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Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
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BBH 31102 RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
KAEDAH PENYELIDIKAN
*Bahan dalam modul ini telah diambil dari sumber internet dan diubahsuai bagi
tujuan P& P sahaja. Saya mengucapkan terimakasih kepada penyumbang nota ini
dan penggunaan bahan ini bukan tujuan untuk dikomersilkan. Terima kasih.
Prof Madya Dr Razal Ha!!a"
#a$ul% Pe"dd$a" Te$"$al da"
&o$a!o"al' (")er!% Tu"
Hu!!e" O"" Malay!a
*H+, - 013./012 0003
*O45e - 20/.412 40113
*#a$! - 20/.41321013
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
Module 2: STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Module 2: STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
It is already the third semester and I still do not have a
research problem
The problem is finding a research problem
My supervisor tells me that my research problem is too broad and I have
to narrow it down
I think I am going to change my research problem
"You do not need to do a research as everyone already knows the answer"
The above statements are common dilemmas faced by graduate students. When asked,
some students do not even know the meaning of a "research problem". This is
understandable given the numerous definitions of the term "research problem" which
further confuses the beginning researcher. !ome supervisors fail to appreciate that for
many students, it is the first time they are conducting a "research" #as defined in
$odule 1%. &earning the intricacies of research is a long and winding process. To
make matters worse, the most difficult phase of the research process is the
identification of the research problem.
'dentification of the research problem is the $(!T '$P()T*+T step of the
research process. 't for this reason that a whole module has been devoted to this step.
+ot only must you be clear about the research problem, you must also have a passion
for it, "' am already struggling trying to understand my research problem and now '
need to have passion,". &et"s see whether you will be able to e-plain your research
problem clearly as well as be passionate about it, after having completed this module.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
When you have com!e"e# "h$% mo#u!e you &$!! 'e a'!e "o(
'dentify a research problem
&ist the criteria of a good research problem
/esign a study to test selected hypotheses
0-plain the different types of variables
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
Word+et Princeton defines a problem as a state of difficulty that needs to be
resolved.
Wikitionary defines a problem as a 1uestion to be answered
*ccording to )obert 2erber, +elson $andela $etropolitan 3niversity, "a
research problem is the situation that causes the researcher to feel
apprehensive, confused and ill at ease". /o you feel the same way about your
research problem4
5ence, a "research problem" is something that bothers you which needs to be resolved
by research. 't is the beginning of the research process and ends with the solution to
the problem. !o the ne-t time, you are asked what is your research problem, would
you be able to state it orally or put it in writing.
Bu" I #on)" have a *e%ea*ch *o'!em+ +ot to worry as there are several %ou*ce% o,
*e%ea*ch *o'!em%
1. 6ou own e-perience or the e-perience of others may be a source of problem
supply.
.. !cientific literature7 you may read about certain findings and notice that a
certain field was not covered. This could lead to a research problem.
8. Theories could be another source. !hortcomings in theories could be
researched.
' have a problem, but it is TOO BROA-. What do ' do4
Perhaps the most difficult phase of research is "identification of the problem".
'n other words, the inability of students to state precisely and clearly what is it they
intend to investigate. 5ere we will try to help you with this difficult phase. 5opefully,
you have at least a broad area that that you want to study. +ot too broad though, The
broader the problem, the more difficult is it to 9ero in.
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WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM?
IDENTIFICATION OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
)0!0*):5 )0!0*):5
;30!T'(+ <. ;30!T'(+ <8
THREE SCENARIOS OF THE SAME BROAD AREA =
6POOR CR7T7CAL TH78978G S97LLS O# (8DERGRAD(ATES:
Scena*$o 1. E/0LORATOR1 2 SUR3E1 METHO-
6ou are concerned about the poor critical thinking skills of undergraduates and you
narrow down the problem into a )esearch Problem that meets the above criteria.
6ou conduct a !3)=06 to find out the factors influencing critical thinking skills
among undergraduates. 6ou administer a :ritical Thinking Test to a sample of
undergraduates and ask the following )esearch ;uestions
*re female undergraduate better critical thinkers than male undergraduates4
's there a relationship between :2P* and critical thinking4
's there a difference in critical thinking between science and social science
students4
's there a relationship between critical thinking and age of students4
Scena*$o 2. CON4IRMATOR1 2 E/0ERIMENTAL METHO-
6ou are concerned about the poor critical thinking skills of undergraduates and you
narrow down the problem into a )esearch Problem that meets the above criteria.
