K03

ERS5900 RESEARCH METHOD

TOPIC 3

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1
1. RESEARCH PROBLEM,
2. GOAL, OBJECTIVE,
3. RESEARCH QUESTION / HYPOTHESIS,
4. VARIABLES
5. AND DEFINITIONS
Chapter 1
 By the end of this chapter, you should
be able to:
1. Define and identify a research problem and explain its
importance to a study
2. Distinguish between a research problem, the topic, the
purpose, and the research questions
3. Identify criteria for deciding whether you can or should
study a research problem
4. Describe how quantitative and qualitative research
problems differ
5. Describe the five elements that compromise a “statement
of the problem” section
6. Identify strategies useful in writing a “statement of the
problem” section
One of the most challenging
aspects of conducting research is
to clearly identify the “problem”
that leads to a need for your
study
(Creswell, 2005)
 What Is a Research Problem?
A research problem is an educational
issue or concern that an investigator
presents and justifies in a research
study.
 Research Problem…
An effective problem statement explains:
1.What are the issues to be studied and its
justification (the importance of being
reviewed)
2.How and to what extent to be studied,
3.The variables stated in operational form;
and
4.Supported by the latest literature.
 Sources of problem to study
1. Own Experience
Strong / consistent with the body of knowledge ("what is the
impact of schools based assessment SBA on teacher burden?)
Increase research motivation
2. Deduction from theory
Theory is used for the hypothesis ("does the teacher apply a
student-centered learning method?)
Need to master the theoretical field of study
3. Related to thesis / journals / works
The work presents further studies that need to be done to
establish an explanation
Established with the theory of the related field
 Generating Research Ideas
THEORY

TOPIC
(ISSUES/PROBLEMS)

REPLICATION PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE
 Generating Research Ideas

• From common sense

• From previous research
• Theory
• Experience
• Replication
 Generating Ideas from
Common Sense

• Question everything, • Questions to ask about a

including old sayings: phenomenon:
– True? – Who/When/Why/How
– When is it not true? – What are its effects (short-
– Why is it true? term, long-term, good,
bad)?
• Attack practical problems
 How to Get Research Ideas
from Previous Research

• Repeat studies • Improve the study’s

construct validity
• Do a study suggested by a
journal article’s author(s) • Look for practical
implications of the
• Improve the study’s
research
external validity
• Try to reconcile studies
• Improve the study’s
that produce conflicting
internal validity
results
 To determine whether a problem can
be researched

• Can you study the problem?

– Do you have access to the research site?
– Do you have the time, resources, and skills to carry out the
research?

 Should you study the problem? (importance of

the study)
 Does it advance knowledge/theory?
 Does it contribute to practice (policy and programs at
schools, state and nation)?
 Assessment Criteria
On the Significance of a
Problem

1. Suitable for investigation; personal aspects,

interests, expertise and ability.
2. Can be done scientifically; observations and
empirical evidence.
3. Can improve universal knowledge.
4. Can add and strengthen theory (existing
knowledge body).
 Assessment Criteria
On the Significance of a
Problem
5. Can you study the problem?Can you get to
the location? Time, resources and skills are
enough?
6. Do you need to study the problem? Can he
add or enrich knowledge? Can it improve to
practice?
 Assessment Criteria
On the Significance of a
Problem
7. Did your studies repeat other studies but
study other population and other locations?
8. Is your study a progress of the previous study
or studying the area more deeply?
9. Does your study provide opportunities for
those who are marginalized in society to
express their opinions?
PROBLEM STATEMENT
•Issue :
•Ideal :
•Reality :
•Consequences :
•Suggestion :
 Statement of the Problem

Effective statement of the problem explains:

1. what is to be studied,
2. why it needs to be studied,
3. how and to what extent to be studied,
4. relates variables operationally; and
5. supported by the latest literature
6. written in statements in 2-3 pages
 Problem statement
• Problem statement is the summary of the
main problem of the study.
• Contains variables and relationships of the
variables studied.
• A good problem statement:
 Expressed precisely and clearly.
 State the clear relationship between the
variables studied.
 Each variable studied can be tested.
 Writing Problem statement

• Need to be clearly and precisely stated.

