Practical Research 11 | Q3

Research

an organized investigation and study of materials and sources to create facts and reach new inferences

Research

a verified approach of thinking and employing legalized instruments and steps to obtain a more adequate solution to a problem that is otherwise impossible to address under ordinary means (Crawford, as cited by Alcantara & Espina, 1995)

Basic Research

the type of research that is a purely direct application but increasing the nature of understanding about the problem.

Applied Research

A type of research that needs an answer to a specific question

Major Characteristics of Research

• Empirical

• Systematic

• Controlled

• Employs Hypothesis 

• Analytical

• Objective

• Original Work

Empirical

based on observations and experiments of theories

Systematic

follows orderly and sequential procedures, based on valid procedures and principles

Controlled

In research, all variables, except those that are tested/experimented on, are kept constant

Employs Hypothesis

refers to a search for facts, answers to questions and solutions to problems

Analytical

shows analytical procedures in gathering the data, whether historical, descriptive, and or case study

Objective

• Unbiased and logical

• All findings are logically based on real-life situations

Original Work

requires its own examination and produces the data needed to complete the study

Integration

the best way to evaluate the validity of a certain study

Research Process

• Define  Research Problem

• Review of Related Literature

• Formulating Hypothesis

• Research Design

• Collecting Data

• Analyzing Data

• Interpret and Report

Define Research Problem

What is the problem?

Review of Related Literature

What evidence is already presented?

Formulating Hypothesis

How are we going to find/look for the answer to questions being studied?

Research Design

Where will the study be shown and with what population?

Collecting Data

Are we ready to gather the data? Where do we find the data?

Analyzing Data

How do the data answer the research queries?

Interpret and Report

What are the implications of the results?

Why Ethical Norms are Significant

1. Ethics promotes the pursuit of knowledge, truth, and credibility. It also fosters values that are essential to collaborative work.

2. Ethical norms help individuals to be accountable in every act that the researcher/s undertake.

3. Ensure that researchers are held accountable to the public.

4. An ethical norm in research also needs public awareness. This can be evaluated by the researcher before conducting the study because this may help a certain population in an area once the study is completed.

Ethical Codes and Policies for Research

• Honesty

• Objectivity

• Integrity

• Carefulness

• Openness

• Confidentiality

• Responsible Publication

• Responsible Mentoring

• Respect Colleagues

• Social Responsibility

• Non-Discrimination

• Legality

• Respect of Intellectual Property

• Human Subject

• Quantitative Research

• Qualitative Research

Kinds of Research

Quantitative Research

Mostly, it is concerned with numbers and measurement

Quantitative Research

is a positivist scientific method which refers to a general set of orderly discipline procedures to acquire information (Beck, 2004)

Qualitative Research

defined as the “naturalistic method of research which deals with the concern of human difficulty by discovering it straightly.”(Beck, 2004)

Qualitative Research

concerned with the experiences, understanding and words of the individual

Titles and Abstract Studies in Different Strands in SHS

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

• Arts and Design

• Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS)

• Sports

• Agriculture

Kinds of Qualitative Research

• Phenomenology

• Ethnography

• Grounded Theory

• Case Study

• Content and Discourse Analysis

• Historical Analysis

Phenomenology

It is the study of how people give meaning to their experiences, like the death of loved ones, care for the people, and friendliness of the people

Ethnography

It is understanding of how a particular cultural group goes about their daily lives which includes their organizational set-up, internal operations, and lifestyle.

Grounded Theory

This occurs when a researcher discovers a new theory based on the data collected

Grounded Theory

It is a research methodology for discovering theory in a substantive area

Case Study

This involves an investigation of a person, group, organization, or situation for a long period of time to explain why such things occur to the subject under study.

Content and Discourse Analysis

This method requires the examination or analysis of the substance or content of the communication that takes place through letters, books, journals, photos, video recordings, short message services, online messages, emails, audio-visual materials, etc

Historical Analysis

this is the study of primary documents to explain the connection of past events to the present time.

Characteristics of Qualitative Research

• Takes place in a natural setting

• Researchers are sensitive to participants’ needs and participants are actively engaged in the process.

• Data are collected through observation, interviews, documents, e-mails, blogs, videos, etc.