6ou conduct an 0>P0)'$0+T to test whether the critical thinking skills of
undergraduates can be
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BROA- AREA
NARROW RESEARCH
0ROBLEM
!tate Purpose
6ou start with a broad area. @or
e-ample, you are concerned by the poor
6ou narrow down the broad area
into a )esearch Problem that
has a rationale and is of
interest to you is
researchable #measureable
and sample is accessible%
is manageable in si9e #given
your time A resources%
is within your range of
competencies A skills
is worth investigating and
makes a contribution to
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
enhanced. 6ou may ask the following )esearch ;uestions
's there a difference in critical thinking between the e-perimental group and
the control group4
's there a difference between high :2P* and low :2P* subBects4
's there an interaction between treatment and academic ability4
Scena*$o 3. IN-E0TH UN-ERSTAN-ING 2 5UALITATI3E A00ROACH
6ou are concerned about the poor critical thinking skills of undergraduates and you
narrow down the problem into a )esearch Problem that meets the above criteria.
6ou conduct a ;3*&'T*T'=0 '+;3')6 to find out why the critical thinking skills
of undergraduates
is poor.
6ou may ask the following )esearch ;uestions
To what e-tent do university teachers encourage critical thinking in the
classroom4
*re students presented with problems that lead to the development of critical
thinking skills4
To what e-tent does teacher behaviour encourage the enhancement of critical
thinking4
A) STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
@or some students this is the most difficult phase of the research process. ;uite often
the )esearch Problem is vague. 't is either too scanty or too lengthy but not precise.
/espite having written so many paragraphs, the student is unable to state clearly and
convincingly
what is the problem4
why it is important4
what should be done4
Perhaps, the following guidelines on the right may help you with this task.
$6 Wha" $% "he 0*o'!em7
6ou begin by first stating the problem. 't is some aspect that your are worried about,
think about and want to find a solution for. e.g. 2raduate are poor critical thinkers.
$$6 Why $% $" $mo*"an" "ha" "he *o'!em 'e $nve%"$8a"e#7 $.e 8$ve a *a"$ona!e ,o*
&hy $" $% o, conce*n.
@or 0-ample
0mployers are complaining about the poor critical thinking skills of graduates they
employ
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THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
;uestions about this problem has not been answered convincingly or are inconclusive
or answers have not been found up to the present D e.g. =ery few studies have
addressed the critical thinking ability of university students as most studies continue
to focus on primary and secondary school students.
$$6 Wha" %hou!# 'e #one7 $.e. "he 0u*o%e
6our purpose is to solve the problem7 i.e. find answers to 1uestions put forward.
!tate what should be done clearly and grammatically correct. *void meaningless
words.
There should be no doubt in your mind what are your intentions.
't is good practice to divide you problem into subDproblems which are called research
1uestions.
)esearch ;uestions guide the solution of the problem
0-ample "!pecifically, this study aims to answer the following research
1uestions
a% 's there a difference in critical thinking male and female students4
b% 's there a relationship between academic performance and critical
thinking4
B6 RESEARCH 5UESTION
The word "research" means "finding out" or "discovery" using a systematic method. 6ou
"research" by asking 1uestions and searching for answers to the 1uestions. 6ou cannot
"research" if you do not want to know anything, that is, you must have something you
would like to know more about before you can do "research".
6ou begin with ;30!T'(+!. 'f you have none, you will find no answers or will not
know when you have found one. 6our task is to conduct )0!0*):5. * study
without a 1uestion in mind will +(T be a )0!0*):5 study. 6ou should
$*E0 !3)0 that
a% The )esearch ;uestion is clear, straightforward and easily understood by
others
b% The )esearch ;uestion states the relationship between two or more
variables.
c% The variables mentioned in the )esearch ;uestion should be measurable.
d% The answer to the )esearch ;uestion is not immediately obvious.
e% The )esearch ;uestion indicates the method that is to be adopted, i.e.
the data collection techni1ues
f% The )esearch ;uestion can be answered in the time available to you.
g% The )esearch ;uestion can be answered with the resources available to
you.
TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
2enerally there are three basic types of 1uestions that research proBects can address
1. -e%c*$"$ve Re%ea*ch 5ue%"$on%
F | P a g e
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
5ere you describe what is going on or what e-ists. @or e-ample, you may want to find
the proportion of teachers who support the teaching of se- education in secondary
school. 6ou are simply interested in describing something.