• Specified situation, area and limitations
• The assumption must be logical and rational
• Describe the variables involved
 Statement of the Problem
section includes;
1. The topic
2. The research problem (what)
3. A justification of the important of the problem as
found in the past research and in practice (why)
4. The deficiencies in our existing knowledge about
the problem (why and the variables involved
related operationally)
5. How the study is conducted & to what extent (how
and to what extent)
6. The audiences that will benefit from a study of the
problem (importance: theory and practice)
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• Statement used in research to bring meaning to what
researchers are trying to achieve.
• You can identify objectives by looking at phrases like "this
research objective is
• The following example represents the objective of the
research ..
 To describe the frequency of communication over the
internet between parents and teachers ...
 To describe the type or category of communication over
the internet between parents and teachers.
 To measure the level of abacus and mental arithmetic
skills among course participants.
 To….
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• Specific purpose to be reached to solve the
problem.
• Activity to achieve the study goal.
• Stated from goal but differ from goal
• The goal is the general expectation of an activity or
process, whereas the objectives are more specific,
and are the real targets that researchers want to be
observed.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• Objectives are formed after problems are
identified.
• Objectives must be clear to show what is to be
achieved, as well as guide researchers on what,
how and when the data is observed.
• Therefore, in forming the objective, accurate and
observable words needs to used.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Researchers often categorize the resaerch objectives into two
types:
1. General objective: states the meaning of solving the
problem that has been presented in the problem statement.
Example: “to determine the effectiveness of song and dance in
teaching comprehension among Y6 ESL student”.
2. Specific objective:
Example:“to determine the effectiveness of song and dance
on: students score in spelling
students recalling ability
students pronunciation.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• Objective is to guide research design, method,
observation, analysis and interpretation of
research.
• Therefore, it needs to be clearly stated in the
form behaviors.
• The way to express objectives is to determine
the behaviour or domain to be achieved.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE, examples
The objective of this research is to:
1. Identify the pedagogical content capability level of
teachers
2. Identify the difference in pedagogical content
capability level of teachers according to gender.
3. Identify the difference in pedagogical content
capability level of teachers according to education
program.
 Objectives expressed in
verbs
Identify Mencadang
Clasify Menganalisis
measure Membuktikan
Record Membezakan
Collect Membandingkan
Arrange Mengubahsuai
Memerhati Mengolah
Menjelas Menyatakan
Membina Mengunjurkan Mendefinisi
Menyedia Menghubungkan Menerang Memberitahu
Melabel Menyenaraikan
Meniru
 Research Variables

• Variables are a feature or attribute that is

considered to represent a concept / idea that
has a variable value from one individual to
another.
• It is also a concept or construct that consists
of several aspects that can be measured when
the concept has been given operational (how
to measure) definition (Gay & Airasian 2000).
 What is a variable?
Variables
(Attributes or Character or
Construct)
Variable may and

Measurable Varies
(can be evaluated and recorded (can be of different values
using appropriate instrument) or score for
different individuals)
 Classification of
Variables
1. TYPES 2. FUNCTION
a) Categorical (Eg. Gender, • Independent variables (IV)
location, ethnicity, class, • Dependent variables (DV)
course, brand) • Moderating variable (M)
b) Quantitative (test score, • Mediating/intervening
motivation, IQ, age,
variable
income, comprehension
• Extraneous
level, reading ability)
variable/cofounding
variable
• Control variable
 Independent Variables (IV)

• Independent variables stands alone without the

need for other variables, though they are
interconnected
• Will change the value in dependent variable (DV)
Examples: teaching methods (independent variables) alter
subject test score (dependent variables)

IV DV
Teaching Test
Method Score
 Dependent Variable (DV)

• Variables consisting of subject behavior dependent

on independent variables.
• Receive influence / effect from independent
variable
• It is the effect / influence of IV
Example: To observe the effects of intelligence (independent
variable) on reading ability (dependent variable)

IV DV
intelligence Reading ability
 Moderating Variable (M)
• A moderator variable (M), is a third variable that affects
(change/alter/modify the direction and or strength of) the
relationship between a dependent and independent variable 
• M can be qualitative type variable (gender, location, ethnicity
or class) and quantitative type variable (reward, motivation,
score, IQ)
IV
Instructional approach DV
•Disscussion
•Visual
Achievement