• It may result in changes in research questions after new discoveries occur

• It is a process of describing a situation, analyzing data for themes or categories, and making interpretations or drawing conclusions.

• It may be subjected to the researcher’s personal interpretation

• The researchers, as a primary instrument in data collection, view social phenomena and situations holistically.

Strengths of Qualitative Research

• Issues can be deeply analyzed.

• Interviews offer flexibility for researcher guidance.

• Research frameworks can adapt easily.

• Human experiences provide powerful data.

• Findings may not generalize but can transfer to other settings

Weaknesses of Qualitative Research

• Research quality relies on researcher skill and perspective.

• Large data volumes slow analysis.

• Proof can be challenging.

• Researcher presence affects subject attitudes.

• Anonymity and confidentiality pose presentation issues.

• Visualizing findings can be challenging and time-consuming.

Green and Bloome

Differentiated Ethnography of Education and Ethnography in Education

Ethnography of Education

Seeks to understand what counts as education for members of a particular group of Ethnography

Ethnography in Education

Studies the social and cultural dynamics of a classroom

Ethnographic Practices

ways that people in a certain place react to a certain agenda: research agenda, educational agenda, social, cultural, instructional change agenda

Qualitative Research in Technical Communications

Conducted using Focus Groups

Qualitative Research in Psychology

It has been shaped by the behavioral and cognitive traditions in psychology that seeks to determine and understand observable, objective, psychological reality

Braune and Clarke (2013)

The Qualitative Research Paradigm in Psychology emerging since the 19th Century

Morrison et al.

They explained the connection between the consumers demands and the methods useful in advertising

Qualitative Research in Social Work

Studying people’s experiences especially in what they find as painful and traumatizing

4 Broad Categories of Social Work

• Knowledge

• Awareness of Mental Process

• Awareness of Identity

• Alienation

Knowledge

Direct Remembering and Reliving, with complete details of events

Awareness of Mental Process

awareness of emotions ; awareness of cognitive process

Awareness of Identity

awareness of values and the construction of personal characteristics of each partner and the couple as a unit

Alienation

refusal to observe, reflect, remember

Qualitative Research in Marketing

Uses the Grounded Theory Approach in modern researches and is influenced by social research embedded with projective devices

Qualitative Research in International Business

• Uses methods like: 

  • Participant Observation 

  • Content Analysis 

  • Focus Groups 

  • Narrative Interviews 

  • Archival Research

Research Title

Should help the readers to see the main idea as well as the summary of the whole study (Sacred Heart University Library 10, 2020)

Research Title

Usually contains fewest possible words that can bring understanding of the content and the purpose of the study among the readers.

Research Title

the most important element of your research as it clearly expresses the problem to be explored

Research Title

capsulizes the main thought or idea of the whole research paper

Characteristics of a Research Title

• Use substantive, key variables for clarity

• Employ positive, non-abbreviated language

• Follow correct capitalization rules

• Keep it concise, implying participants and study coverage

Design of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is an emergent design which means that it emerges as you make ongoing decisions about what you have learned.

Design of Qualitative Research

As a design, qualitative research requires researcher’s decision-making like how to gather data, from where and whom to collect, when to gather, and for how long the process will be.

Guidelines in Choosing a Topic

• Interest in the subject matter

• Availability of information

• Timeliness and relevance of the topic

• Limitations on the subject

• Personal resources

Topics to be Avoided

• Controversial Topics

• Highly Technical Subjects

• Hard-to-investigate Subjects

• Too broad subjects

• Too narrow subjects

• Vague subjects

How to Narrow Down a Topic

• By exploring and extending the explanation of a theory

• Talk over ideas with people who know research

• Focus on specific group

• Define the aim or desired outcome of the study

Research Question

an answerable inquiry into a specific concern or issue.

Research Question

help writers focus their research by providing a path through the research and writing process

Research Question

the first active step in the research project

Steps in Writing a Research Question

• Specify your specific concern or issue.

• Decide what you want to know about the specific concern or issue.

• Turn what you want to know and the specific concern into a question.

• Ensure that the question is answerable. 

• Check to make sure the question is not too broad or too narrow.

