ED702: RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

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 Add the details
Brief Concept/idea

You Start with a Clear

Vision of What You Want
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 You research contribution(s) must be
significant

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 Think about what you want to research on?
◦ Topic of research
◦ Working title
◦ Keywords
◦ Preliminary literature search
 Why you want to do this research?
◦ Problem statement
◦ Research gap?
◦ Is it important to solve this?
◦ Significant research contribution?

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 Where about will this research be covering?
◦ Population & Sampling
◦ Research Setting
 When will this research be conducted?
◦ Scope of research
◦ Period of study
 How will this research be conducted?
◦ Methodology
◦ Measurement, Instrumentation, Analysis
◦ Will you solve the problem through the findings of
your research objectives and research questions?

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 • Own experience
• Own environment
• Talking to others
1. • Own Reading
• More Readings General
• Availability of previous works Idea
• Contributions 5.
Identify 2. • Journals
Issue or Lots of • Books
Research Readings •Theses
Problem • Proceedings

4. 3.
Identify Refine
• More Readings Gap(s) your Idea • Develop key word
• Own Interest • Ask questions
• More Readings

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1. Title (Working Title)
Chapter 1
1. Brief Introduction (show aim of the study and
how the study is important)
2. Brief Background of the Study (policy stage to the
scope of your study)
3. Statement of the Problem (issues and problems
that guided your study. Findings will shed light to
these problems).
4. Research Objectives
5. Research Questions/Hypothesis (for quantitative)
6. Significance of the Study (for policy makers,
employers, employees, leaders, principals,
teachers, students etc.)
7. Definition of Terms
8. Limitation
9. Conclusion
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 Introduction
 Theories Related to your study
 Review and analysis of past literature related
to the variables of your study
 Past studies: review and show how your study
is important
 Conclusion

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 Introduction
 Research Design and Methods
 Population and Sampling
 Instrumentation
 Data Collection (procedure [how], validity,
reliability [pilot study], ethics)
 Data Analysis
 Conclusion

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 Must be accurate, descriptive and
concise (e.g. 20 - word limit). May
include variables and/or a mention of
population.

 Note that you are only be ready to

devise a title when you are clear of the
focus of the study

 Choose a topic which can be

investigated through appropriate & valid
methods & for which research materials
are available

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1. Title (Working Title)
Chapter 1
1. Brief Introduction
2. Brief Background of the Study
3. Statement of the Problem
4. Research Objectives
5. Research Questions/Hypothesis
6. Significance of the Study
7. Definition of Terms
8. Limitation
9. Conclusion

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In the introduction
 Introduce the topic
 Show general aim of the study
 Briefly state how the study is
important.

• ½ page

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 provides readers with the background information for
the research (policy stage to the scope of your study).

 Relate the transformation of a “general idea” to a more

“refined topic”

 The origin, history, concept, agenda, initiatives by the

government, policy etc.

 Relate these to your study from broad (global/national)

perspectives to how your study addresses the initiatives
and contribute to the greater good.

 Abt ½ to 1 page

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 Give a summary of the research problem
that you have identified (issues and
problems that guided your study. Findings
will shed light to these problems).

 Remember, the most important aspect of a

research proposal is CLARITY of the research
problem

 A problem might be defined as the issue

that exists in the literature, theory, or
practice that leads to a need for the study

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 Give a concise and clear research
objectives that you want to achieve
through your research project

 It should be a measure of outcome

 If the objective is not clear to the writer,

it cannot be clear to the reader.

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 Premised on the problem statement
identified, list possible research
questions that could be asked in order
to achieve the research objectives of
the study

 Hypothesis are research questions

that could be statistically tested

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 (for policy makers, MOE or other ministries,
employers, employees, leaders, principals,
teachers, students etc.)

 Definition of terms: define variables, key terms

and concepts

 Limitation (usually in terms of methodology:

sampling, location, number of participants,
constraints on your part that you foresee)

 Conclusion (of Chapter 1)

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 Give a short and precise overview about the present
state of research that is immediately connected to
your own research projects

 The review of the literature provides the

background and context for the research problem.
Name the most important contributions of other
studies

 Demonstrate to the reader that you have a

comprehensive grasp of the field and are aware of
important recent substantive and methodological
developments

 Give a clear discussion of the theoretical framework

that can be used to frame the study
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 State clearly how your own research
contributes to existing body of knowledge

 Avoid statements that imply that little has

been done in the area or that what has been
done is too extensive to permit easy
summary. Statements of this sort are usually
taken as indications that the writer is not
really familiar with the literature.

