processes to yield significant information or data about
the research questions and/or objectives.
The two general types of research are quantitative research and the qualitative
research. However, in recent literature, the action research is already included in the
list.
1. The Problem and Its Setting- This section includes the introduction of the study,
statement of the problem, scope and delimitation, importance of the study, and the
definition of terms. It is also in this part that the hypotheses and assumption of the
study are stated.
2. Review of Literature and Studies – This section presents the theories, concepts
and studies related to the research topic.
3. Research Methodology – This section clears out the processes used to answer
the research questions. This section also states the research methods and design,
sampling, statistical treatment, procedures, and other related concepts necessary
for data gathering.
5. Discussion – this section presents the interpretation and analysis of the results.
6. Summary and Recommendations – this section presents the implications of the
study and future research
The research problems can be gathered from various sources, such as:
1. Research Literature –It provides the much needed information to determine what
have already been explored in relation to the topic that will be investigated.
2. Theory-Based Research – This contains the studies in which the existing theories
on language and literature were tested.
5. Experience – this is another rich source of research topics because this provides
the motivation to the researcher to investigate or examine what he/she knows is
important in language or literature study.
1. The topic is interesting. It will hold the researcher’s interest through the entire
research.
4. The topic is manageable. If it fits the researcher’s level or research skills, needed
resources, and time restrictions.
· Panel Studies – this involves selecting a sample at the outset of the study and
then at each subsequent data-collection point surveying the same sample is
done
· Cross-sectional studies- the data are obtained at one point in time, but from
groups of different ages or at different stages of development
iii) Cross- sectional survey – collects information from a sample that has been
drawn from a predetermined population. The information is collected at just one
point in time, although the time it takes to collect all the data desired may take
anywhere from a day to a few weeks or more.
d. Types of Instruments in Descriptive or Survey Research
Types of Questions – the nature of the questions, and the way they are asked, are
extremely important in the research survey:
1. Closed-ended questions are easy to use, score, and code for analysis on
a computer. Since all subjects respond to the same opinions; standardized
data are provided.
2. Open-ended questions- allow for more individualized responses, but they
are sometimes difficult to interpret. They are also often hard to score, since
so many different kinds of responses are received.
Kinds of Questionnaire
Kind of interview
O1 X O2
O1= pretest O2= posttest
· Static –group comparison design – this design compares the status of a group
that has received an experimental treatment with one that has not. There is no
provision for establishing the equivalence of the experimental and control groups. In
some books, this design is classified under the quasi-experimental design.
X O
C O
ii) Quasi-Experiment – these designs provide control of when and to whom the
measurement is applied, but because random assignment to experiment and
treatment groups has not been applied, the equivalence of the groups is not
assured. Some examples of experimental designs are:
e.g O1O2O3O4O5O6O7O8
· Pretest-posttest nonequivalent–groups design – this design is often used in
classroom experiments when experimental and control groups are naturally
assembled groups as intact classes which maybe similar. The difference between
the mean score of the O1 and O2 scores and the difference between the mean of
the O3 and O4 are tested for statistical significance.
e.g. O1 X O2 O1O2 = pretests
O3 C O4 O2O4 = posttests
Treatment group R X1 O
Control Group R X2 O
Treatment Group R O X1 O
Control Group R O X2 O
Treatment Group R O X1 O
Control Group R O X2 O
Treatment Group R X1 O
Control Group R X2 O
ii) Media recording and analysis - this uses media-like audio or video
recording to record a sample of teacher performance for subsequent analysis
by the teacher, peer or both. Microteaching is one example of media
recording.
iii) Student feedback tools – this is similar to the self- reflection tool except that
the students, instead of the teacher, complete the forms. Teacher- made
questionnaire, minute surveys and journals are examples of sources of
student feedback.
iv) Student performance data – include all student products that can be used to
help teachers assess their own instructional effectiveness. Test results,
essays, classroom projects, and the like are examples of students’
performance data.
vii) Collegial dialogue, experience sharing, and joint problem solving- all of
these encourage collaboration among teachers to discuss common problems,
share procedures, and strategies, and compare perceptions. Exposure to the
ideas and practices of colleagues is a potent strategy for teacher reflection
and change.
3. Historical Research – the study of the past phenomenon for the purpose of
gaining a better understanding of present institutions, practices, trends, and
issues.
i) to make people aware of what has happened in the past so they may learn
from past failure or success
ii) to learn how things were done in the past to see if they might be applicable
to present day problems and concerns
iii) to assist in prediction
iv) to test hypotheses concerning relationships or trends
b. Types of Sources
iv) Relics –These are objects whose physical or visual characteristics can
provide some information about the past. Examples include furniture,
artwork, clothing, buildings, monuments, or equipment.
i) Contextual – the research is carried out in the context in which the subjects
normally live or work.
ii) Unobtrusive – the researcher avoids manipulating the phenomenon under
investigation
iii) Longitudinal – the research is relatively long term
iv) Collaborative – the researcher carries out interpretative analyses of the data
in cooperation with other people, e.g. the natives in a community
v) Organic- there is interaction between questions/hypothesis and data
collection/interpretation
iv) Complete participant – the identity is not known to any of the individuals
being observed. The researcher interacts with the group as naturally as
possible.
c. Types of effects on the participants
ii) Halo effect – the tendency for the observer’s early impressions of an
individual being observed to influence the observer’s ratings of all
variables involving the same individual
ii) Sampling error- the deviation of a sample statistic from its population
value
ii) Content validity – the extent to which inferences from a test’s scores
adequately represent the content or conceptual domain that the test
claims to measure
1. Types of reliability
ii) Field notes – observer’s record of what he or she has seen heard,
experienced, and thought about during an observation session
· Field jottings – these are quick notes about something the researcher wants
to write more about later. They provide the stimulus to help researchers recall
a lot of details they do not have time to write down during the observation or
interview.