A Research Question Needs to Be:

• Clear

• Focused

• Concise

• Complex

• Arguable

Writing the Thesis Statement

The sentence that captures your position on this main idea with 1-2 sentence

Writing the Thesis Statement

It should also make a comment on your position in relation to the topic

Tips in Writing a Successful Thesis Statement

• Avoid burying a great thesis statement in the middle of a paragraph or late in the paper.

• Be as clear and as specific as possible; avoid vague words.

• Indicate the point of your paper but avoid sentence structures like, “The point of my paper is…”

In Order to Be as Clear as Possible in Your Writing:

• Avoid technical language/jargon

• Avoid vague words

• Avoid abstract words

Scope

Contains the explanation of what information or subject is being analyzed

Scope

It is followed by an explanation of the limitation of the research

Delimitation

• the description of the scope of study

• explains why definite aspects of a subject were chosen and why other was excluded

• mentions the research method used as well as the certain theories applied to the data

Significance of the Study

• Purpose of research paper: Identifying key reasons for conducting the research.

• Importance of formalizing queries into writing

• Addressing 'WHYs' and 'HOWs' in this stage

Tips in Writing the Significance of the Study

• Refer to the statement of the problem

• Write from general to specific contribution

Review of Related Literature

• follows an essay format (Introduction, Body, Conclusion)

Introduction

• Topic sentence that states the broad topic of your thesis

• Following sentence/s that state what is included/excluded (parameters) 

• Final sentence/s that signals list of key topics that will be used to discuss the selected sources 

Body

• Divide up your text into sections/topics as indicated in the last sentence of your introduction 

• Each paragraph will be a synthesis of the many texts that you have chosen for your literature review

Conclusion

• Summary of all the related literature and studies 

• May composed of 5 to 10 sentences

Guide in Writing a Literature Review

• Choose a topic

• Decide on the scope of review

• Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches

• Conduct your search and find the literature

• Review the literature

Citation

a formal reference to a published or unpublished source that you consulted and obtained information form while writing your research paper

Purpose of Citation

1. To give importance and respect to other people for what they know about the field.

2. To give authority, validity, and credibility to other people’s claim, conclusions, and arguments

3. To prove your broad and extensive reading of authentic and relevant materials about your topic.

4. To help readers find contact of the sources of ideas easily.

5. To permit readers to check the accuracy of your work.

6. To save yourself from plagiarism.

Reasons why Citation is Important

1. Citing others' words and ideas shows thorough research, boosting credibility.

2. Others' ideas strengthen arguments.

3. They also explain alternative approaches.

4. Using others' ideas can enhance or detract from credibility.

5. Failure to cite sources has serious repercussions due to intellectual property rights.

Three Terms Used to Express Appreciation for Recognition of People’s Ownership of Borrowed Ideas

• Acknowledgment

• References or Bibliography

• Citation or In-text Citation

Acknowledgment

the beginning portion of the work that identifies individuals who have contributed something to produce the paper

References or Bibliography

a complete list of all reading materials including books, journals, periodical, etc. from where the borrowed ideas came from

Citation

references within the main body of the text, especially in Review of the Related Literature

Summary

The citation in this case is shortened version of the original text that is expressed in your own language.

Paraphrase

This is the antithesis of the first one because, here, instead of shortening the form of the text, you explain what the text means to you using your own words.

Strategies in Paraphrasing:

• Read the original text or abstract. Understand it as whole, then, set aside.

• Using your own memory, write down the main points or concepts.

• In your own words, summarize

Short Direct Quotation

Only a part of the author’s sentence, the whole sentence, or several sentences, not exceeding 40 words, is what you can quote or repeat in writing through this citation pattern.

Long Direct Quotation

this citation pattern made you copy the author’s exact words numbering form 40 to 100 words

Two Categories of Sources

• Primary Sources

• Secondary Sources

Primary Sources

Artifacts, autobiographies, Court, records, Diaries, Emails, Speeches, letters, Interviews, official reports, Drawings, maps, Photographs, speeches

Secondary Sources

Biographies, critical studies of an author's work, dictionaries, journal articles, handbooks, Magazines, newspapers, Reports, textbooks