M
Gender
 Intervening/Mediating Variables

• Intervening variables (mediating variables):

An attribute or characteristic that “stands
between” the dependent and independent
variables
• Mediating variable establish, explain,
accounts for or mediate the relationship
between IV and DV
 IV Mediator DV
Anxiety Level Access to TESL Material TESL Score

• A mediating variable explains the relation between the predictor (IV) and

the criterion (DV)
• When you remove the effect of the mediator, the
relationship between independent and dependent variables may go away.
• (A moderator is a variable that affects the strength of the
relation between the predictor and criterion variable)
 Extraneous variables (EV) or
Confounding Variable (CV)
• Also known as spurious variable
• EV is a possible independent variable that is not studied
or measured and that has not been controlled in the
study, that has effect on IV (EV) or both IV and DV (CV).
• SPM score (DV) is NOT only determined by AL (anxiety
level) but may also affected by class size, gender of
student and teacher, teacher experience, ethnicity etc
 Extraneous variables (EV) or
Confounding Variable (CV)
• SPM score (DV) is NOT only determined by AL but may
also affected by class size, gender of student and teacher,
teacher experience, ethnicity etc
• EV needs to be controlled to ensure the validity of result
(are you sure the score is caused by AL, and not because
of gender?)
• Control gender by choosing boys only as research
subjects, gender is made constant ie does not vary
Page 44
 Extraneous variables
Identify variables numbered (EV) or
Confounding Variable (CV)
B

A C

X Y Z
 Research hypothesis

When hypothesis is appropriate? (instead of

research question?)
If the issue being reviewed has available:
•Theory that describes it and OR
•Many studies have been conducted (the
findings can be expected)
So in this case it is appropriate to use research
hypothesis.
 Research hypothesis

• Hypothesis is a temporary assumption to explain the

phenomenon that is being studied
• Allows researchers to associate theory with observation
• Giving expectations about the relationship between variables
• Formed before data collection to provide guidance for
collection and interpretation
• The evidence of the observation will determine whether a
hypothesis should be accepted or rejected
 Purpose of research hypothesis

1. Provide temporary predictions about a phenomena: linking

phenomena and solving problems with body of knowledge
based on findings
2. Provide a statement of relationship that can be tested directly.
3. Providing research guidance: as an objective representative,
the hypothesis determines what problems and how to collect
(study method), analyze & record data and determine the
basis of sample selection
4. Provide a framework of findings and conclusions
 Characteristics of the
Hypothesis
1. Expressed in simple terms, clearly and accurately
Example: The mathematical score among female students is
higher than that of male students
2. Have expected relationship between variables (Can be tested:
measured and observed)
3. It should be specific and should not be general (specifically for
what you want to measure).
Therefore, specific hypothesis can be guided and indirectly
facilitate the process of identifying relationships /
relationships / differences between variables.
 Characteristics of the
Hypothesis
4. Must be consistent with existing knowledge / theory, and
not contrary to existing theories and principles.
5. Has the power of explanation: logical & precise, and clear,
rational
Example: "The constructivism approach can increase
students' interest in Science subjects."
6. Must be tested - hypothesis testing allows for certainty
whether the evidence exists or is not a temporary
hypothesis.
 Types of Hypotheses

Nul Alternative
Hypothesis hypothesis

Directional Non Directional

Page 47
 Nul Hipothesis (Ho)
• Nul Hypothesis
– No change in dependent variable
– Objective: Determine the score of mathematical
tests based on gender (gender influence on
mathematical scores)
– Example:
– Ho: There is no significant difference in test scores
between male and female students in
mathematical achievement test
 Alternative hypothesis (Ha)

Alternative hypothesis: Directional

• Describes the direction of variable variation
predicted by the researcher
• Directional hypotheses are more precise because it
shows the direction of action that needs to be done
if empirical evidence indicates the hypothesis is true.
Ha: Female students achievements in higher in math
tests compared to male students
 Alternative hypothesis (Ha)
Alternative hypotheses: are non directional
• Does not specify direction of change in dependent
variable
• Not showing the direction of the phenomenon

