CONCEPT OF

EDUCATIONA
L RESEARCH
Education is an integral aspect of every society and in a bid to expand the frontiers
of knowledge, educational research must become a priority. Educational research
plays a vital role in the overall development of pedagogy, learning programs, and
policy formulation.

Educational research is a spectrum that bothers on multiple fields of knowledge

and this means that it draws from different disciplines. As a result of this, the
findings of this research are multi-dimensional and can be restricted by the
characteristics of the research participants and the research environment.

What is Educational Research?

Educational research is a type of systematic investigation that applies empirical
methods to solving challenges in education. It adopts rigorous and well-defined
scientific processes in order to gather and analyze data for problem-solving and
knowledge advancement.

J. W. Best defines educational research as that activity that is directed towards the
development of a science of behavior in educational situations. The ultimate aim
of such a science is to provide knowledge that will permit the educator to achieve
his goals through the most effective methods.

The primary purpose of educational research is to expand the existing body of

knowledge by providing solutions to different problems in pedagogy while
improving teaching and learning practices. Educational researchers also seek
answers to questions bothering on learner motivation, development, and classroom
management.

Characteristics of Educational Research

While educational research can take numerous forms and approaches, several
characteristics define its process and approach. Some of them are listed below:

1. It sets out to solve a specific problem.

2. Educational research adopts primary and secondary research methods in
its data collection process. This means that in educational research, the
investigator relies on first-hand sources of information and secondary
data to arrive at a suitable conclusion.
3. Educational research relies on empirical evidence. This results from its
largely scientific approach.
4. Educational research is objective and accurate because it measures
verifiable information.
5. In educational research, the researcher adopts specific methodologies,
detailed procedures, and analysis to arrive at the most objective responses
6. Educational research findings are useful in the development of principles
and theories that provide better insights into pressing issues.
7. This research approach combines structured, semi-structured, and
unstructured questions to gather verifiable data from respondents.
8. Many educational research findings are documented for peer review before
their presentation.
9. Educational research is interdisciplinary in nature because it draws from
different fields and studies complex factual relations.
Types of Educational Research
Educational research can be broadly categorized into 3 which are descriptive
research, correlational research, and experimental research. Each of these has
distinct and overlapping features.

Descriptive Educational Research

In this type of educational research, the researcher merely seeks to collect data
with regards to the status quo or present situation of things. The core of descriptive
research lies in defining the state and characteristics of the research subject being
understudied.

Because of its emphasis on the “what” of the situation, descriptive research can be
termed an observational research method. In descriptive educational research, the
researcher makes use of quantitative research methods including surveys and
questionnaires to gather the required data.

Typically, descriptive educational research is the first step in solving a specific

problem. Here are a few examples of descriptive research:

 A reading program to help you understand student literacy levels.

 A study of students’ classroom performance.
 Research to gather data on students’ interests and preferences.

From these examples, you would notice that the researcher does not need to create
a simulation of the natural environment of the research subjects; rather, he or she
observes them as they engage in their routines. Also, the researcher is not
concerned with creating a causal relationship between the research variables.

Correlational Educational Research

This is a type of educational research that seeks insights into the statistical
relationship between two research variables. In correlational research, the
researcher studies two variables intending to establish a connection between them.

Correlational research can be positive, negative, or non-existent. Positive

correlation occurs when an increase in variable A leads to an increase in variable
B, while negative correlation occurs when an increase in variable A results in a
decrease in variable B.

When a change in any of the variables does not trigger a succeeding change in the
other, then the correlation is non-existent. Also, in correlational educational
research, the research does not need to alter the natural environment of the
variables; that is, there is no need for external conditioning.

Examples of educational correlational research include:

 Research to discover the relationship between students’ behaviors and

classroom performance.
 A study into the relationship between students’ social skills and their
learning behaviors.
Experimental Educational Research

Experimental educational research is a research approach that seeks to establish

the causal relationship between two variables in the research environment. It
adopts quantitative research methods in order to determine the cause and effect in
terms of the research variables being studied.

Experimental educational research typically involves two groups – the control

group and the experimental group. The researcher introduces some changes to the
experimental group such as a change in environment or a catalyst, while the
control group is left in its natural state.

The introduction of these catalysts allows the researcher to determine the causative
factor(s) in the experiment. At the core of experimental educational research lies
the formulation of a hypothesis and so, the overall research design relies on
statistical analysis to approve or disprove this hypothesis.

Examples of Experimental Educational Research

 A study to determine the best teaching and learning methods in a school.

 A study to understand how extracurricular activities affect the learning
process.

Based on functionality, educational research can be classified into fundamental

research, applied research, and action research. The primary purpose of
fundamental research is to provide insights into the research variables; that is, to
gain more knowledge. Fundamental research does not solve any specific
problems.

Just as the name suggests, applied research is a research approach that seeks to
solve specific problems. Findings from applied research are useful in solving
practical challenges in the educational sector such as improving teaching methods,
modifying learning curricula, and simplifying pedagogy.

