Research is a systematic, formal, rigorous and precise process employed to gain solutions to problems or to discover and interpret new

facts and relationships. (Waltz and Bausell, 1981). Research is the process of looking for a specific ans wer to a specific question in an organized, objective, reliable way. (Payton, 19 79). Research is systematic, controlled, empirical and critical investigation of hypo thetical propositions about the presumed relations among natural phenomena. (Ker linger, 1973). Research is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observat ion, comparison and experiment; the search for knowledge through objective and s ystematic method of finding solutions to a problem (Kothari, 2006). Basic Types of Research Classification of research can be based on different considerations. Thus we can base our classification on the nature of the dominant data (qualitative or quan titative), the purpose of the research (applied or basic) or the type of analysi s that will be carried out (descriptive or analytical). The attempt to classify research into these categories is somewhat misleading since most research has el ements of all the categories. It should be said that it is only an aid to broad understanding of the different types of research rather than distinct categories . Qualitative and quantitative research Qualitative research deals with designs techniques and measure that do not produ ce discrete numerical data. It involves extensive narrative data in order to gai ns insights into phenomena. Data analysis includes the coding of the data and pr oduction of verbal synthesis (inductive process). Examples include historical re search, ethnographic research, participant observational research and the case s tudy. Quantitative research includes designs, techniques and measures that produ ce discrete numerical or quantifiable data. Data analysis is mainly statistical (deductive process). It is characterized by: causal-comparative correlational experimental descriptive research Basic and applied research Basic research (also called fundamental or pure research) is mainly concerned wi th generalizations and the formulation of theory. It is driven by curiosity or i nterest in a subject. The main motivation is to expand man s knowledge, not to cre ate or invent something. Many scientists believe that basic research lays the fo undation for the applied research that follows. Applied research is designed to solve practical problems of the society. It can be argued that the goal of applied research is to improve the human condition. A n example of applied research could be a study to find out how the school feedin g programme has affected school enrolment rates in drought-prone districts. Applied research is increasingly gaining favour as it is helps to address the pr oblems facing the world today such as overpopulation, pollution, depletion of na tural resources, drought, floods, declining moral standards and disease. Action research is a unique form of applied research. It is a reflective process of pro gressive problem solving. It is also called "practitioner research" because of t he involvement of the actual practitioner in real life. Action implies that the practitioner is involved in the collection of data, analysis, and the interpreta tion of results. He or she is also involved in implementing results of the resea rch and is thus well placed to judge the effectiveness of the interventions. Descriptive and analytical research Descriptive research attempts to determine, describe, or identify what is. It us

es description, classification, measurement and comparison to describe a situati on. The main characteristic is that the researcher has no control over the varia bles. He only reports the situation as it is at the time. The term ex-post facto is usually used for descriptive research studies in social sciences. The survey method is commonly used in descriptive research. Analytical research attempts t o explain why and how. It usually concerns itself with cause effect relationships among variables. The researcher attempts to analyze the situation and make criti cal evaluation. Educational research According to Gay (1981), the distinction between educational research and other types of research is the nature of the phenomena they study. Educational researc h encompasses many different studies all of which attempt to better understand a nd improve the learning and educational process. It is a rigorous and systematic attempt to define and investigate significant problems involved in teaching and learning in and outside the school and at various school systems, (Ali, 1990). Educational research concerns itself with both theoretical and policy and practi ce issues. It tries to understand these practical concerns, explain them and rec ommend best ways of dealing with them to maximize benefits of education. Nwana ( 2005), attempted to define the categories into which educational research can fa ll. He came up with the following categories: Psychological; e.g. learning theories, factors that affect learning, remembering and forgetting, motivation, maturation, growth and development etc. Philosophical e.g. worthiness of education, educational aims, moral judgements, methods of reasoning, meaning, nature and sources of knowledge etc. Evaluation e.g. continuous assessment, test instruments, examinations, item anal ysis, students report cards, curriculum evaluation etc. Curriculum content e.g. the choice of school subjects, factors affecting choice of curriculum content, curriculum organization, curriculum implementation etc. Methodological e.g. methods of teaching, teacher effectiveness, instructional re sources, teaching practice, micro-teaching etc. Administrative e.g. school financing, discipline, school records, classroom mana gement, leadership styles, recruitment and deployment of staff etc. Sociological e.g. school-community relations, teacher-pupil relations, interpers onal relations within the school, #lassroom behavior of students, students unrest , cultism etc. Historical e.g. history of institutions, progarmmes, places or persons of educat ional interest. DATA - are values of qualitative or quantitative variables, belonging to a set o f items. Data in computing (or data processing) are often represented by a combi nation of items organized in rows and multiple variables organized in columns. D ata are typically the results of measurements and can be visualised using graphs or images. Data as an abstract concept can be viewed as the lowest level of abs traction from which information and then knowledge are derived. Raw data, i.e., unprocessed data, refers to a collection of numbers, characters and is a relativ e term. SAMPLE - In statistics, a sample is a subset of a population. Typically, the pop ulation is very large, making a census or a complete enumeration of all the valu es in the population impractical or impossible. The sample represents a subset o

f manageable size. Samples are collected and statistics are calculated from the samples so that one can make inferences or extrapolations from the sample to the population. This process of collecting information from a sample is referred to as sampling. POPULATION - A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same grou p or species and live in the same geographical area. STATISTICS - Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the pla nning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments. RESEARCH PROPOSAL - is a document written by a researcher that provides a detai led description of the proposed program.