Basic Terms in Methods of Research

 

Basic Terms in Methods of Research

What do we mean by research?

Research paper is a long composition in which your present information, the opinions of others, and your own opinions and conclusions which you have gained by reading border extensively on a subject.  research paper is not a personal essay; it is not an extended commentary upon a single book or treaties; it is not a way to treatment of a subject; it is not a collection of quotations fitted together cleverly into a coherent pattern; it is not a collection of foot notes; no it is a conglomeration of ill-assorted paraphrases; quotations, statistics and the like, hurriedly and unskilfully assembled into a travesty of a research paper.

Research is a systematic process of collecting data, documenting the information, and analyzing and interpreting this data according to appropriate methodologies designed by professional fields and academic disciplines.
Research is conducted to evaluate the validity of a hypothesis or an interpretive framework; to assemble a body of substantive knowledge and findings for sharing them in appropriate manners; and to generate questions for further inquiries. (Hampshire college)

 

What are the basic steps in the planning and conducting of research?

There are five basic steps suggested for preparing any written academic work:

1.     choosing a subject or a topic

2.     forming a statement of the problem

3.     forming a hypothesis or theory

4.     identifying the populations and sampling

5.     collecting and organizing the evidence

6.     drawing conclusions and writing the paper

 

Definition of basic terms in research

A research subject or topic is the issue the researcher interested in to conduct the research. the first step in every research project is the well-defined research topic. Choosing a topic or a subject is a continuous process depending on the researcher explore, define, and hone the ideas.

A statement of the problem is used in research work as a claim that outlines the problem addressed by a study. The statement of the problem briefly addresses the question: What is the problem that the research will address?

Writing a statement of the problem should help you clearly identify the purpose of the research project you will propose. Often, the statement of the problem will also serve as the basis for the introductory section of your final proposal, directing your reader’s attention quickly to the issues that your proposed project will address and providing the reader with a concise statement of the proposed project itself.

A statement of problem need not be long and elaborate: one page is more than enough for a good statement of problem. (Bwisa, 2018: online)

A research hypothesis is a specific, clear, and testable proposition or predictive statement about the possible outcome of a scientific research study based on a particular property of a population, such as presumed differences between groups on a particular variable or relationships between variables. (Lavrakas, 2008)

Population is defined as a group of individuals with at least one common characteristic which distinguishes that group from other individuals.

Sample is a small proportion of the population that is selected for observation and analysis. By observing the characteristics of the population from which it was drawn.

 

Why do we study research?

Many students ask this question at the beginning of the course, but there are two main reasons to study research methods for English Language Teachers, which they:

1.     in education career, the teacher always need to be a knowledgeable consumer of education research, and to do that the students firstly need to understand and appreciate the research process.

2.     English language teacher always need to examine what are they doing.

 

References: 

Hampshire college. Retrieved at 16^th of December 2020 at:  https://www.hampshire.edu/dof/what-is-research

Bwisa, Henry. (2018). The basics of writing a statement of the problem for your research proposal. Retrieved at 16^th of December 2020 at: https://www.editage.com/insights/the-basics-of-writing-a-statement-of-the-problem-for-your-research-proposal#:~:text=a%20viable%20solution.-,A%20statement%20of%20the%20problem%20is%20used%20in%20research%20work,problem%20addressed%20by%20a%20study.&text=Writing%20a%20statement%20of%20the%20problem%20should%20help%20you%20clearly,research%20project%20you%20will%20propose.

Lavrakas, Paul J. (2008). Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods. SAGE