Action research is tailored to solve immediate problems that are specific to a

context such as educational challenges in a local primary school. The goal of
action research is to proffer solutions that work in this context and to solve general
or universal challenges in the educational sector.

Importance of Educational Research

1. Educational research plays a crucial role in knowledge advancement across
different fields of study.
 2. It provides answers to practical educational challenges using scientific
methods.
3. Findings from educational research; especially applied research, are
instrumental in policy reformulation.
4. For the researcher and other parties involved in this research approach,
educational research improves learning, knowledge, skills, and
understanding.
5. Educational research improves teaching and learning methods by
empowering you with data to help you teach and lead more strategically
and effectively.
6. Educational research helps students apply their knowledge to practical
situations.

Educational Research Methods

 Surveys/Questionnaires

A survey is a research method that is used to collect data from a predetermined

audience about a specific research context. It usually consists of a set of
standardized questions that help you to gain insights into the experiences,
thoughts, and behaviors of the audience.

Surveys can be administered physically using paper forms, face-to-face

conversations, telephone conversations, or online forms. Online forms are easier to
administer because they help you to collect accurate data and to also reach a larger
sample size. Creating your online survey on data-gathering platforms like
Formplus allows you to.also analyze survey respondent’s data easily.

In order to gather accurate data via your survey, you must first identify the
research context and the research subjects that would make up your data sample
size. Next, you need to choose an online survey tool like Formplus to help you
create and administer your survey with little or no hassles.

 Interviews

An interview is a qualitative data collection method that helps you to gather

information from respondents by asking questions in a conversation. It is typically
a face-to-face conversation with the research subjects in order to gather insights
that will prove useful to the specific research context.

Interviews can be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured. A structured

interview is a type of interview that follows a premeditated sequence; that is, it
makes use of a set of standardized questions to gather information from the
research subjects.

An unstructured interview is a type of interview that is fluid; that is, it is non-

directive. During a structured interview, the researcher does not make use of a set
of predetermined questions rather, he or she spontaneously asks questions to
gather relevant data from the respondents.

A semi-structured interview is the mid-point between structured and unstructured

interviews. Here, the researcher makes use of a set of standardized questions yet,
he or she still makes inquiries outside these premeditated questions as dedicated
by the flow of the conversations in the research context.

Data from Interviews can be collected using audio recorders, digital cameras,
surveys, and questionnaires.

 Observation

Observation is a method of data collection that entails systematically selecting,

watching, listening, reading, touching, and recording behaviors and characteristics
of living beings, objects, or phenomena. In the classroom, teachers can adopt this
method to understand students’ behaviors in different contexts.

Observation can be qualitative or quantitative in approach. In quantitative

observation, the researcher aims at collecting statistical information from
respondents and in qualitative information, the researcher aims at collecting
qualitative data from respondents.

Qualitative observation can further be classified into participant or non-participant

observation. In participant observation, the researcher becomes a part of the
research environment and interacts with the research subjects to gather info about
their behaviors. In non-participant observation, the researcher does not actively
take part in the research environment; that is, he or she is a passive observer.

How to Create Surveys and Questionnaires with

Formplus
 Sign into your Formplus account. Don’t have an account, you can create
one here.
 On your dashboard, choose the “create new form” button to access the
form builder. You can also choose from the available survey templates and
modify them to suit your need.
 Drag and drop preferred fields into your
form.
 Save your online survey to access the form customization section. Here,
you can change the physical appearance of your form by adding preferred
background images and inserting your organization’s logo.
 Copy your form link and share it with respondents. You can embed your
form into your website, share by email invitation, or use the social media
direct sharing buttons.

 Formplus has a form analytics dashboard that allows you to view insights
from your data collection process such as the total number of form views
and form submissions. You can also use the reports summary tool to
generate custom graphs and charts from your survey data.
Steps in Educational Research
Like other types of research, educational research involves several steps.
Following these steps allows the researcher to gather objective information and
arrive at valid findings that are useful to the research context.

 Define the research problem clearly.

 Formulate your hypothesis. A hypothesis is the researcher’s reasonable
guess based on the available evidence, which he or she seeks to prove in the
course of the research.
 Determine the methodology to be adopted. Educational research methods
include interviews, surveys, and questionnaires.
 Collect data from the research subjects using one or more educational
research methods. You can collect research data using Formplus forms.
 Analyze and interpret your data to arrive at valid findings. In the Formplus
analytics dashboard, you can view important data collection insights and
you can also create custom visual reports with the reports summary tool.
 Create your research report. A research report details the entire process of
the systematic investigation plus the research findings.

Conclusion

Educational research is crucial to the overall advancement of different fields of

study and learning, as a whole. Data in educational research can be gathered via
surveys and questionnaires, observation methods, or interviews – structured,
unstructured, and semi-structured.