Research

UNIT ONE
 What is research?
• Research is a systematic investigation and study of a subject in order to
discover new information, establish facts and reach a new conclusion.
• Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to
increase our understanding of a topic or issue.
• Research is important for three reasons.
1,add to knowledge
2, Research Improves Practice
3,informs policy debaters
• Ways of Knowing:- Sensory experience, agreement with others, expert
opinion, logic and scientific method.
 Characteristics
• 1. Systematic: Research follows a structured and organized approach to gather and analyze data in a methodical manner.
• 2. Objective: Research aims to be unbiased and impartial, focusing on facts and evidence rather than personal opinions or beliefs.
• 3. Rigorous: Research involves thorough investigation and scrutiny of data, using reliable methods and techniques to ensure
accuracy and validity.
• 4. Replicable: Research should be replicable by other researchers, meaning that the methods and findings can be reproduced to
confirm the results.
• 5. Ethical: Research must adhere to ethical standards and guidelines, ensuring the protection of participants' rights, confidentiality,
and integrity.
• 6. Empirical: Research is based on empirical evidence derived from observation, experimentation, or experience, rather than
speculation or theoretical assumptions.
• 7. Analytical: Research involves critical analysis and interpretation of data to draw meaningful conclusions and insights.
• 8. Systematic: Research follows a logical and systematic process, starting with a clear research question or hypothesis, and
proceeding through data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• 9. Innovative: Research aims to generate new knowledge, ideas, or solutions to existing problems, pushing the boundaries of
current understanding in a particular field.
• 10. Communicative: Research findings are typically communicated through publications, presentations, or reports to share
knowledge and contribute to the broader academic or professional community.
 Types of research
• Quantitative research:- specifies numerical assignment to the phenomena
under study
• Qualitative research:- produces narrative or textual descriptions of the
phenomena under study.
• Basic research:- an investigation that adds to the knowledge of a particular area
of study, but may not have obvious and immediate applications to real - world
settings. Research that is done in laboratories or via computer simulation is most
often basic research
• Applied research:- an investigation that does have obvious and immediate
applications. Applied research more often takes place in real - life settings such
as schools, hospitals, or nursing homes. Survey research is often applied
research, as it has immediate application regarding drug use, customer
satisfaction, or whatever topic is being addressed in the survey.
• Traditional research:- tries to describe, predict, and control the area
being investigated. According to Mills, traditional research is
conducted by professional researchers (for example, university
professors) in controlled environments using mainly quantitative
methods, with the goal of generalizing to the larger population.
• Action research:-is conducted by educational practitioners, with the
goal of improving the particular institution at which they work. Action
research is conducted by teachers and principals with students in that
school as participants. Action research has as its focus the
improvement of the organization in which the research is being
conducted.
 RESEARCH ETHICS
• Research ethics deals with how we treat those who participate in our
studies and how we handle the data after we collect them.
Researchers must be concerned with three ethical issues:
■ Respect for Persons : Researchers must recognize research participants
as autonomous agents, and those who have diminished autonomy (for
example, the young, the disabled) must be granted protection.
■ Beneficence : Researchers will secure the well - being of participants
by not harming them and, further, maximizing possible benefi ts and
minimizing possible risk.
■ Justice : There must be fairness in the distribution of benefits and
possible risks across all research participants.