Steps in the Research Process

Education Research is taken to applied scientific method or fundamental research. This implies that a researcher in education under-listed step tasks can take time to study all the problems of education. These measures should not be considered strictly only enjoyable sequence. You, as a researcher or investigator or even your institution may take a number of changes in the investigation process. This is acceptable. Now let's look at the recommended order for education research:

Identification of a Problem:

This is the hardest step in the research process. It is about the discovery and definition of educational research problem or problems in a current area of interest in learning. It has a problem or a question that the issue of sufficient consequence to justify his investigation. The problem should be such that can be solved by scientific research. It may not solve a problem whose solution is available. It is not something that the 'yes' and 'no' answers. Examples of educational problems are:

What causes the excitement of the students in our higher institutions? Should sex education be introduced in our secondary schools? What are the patterns, causes and solutions of learning disabilities? What are the factors influencing academic performance of students?

Review of Related Literature:

When you have problems, review of relevant literature is two steps. In some studies, it is the first step as a source of problem. You will need to check books, magazines, theses and other materials related to the issues of research, either directly or indirectly. This will help you to identify some background information about the problem of education. It will also help you to:

   Eliminate duplication of what has already been done;  lead you to formulate hypotheses or research questions;

Sharpen your focus of research, as well as give you an insight into the problem is researchable or not; and the nature of the problems that may occur in the process and how to care for them.

 Formulating Hypotheses and/or Research Questions:

It requires you to clearly sharpen the logical aspect of the problem in an effort to draw attention to the problem and present concise. It involves guessing the relationship between concepts and variables in the problem. Hypothesis serves as an initial response to the problem. This may be the result of using logical deduction and induction process known or anticipated to formulate the results of the study.

Selecting the Research Design:

This includes the selection of appropriate research approaches for the study. A research design is a detail of operations for testing or verification of hypotheses under a given set of conditions and procedures for the measurement of variables. It's going to be studied, the choice of the people or things. Examples include descriptive research, experimental, quasi-experimental factorial design and others.

Collection of Data:

This internship aims at collecting relevant information for the measurement of selected variables and the edifying of the body of valid and reliable information about the variable or the subject of research. It involves the construction and supervision of measuring instruments. Prominent among these methods are interviews, questionnaires, observations, tests, rating scales, documentary sources and records. You can learn more or essay as we go on in this course.

Data Analysis and Interpretations:

Data analysis involves extracting the requested data, which will serve to answer the research question or test the hypotheses with data collected and presented earlier. The data collected should be reduced, arranged and presented in an organized manner for easy learning, using appropriate statistical methods. This will allow you to develop a number of research from which conclusions and generalizations can be drawn. You can take the help of computers and / or calculators for easy and accurate data analysis work.

Discussion of Research Findings:

Research findings from the data analysis are discussed to justify, interpret, explain and expand the development of the theory of knowledge. This discussion will be done in the context and the direction of data information to process literature. You can see that literature is essential in this respect, it makes for a very healthy and balanced discussion of the findings.

Conclusions, Generalization and Recommendations:

In this stage, you are expected to draw conclusions from your research and generalizations of your findings so generated based on your samples in larger population. You will have to keep in mind to generate valid findings, making the right general and useful recommendations for possible applications for assistance in the field of education to bring about the progress that can be registered in the development of education and training.

Writing the Research Report:

This is the final stage of work in the process of doing research on education. You have the responsibility of making your methods, findings, conclusions and recommendations available to others in an understandable form. This is a clear and concise presentation of the steps in the study by a research report.