· Field log – is a sort of running account of how researchers plan to spend their
time compared to how they actually spend it. It is, in effect, the researcher’s
plan for collecting his or her data systematically. The value of maintaining a
log is that it forces the researcher to think hard about the questions he or she
truly wants to be answered, the procedures to be followed, and the data really
needed.
i) Descriptive field notes – attempts to describe the setting, the people and
what they do according to what the researcher observes. They include the
following:
· Accounts of particular events who was involved when, where, and how.
ii) Reflective field notes – present more of what the researcher himself or
herself is thinking about as he or she does the observation. These include the
following:
iv) Opinion or values question - are questions researchers ask to find out
what people think about some topic or issue. Answers to such questions call
attention to the respondents’ goals, beliefs, attitudes, or values.
v) Feelings questions – are questions a researcher asks to find out how
respondents feel about things. They are directed toward emotional responses
of people to their experiences.
b. Anagram tasks – this is similar to Think Aloud, but the focus is on
letters and words rather than numbers. An anagram is a word or phrase
whose constituent parts have been rearranged.
v) Retrospection – this pertains to the collection of data some time after the
event under investigation has taken place.
vi) Elicitation Techniques – these techniques are used to obtain data by means
of a stimulus, such as a picture, diagram, or standard test, as well as those
based on a questionnaire, survey and interview data. Examples of these are
production tasks, completion tasks, among others.
10. Other Concepts in Research
a. Select a topic- this pertains to the selection of the author and the aspect or
element of his or her work that you want to study. Some of the literary topics
could be a discussion of the work's characters, if they are realistic, symbolic or
historically-based; a comparison and contrast of different authors or
characters in a work; a reading of a work based on a literary approach or
theory outside philosophical perspective, e. g. how would a Freudian read
Hamlet?; a study of the sources or historical events that occasioned a particular
work, e.g. comparing G.B. Shaw's Pygmalion with the original Greek myth of
Pygmalion; an analysis of a specific image occurring in several works, e.g the
use of moon as imagery in certain plays, poems, novels; a "deconstruction" of a
particular work, e.g. unfolding an underlying racist worldview in Joseph
Conrad's Heart of Darkness, among others
e. Select Materials – In selecting the materials for a literary research, make sure
that you have built your bibliography. This includes the selection of a few good
articles about the author and his/her work. Include the reviews made by literary
critics of a particular work. Other things to consider are the following:
f. Prepare the findings of the study – In this section, the researcher answers
the research questions and addresses the hypothesis of the study.
g. Write the research report – A research report must not only answer the
research questions and objectives, but also follow the conventions of writing.
Having said this, the researcher ensures that the final report is well edited and
proofread to adapt to the required style and format of the publisher.
ii) Translation
a. Topics to be explored
Research in Literature may include the study in translation. In doing this type of
research, the author may explore the following translation studies:
ii) Meaning-based Translation – this method gives the highest priority to the
meaning and form of the original, and is appropriate to translations of source
texts that have high status. It retains the aesthetic value of the translated
texts. It is both semantic and communicative in nature.
iii) Classroom Research - One of the challenges for language and literature
teachers in this information age is to be active contributors of knowledge in
academic setting. In academic institutions, from elementary to tertiary,
teachers are encouraged, and at some degree, are expected to undertake a
small-scale research. This small scale research is often focused on the
classroom interaction where the teacher –researcher is a significant member.
Although the methods used in classroom research resembles those used in other
types of researches, classroom research can be considered distinct because it
focuses on issues and concerns of a specific classroom. Hence, classroom
research addresses a specific learning concern in the classroom setting.
ii) Classroom interaction – this focuses on the type of talk observable inside
the classroom
iii) Classroom instruction – this centers on the teaching styles of the teacher,
selection of materials, use of teaching methodologies and strategies, along
with the students’ response to the initiatives of the teacher.
iv) Classroom assessment – this looks into the assessment and testing done
in the classroom using both teacher and expert made tests and assessment
tools.
The research is not complete without the written report. The report is the
gateway towards the understanding and appreciation of such intellectual endeavors.
Basically the report follows a conventional structure (as presented above). What is
discussed on this section is the convention in writing a research report that a
researcher should observe. These are the following:
1. The research writer is expected to fit in his report to the intended audience
or readers. This means that the researcher should meet the expectations,
in terms of format and style of the specific audience that who will read his
work.
3. The technical details should be dealt with care. The researcher should be
aware of the style of presentation, the details and length of the account, the
terminology used, among others.
4. One should use the point of view preferred by the journal or the readers of
the journal. Even though, the first person point of view is gaining popularity
in writing of research reports, some research books still advise the sue of
the third person in writing the research report (Denscombe, 2003).
5. The need to use the appropriate tense form. Traditionally, the past tense is
often used in writing the findings and discussion. However, this has become
a problem in recent research report writing because the writer also makes a
reflection on the information at hand. In writing these reflection, the use of
the present tense is expected.