Ha: The achievement in mathematis among

female students differ from male students
Ha: There is a difference in test achievement score
in mathematics between male and female
students
 Advantage of directional hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant difference in BI performance among rural

and urban students

Ha: Urban students show higher BI performance compared to rural

students

If BI's performance in the urban is higher than in rural areas, then the
next action is to formulate the appropriate program to improve BI
performance among rural students, and to encourage maximum use of
educational resources.
• Given that the direction of hypothesis is very
effective, researchers need to get literature
support before deciding to produce a directional
hypothesis.
• Without the support of the theory, directional
hypothesis may be less effective and less
authoritative, and consequently produce separate
theories that would damage the body of
knowledge of a discipline.
 Developing hypothesis
1. Inductively
• Make an induction based the observations on the small
group, make an interpretation and use it as a
generalization or general statement.
• For example, from the observation that the students'
scores of BIs in a school vary, it is hypothesized that
there is a relationship between the socio-economic
status of the guardians and the English achievements.
• Suitable for Social Science and education experts who
often observe social behavior.
 Developing hypothesis
2. Deduction
• Formed based on the theory of a field of research into the
observation.
• Examples: from literature studies on educational theory
found that student-centered learning is more effective in
working on thinking skills than in teacher-centered
learning.
• Validation is only possible after a review is made on
empirical data. If the data support the hypothesis, the
findings can be combined with the theory, hence the
hypothesis serves as a complement to the theory.
• The hypothesis statement involving nul and alternate
hypotheses is known as Operation Hypotheses
• The nul hypothesis (Ho) is expressed in non-biased form such as
no difference, no relation between variable studied
• Ho will usually be set aside or rejected after the hypothesis
testing is carried out on the data if the hypothesis is sound
• The alternative hypothesis (Ha) is expressed in biased form
and expected to be accepted by the investigator at the end of
the analysis.
• Ha is expressed in positive form as opposed to Ho, because Ha
indicates the expectation of research findings

• Example: Ha :The female students score higher in TESL tests

compared to male students

• Ha is built simultaneously with Ho with aims to be accepted if

Ho is set aside.
 Research Questions
• Formed from the objective of the study
• The research question was used when the researcher did not have
strong theoretical support, so it is more appropriate to ask questions
rather than research hypothesis.
• Example:
 - Objective: Determines the level of student achievement in Science .
- Question: What is the level of student achievement in science
subjects?
- Objective: To identify the relationship between the level of student
achievement and gender.
- Question: Is there a relationship between the level of student
achievement and factors?
 DEFINITION OF TERMS:
CONSTITUTIVE AND OPERATIONAL
All important terms in the study need to be defined so that
readers will be bound by the definition of the study and not
other definitions beyond the scope of the study.
1.constitutive definitions: What is the meaning of the constructs
(constitute) and
2.Operational definition: How the variables is measured
(dimensions/scales/constructs)
•If the term is a research variable therefore needs both
definitions,
•if the term is not a variable, only needs constitutive definition.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS:
CONSTITUTIVE AND OPERATIONAL
• Idea or construct: an abstract concept created to
explain a phenomenon/ behaviour.
• Known as construct because it is built as a label
that attempts to briefly explain many related
behaviors.
• Examples of construct: intelligence, motivation,
self-concept, creativity etc.
• The intelligence construct: all behaviors and skills
believed to represent intelligence that may be
perceived and referred to as intelligence.
- A concept is made up of some constructs (Example:
English comprehension may consist of constructs
such as vocabulary, reading ability and writing
ability).
- The idea or construct should be defined based on the
understanding of the members in the theory-based
fields that are collected in the relevant studies. NOT
take it from dictionery.
Constitutive Definition
The definition of research construct based on the theories
obtained from related studies (eg: the definition of motivation
according to humanism theory-meaning).
Operational Definition -
The indication of presence or absence of construct in research
(example: intelligence construct can be observed / measured
from behavioral indicators).
Clear operational definitions enable researchers to develop
measuring instrument that can detect or measure the
existence or absence of research construct and gather
empirical evidence.
 example
• Organizational Commitment
For the purpose of this study Organizational
commitment is a psychological link between a
lecturer and his/her college that makes it less likely
that the lecturer will voluntarily leave the college.
OC is made up of three dimensions Affective,
Continuance and Normative commitment (Meyer et
al. 2002) OC is measured using OC questionnaire
with 18 items developed by Meyer and Allen (1997)
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