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 Year Author Variables Methods Model Conclusion Comments
(Source) /Framework

Earliest

Latest

Gap

Your
Study

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The Design , Methods and Procedures

 This is the central part of your research

proposal.

 The methods or procedures section is really

the heart of the research proposal. The
activities should be described with as much
detail as possible, and the continuity between
them should be apparent

 Indicate the methodological steps you will take

to answer every question or to test every
hypothesis illustrated in the
Questions/Hypotheses section.
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Population and Sampling
 The key reason for being concerned with
sampling is that of validity—the extent to
which the interpretations of the results of the
study follow from the study itself and the
extent to which results may be generalized to
other situations with other people

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1. Sampling
 Sampling is critical to external validity—the
extent to which findings of a study can be
generalized to people or situations other than
those observed in the study.

 To generalize validly the findings from a sample

to some defined population requires that the
sample has been drawn from that population
according to one of several probability sampling
plans
 For qualitative design, non probability sampling
could be used.

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Instrumentations
 Outline the instruments you propose to use
(surveys, scales, interview protocols,
observation grids).
 If instruments have previously been used,
identify previous studies and findings related
to reliability and validity.
 If instruments have not previously been used,
outline procedures you will follow to develop
and test their reliability and validity (e.g. pilot
study)

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Instrumentations (cont)
 Because selection of instruments in most
cases provides the operational definition
of constructs, this is a crucial step in the
proposal
 Include an appendix with a copy of the
instruments to be used or the interview
protocol to be followed.
 Also include sample items in the
description of the instrument.

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Data Collection
 Outline the general plan for collecting the
data. This may include survey
administration procedures, interview or
observation procedures.
 If appropriate, discuss how you obtained
entré.

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Data Analysis
 Specify the procedures you will use, and label
them accurately (e.g., descriptive statistics
(mean, standard deviation, frequency,
percentage, ANOVA, t-test, Pearson’s
correlation, MANOVA, ethnography, case study,
grounded theory). If coding procedures are to be
used, describe in reasonable detail.

 If you triangulated, carefully explain how you

went about it. Communicate your precise
intentions and reasons for these intentions to
the reader. This helps you and the reader
evaluate the choices you made and procedures
you followed.

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Data Analysis
 Indicate briefly any analytic tools you will
have available and expect to use (e.g.
SPSS).

 Provide a well thought-out rationale for

your decision to use the design,
methodology, and analyses you have
selected.

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 Give if possible, in a table format,
information about your estimated
time table, indicating the sequence
of research phases and the time
that you probably need for each
phase

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 Only references cited in the text are
included in the reference list;
however, exceptions can be found to
this rule. For example, if the research
committees may require evidence that
you are familiar with a broader
spectrum of literature than that
immediately relevant to your research.
In such instances, the reference list
may be called a bibliography.

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 The need for complete documentation
generally dictates the inclusion of
appropriate appendixes in proposals

 The following materials are appropriate for

an appendix:
◦ Verbatim instructions to participants.
◦ Questionnaires.
◦ Interview protocols.
◦ Sample of informed consent forms.
◦ Cover letters sent to appropriate stakeholders.
◦ Official letters of permission to conduct research.
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 Avoid copy and paste practices of other peoples
ideas and work. You need to paraphrase and
acknowledge the work and ideas of others by
providing the surname, year of publication, page
number (for direct quotations).
 Paraphrase, summarize, synthesize, analyze past
research/literature and provide the in-text
citations and references in the bibliography.
 Use the plagiarism checker such as turnitin to
check your work. Should not be more than 30%
similar.

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10 Slides for headings below:
 Name and Title
 Introduction/background
 Statement of the Problem
 Objectives
 Research questions
 Literature review (theory related to your study)
 Literature review (past studies)
 Methodology (research design and methods)
 Methodology (population, samples, sampling
method)
 Methodology (data collection, data analysis)

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 Anything you would like to add

 Question and Answer

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