!tatistical Tools
D $ean, median and mode
D @re1uency tables
D 5istograms, &ine graphs
2. Re!a"$ona! Re%ea*ch 5ue%"$on%
5ere you want to know the relationships between two or more variables. @or e-ample,
you want to know the proportion of males and females who support the teaching of
se- education in secondary school. 'n other words, you are interested in studying the
relationship between gender and preference for teaching of se- education.
!tatistical Tools
D !imple correlation
D &inear regression
D $ultiple regression
3. Cau%a! Re%ea*ch 5ue%"$on%
5ere, you want to know whether one or more variables #e.g., a programme or
treatment variable% causes or affects one or more outcome variables. @or e-ample, you
conduct a workshop to the group of teachers to determine whether their opinion about
teaching se- education to secondary school students has changed.
!tatistical Tools
D tDtest
D *nalysis of =ariance #*+(=*%
D $ultiple *nalysis of =ariance #$*+(=*%
The null hypothesis is a hypothesis #or hunch% about the population. 't represents a
theory that has been put forward because it is believed to be true. The word "null"
means nothing or 9ero. !o, a null hypothesis states that "nothing happened". @or
e-ample, there is no difference between males and females in critical thinking skills
or there is no relationship between socioDeconomic status and academic performance.
!uch a hypothesis is denoted with the symbol "5o". 'n other words you are saying,
6ou do not e-pect the groups to be different
6ou do not e-pect the variables to be related
Ho( 91 : 92

()

Ho( 91 ; 92 : 0
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'n other words, you are saying that
The science mean scores for the discovery method
group #H1% is 0;3*& to the mean scores for the
lecture method group #H.%.
The science mean scores for the discovery method
group #H1% $'+3! the mean scores for the lecture
method group #H.% is e1ual to I0)(.

The null hypothesis is often the reverse of what the researcher
actually believes in and it is put forward to allow the data to
contradict it J6ou may find it strange but that"s the way it is,K
NULL HYPOTHESIS
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
The *lternative 5ypothesis #51% is the opposite of the +ull 5ypothesis. @or e-ample,
the alternative hypothesis for the study discussed earlier is that there is a difference in
science scores between the discovery method group and the lecture method group
represented by the following notation
The *lternative 5ypothesis #51% is the opposite of the +ull 5ypothesis. @or e-ample,
the alternative hypothesis for the study discussed earlier is that there is a difference in
science scores between the discovery method group and the lecture method group
represented by the following notation
Ha( 91 < 92
5a The *lternative 5ypothesis might be that the science mean scores between
discovery method group and lecture method group are /'@@0)0+T.
Ha( 91 = 92
5a The *lternative 5ypothesis might be that the science mean scores of the
discovery method group is 5'250) than the mean scores of the lecture method
group.
Ha( 91 > 92
5a The *lternative 5ypothesis might be that the science mean scores of the
discovery method group is &(W0) than the mean scores of the lecture method
group.
CONCLUSION:
Lased on the findings of the e-periment, you found that there was a significant
difference in science scores between the discovery method group and the
lecture method group.
'n fact, the mean score of subBects in the discovery method group was higher
than the mean of subBects in the lecture method group. What do you do4
6ou )0M0:T the null hypothesis because earlier you had said they would be
e1ual.
6ou reBect the null hypothesis in favour of the *&T0)+*T'=0 56P(T0!'!
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ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
#i.e. H1 O H.%.
* construct is deliberately and consciously invented or adopted for a special
scientific purpose. "'ntelligence" is construct based on observation of presumably
intelligent and less intelligent behaviours or having a value of more or less. :onstructs
are used in theoretical schemes and is related in various ways to other constructs. e.g.
school achievement is in part a function of intelligence. 'ntelligence is so defined and
specified that it can be observed and measured. e.g. administering intelligence tests,
interview teachers about their students.
)esearchers somewhat loosely call constructs or properties they study as
PvariablesQ. eg. gender, social class. * variable is something that varies. * variable is a
symbol to which numerals of values are assigned. @or e-ample, the symbol
"intelligence" is assigned a set of numerical values which may be '; scores ranging
from CR to 1CR. 'n the case of the variable "gender" there are only . values and they
are called #$cho"omou% va*$a'!e%, i.e. male #1% and female #R%. (ther e-amples of
twoDvalue variables are graduateDnongraduate, low incomeDhigh income, citi9enD
nonciti9en. Lesides dichotomous variables, some variables are polytomies, eg.
religion D 'slam, :hristianity, Luddhism. 5induism, etc
There are many ways of classifying variables but in educational research, the
two most common methods of classification are as follows
'ndependent and /ependent =ariables
:ontinuous and :ategorical =ariables
a6 In#een#en" an# -een#en" 3a*$a'!e%
*n independent variable #'=% is the variable that is presumed cause a change
in the dependent variable #/=%. The independent variables is the antecedent while the
dependent variable is the conse1uent. !ee @igure 8 which describes a study to
determine which teaching method #independent variable% is effective in enhancing the
academic performance #dependent variable% of students.
