Chapter 1 - The Process of Research

Chapter 1:
The Process of Research
Understanding Research:
A Consumer’s Guide
Edition 2
Vicki Plano Clark and John Creswell
© (2015, 2010) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

How do you identify reports of research?
Research is:
• A process of steps used to collect and analyze
information in order to increase our knowledge about a
topic or issue
Most research involves at least these steps:
1. Posing a question
2. Collecting data about the question
3. Analyzing the data to answer the question
Plano Clark & Creswell. Understanding Research: A Consumer's Guide, Second Edition. Chapter 1- slide 2
© 2015, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
What kind of research is there?
Formal research involves collection and analysis of data

• Data are pieces of information researchers
systematically gather to answer a question of interest
– numbers, words, facts, attitudes, actions, etc.
• Analysis involves making sense of the data
Informal research is more like day-to-day problem solving
What are clues to identify research
studies?
Only in research studies will the authors report the
systematic collection and analysis of data to answer the
question
• Examine the title
– Look for words such as research, study, empirical,
investigation, or inquiry
• Examine the abstract
– Look for evidence that the author collected and analyzed
data
• Examine the full text (if necessary)
– Look to see whether the author reports the collection and
analysis of data
Why do you need to read research
reports?
• To add to your professional knowledge
• To inform your position in policy debates
• To improve your practice
– Research may offer new programs or strategies to try
– Research may present new ideas to consider
– Research can help you learn about and evaluate alternative
approaches
Where do you find reports of research?
• Books (including e-books)

– Reference summaries and handbooks
– Reports of single studies
• Scholarly journals
• Sources for early stage material

– Websites
– Conference reports
– Professional association newsletters
– Authors themselves
What steps do researchers take when
conducting their studies?
Multiple steps may be implemented at the same

time, or steps may be repeated as the study
unfolds.
How do you identify the steps of the
research process in a research article?
• Use the article structure to guide the way you read the
report
• Major sections:
– Front matter
– Introduction
– Method
– Results
– Conclusion
– Back matter
What is the front matter?
• Title
– May contain information about topic, participants, setting, or
approach
• Authors
• Abstract of the study
– Short summary of the research process
What is the introduction section?
• Identifies the study’s research problem

• Reports the review of the literature
• Specifies the study’s purpose, research questions, and
hypotheses
What is the method section?
• Identifies the study’s research design (quantitative,

qualitative, or mixed)
• Describes the procedures used to select participants
and collect data
• May briefly describe the procedures used to analyze
the data
What is the results (or findings) section?
• Reports the details of and findings from the data

analysis
What is the conclusion (or discussion)
section?
May do some or all of the following:
• Report interpretations of the study

• Summarize major results of the study
• Answer research questions
• Present researchers’ determination whether the results
confirm or disconfirm expected predictions
• Examine meaning of the findings for study participants
• Compare study’s results with those found in other
published studies
• Discuss implications and limitations of the study
What is the back matter?
• Includes a list of references cited within the study

report
• Includes extra supporting materials
– End notes
– Appendices
– Biographical information about the authors
Summary: Mapping the research process to
the research report
The General Research Report The Steps of the
Process of Research Major Sections Research Process

Front Matter
1. Identifying a research problem

The researcher poses a 2. Reviewing the literature
Introduction
question 3. Specifying a purpose
4. Choosing a research design

The researcher collects 5. Selecting participants and collecting data
Method
data to answer the question 6. Analyzing data (and reporting results)
Results 6. (Analyzing data and) reporting results

The researcher presents an
answer to the question Conclusion 7. Drawing conclusions

Back Matter
FIGURE 1.6 The Major Sections of a Research Article and the Steps in the Process of Research
Note: final step of “disseminating and evaluating research” is represented by the entire published research article.

Chapter 1 - The Process of Research

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Chapter 1 - The Process of Research

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Chapter 1:

The Process of Research

Vicki Plano Clark and John Creswell

© (2015, 2010) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Formal research involves collection and analysis of data

• Books (including e-books)

• Sources for early stage material

Multiple steps may be implemented at the same

• Identifies the study’s research problem

• Identifies the study’s research design (quantitative,

• Reports the details of and findings from the data

• Report interpretations of the study

• Includes a list of references cited within the study

1. Identifying a research problem

4. Choosing a research design

Results 6. (Analyzing data and) reporting results

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