The $n#een#en" va*$a'!e #teaching method% can be manipulated
P$anipulatedQ means the variable can manoeuvred, and in this case it is
S | P a g e
CONSTRUCTS AND VARIABLES
TYPES OF VARIABLES
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
divided into Pdiscussion method and Plecture methodQ. (ther e-amples of
independent variables are gender #maleDfemale%, race #$alay, :hinese,
'ndian%, socioeconomic status #high, middle, low%. (ther names for the
independent variable are treatment, factor and predictor variable.
The #een#en" va*$a'!e in this study is academic performance which cannot
be manipulated by the researcher. *cademic performance is a score and other
e-amples of dependent variables '; #score from '; tests%, attitude #score on an
attitude scale%, selfDesteem #score from a selfDesteem test% and so forth. (ther
names for the dependent variable are outcome variable, results variable and
criterion variable.
1R | P a g e
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT
VARIABLE (IV) VARIABLE (DV)
Teaching
$ethod
4$8u*e 3
In#een#en" an# -een#en" 3a*$a'!e
b% Con"$nuou% an# Ca"e8o*$ca! 3a*$a'!e%
* con"$nuou% va*$a'!e #also called ordinal variable% is capable of taking on an
ordered set of values within a certain range. @or e-ample, an attitude scale towards
smoking may have values ranging from C to .R which e-presses differing amounts of
attitude towards smoking. * ca"e8o*$ca! va*$a'!e #also called nominal variables% may
be made up of two or more subsets or categories. 0ach subset or category possess
certain characteristics and individuals are categorised by their possession of those
characteristics that defines a subset. @or e-ample, the variable socioDeconomic class
#!0!% may consist of 8 values such as high !0!, middle !0! and low !0!.
c6 Oe*a"$ona! -e,$n$"$on o, 3a*$a'!e%
T'f you lead a good life, you will not sufferU. This is a specific prediction of
the future, but it cannot be scientifically tested. !uch a prediction is not scientifically
tested because we cannot define it operationally. 5ow do you define Pgood lifeQ and
how do you define PsufferQ. *ccording to Lridgman, 1S.G, oe*a"$ona! #e,$n$"$on
means that variables used in the study must be defined as it is used in the conte-t of
the study and publicly observable. This is done to facilitate measurement and to
eliminate confusion. @or e-ample, when you state in your study that you are studying
"e-cellent principals, you should be able to e-plain what "e-cellent" means. (nce the
behaviours of an e-cellent principal have been identified the operational definition
will be uni1ue to your study #see @igure ?%.
5owever, it should be borne in mind that in education not all variables are
directly observable. @or e-ample, we cannot really observe learning, memory,
reasoning, and so forth. Though they cannot be observed they can be measured to see
their traces. With enough indirect evidence, researchers can make a convincing case
for the e-istence of these invisible variables #$itchell and Molley, 1SNN%. @or e-ample,
though we cannot observe learning directly, we can see its effect on performance, i.e.
we can operationally define learning as an increase in performance. Thus, if we see
students improve their performance after practicing a task, we conclude that learning
has occurred. !imilarly, we can provide operational definitions for such intangible
variables such as selfDesteem, racial stereotype, attitudes and so forth.
11 | P a g e
/iscussion
&ecture
*cademic
Performance
Course Code: MBE 12104 Research Methodology in TVET
Oe*a"$ona! -e,$n$"$on
The person
listens to teachers
looks after the welfare of teachers
acknowledges effort
consults teachers
motivates teachers
4$8u*e ?( E@am!e o, an Oe*a"$ona! -e,$n$"$on o, an E@ce!!en" 0*$nc$a!
1. | P a g e
LEARNING ACTIVITY
1. What is a variable4
.. What is the difference between an 'ndependent =ariable and
/ependent =ariable4 2ive specific e-amples.
8. Why do you need to define variables operationally4
?. $ake up operational definition for the following variables
3nderachievement
Parental bonding
*spirations Jof teenagersK
*utocratic &eader Jprincipal or headmasterK
Teacher Lurnout
!ocioeconomic status
&eadership
)eading ability
/elin1uency
'nterests
0-cellent
Principal