RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE AND
KNOWLEDGE
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
• The development of society from its simplest to
complex thereby reveal many problems faced by human
• Solutions of these problems must be based on
knowledge not on beliefs, guesses or theories
• To acquire knowledge and to evaluate its accuracy and
usefulness requires well panned and systematic
procedure
• Research is a systematic investigation of information, it
is an inquiry
NATURE OF INQUIRY
• Inquiry defined as seeking information, truth or knowledge
• It can be reveal through questioning which begins with
gathering of information and data through various senses.
• It is necessary to generate and transmit knowledge from
known to unknown and vise versa wherein there is a need to
generate knowledge through research and experts
• Content knowledge is effectively generated and transmitted
through concepts, skills and habits of mind
CONT.
• The nature of inquiry allows individual to cope with different ways of looking
at ideas and issues and to think creatively about problems that do not
possess simple answer
• Elements of Inquiry-based process are multiple and varied and open to
selection, different factors involved in different kinds of inquiry, areas of
knowledge and levels of experience includes:
– Selection of appropriate questions
– Formulation of questions
– Identification of issues
– Search for valid and relevant evidences
– Interpretation and assessment of evidences
– Application of evidence to identified issues
– Presentation of clear conclusion, whether final or tentative
– Reflection and assessment of learning process
EXPERIENCE OF KNOWLEDGE
• Experience is a familiar and well used source of knowledge, through
personal experiences one can find many answers to questions that
you have
• Wisdom are handed down from generation to generation as a result
of experience, but it is a limited source of knowledge for others may
be good to them but to others are not.
• Sine experience are limited source of knowledge; one may turn to
Authority particularly on research where knowledge is sought from
other people who had experiences or some sort of expertise
• Authority is a quick and easy source of information but it has its
downsides (1) they can go wrong (2) people claim that they are
experts but does not have the knowledge to prove it, (3) they
sometimes disagree among themselves on issues, indicating that t is
their own personal opinion rather than a fact
WHAT IS A RESEARCH?
• Research is a systematic investigation and study of
materials and source to establish facts and reach
new conclusions
• Research come up with developing appropriate
solutions to improve the quality of life on an
individual
• Research is an act of studying something carefully
and extensively in order to attain deep
understanding of information or issues
IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH ARE:
– To gather information
– To make changes
– To improve standard of living
– For a safer life
– To know the truth
– To explore history
– To understand arts
RESEARCH TEACHES US TO:
– To discover methods
– To investigate skills
– To think critically
– To learn logic
– To reach the basic ingredients of argument
WHY DO WE RESEARCH?
• It is a great way to network and meet new
friends and people
• It allows you to grow and discover
opportunities
• Widen perspective across all learning
curriculums
• Helps to solve problems and answering
questions
 LESSON 2
IMPORTANCE OF
RESEARCH IN DAILY
LIFE
INTRODUCTION
• Solutions to problems must be based on
knowledge
• Acquiring knowledge and evaluate its accuracy
and usefulness requires a well-planned and
systematic procedure on which research has
been made to meet this need
• Research can be found in different fields of
study and areas of concerns and interest
THE ROLE OF RESEARCH
• Research leads an expansion of knowledge and
discoveries, leads to breakthrough and projections of
future problems
• Research is a systematic process of collecting data
and analyzing data or information in order to increase
understanding of an occurrence or phenomenon.
• Other definition of research includes:
– An inquiry process
– Formal process of problem solving
– A set of procedures and stages
– Originates with a question of a problem
RESEARCH PROVIDES A SOLID
FOUNDATION FOR THE:
– Discovery and creation of knowledge, theory building
– Testing, confirmation, revision and refutation of
knowledge as theory
– Advance a discipline or field
– Advancements and improvements of various aspects of
life
– Promotion and tenure of individuals
SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH
• Reasons for its significance are:
– To gather necessary information
– To improve standard of living
– To have a safer life
– To know the truth
– To explore history
– To understand arts
 LESSON 3
C HARA CTER IS TI C S ,
P ROCESS E S A ND
ET HICS OF R ES E A R C H
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH
• Research is a scientific investigation of phenomena
that includes collection, presentation, analysis and
interpretation of facts.
• Strict adherence to ethical standards in planning and
conducting is most important
• Characteristics of Research are:
– Empirical – based on observation and experimentation of
theories, taking into account the direct experiences that
fuse the researcher’s speculation with reality that is true
real life experiences
– Systematic – it follows orderly and sequential procedures
based on valid procedures and principles
CONT.
– Controlled – all variables are kept constant
– Employs hypothesis – hypothesis guides the
investigation process
– Analytical – critical analysis of data so that
there is no error in the interpretations
– Objective – termed as unbiased and logical
– Original Work – it is your own work
CHARACTERISTICS OF QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
– Concern for context and meaning – it is bounded with framework
which is the main purpose of study
– Naturally occurring settings – it studies behavior as it occurs
naturally
– Human as an Instrument – the researcher is the primary instrument
for gathering and for analyzing data
– Descriptive data – data used are in the form of pictures, words or
other visuals rather than numbers
– Emergent design – designs cannot be fix on the onset, adjustments
are made during the procedures, it is difficult to predict what may
happen during the actual interactions between the participants and
researchers
TYPES OF RESEARCHES
• Library Research – it is primarily done in the library
where all answers to the issues are available
• Field Research – it is done in the natural setting
• Laboratory Research – it is conducted in a controlled
or artificial environment
• “the element of qualitative inquiry is both strength
and weakness- its strength is fully using human
insight and experiences, its weakness is dependent on
the researcher’s skill, training, discipline and
creativity. The researcher is the instrument of
qualitative inquiry, so the quality of the research
ETHICS AND RESEARCH
• Ethics refers to the norms of conduct that
distinguish between acceptable and
unacceptable behavior
• Ethics is a method, procedure or
perspective for deciding how to act and
for analyzing complex problems and
issues
• A research to be ethical needs to be
designed to create valid outcomes and it
CONT.
• Researchers have the duty to:
– Not to mislead the participants
– Avoid physical and psychological difficulties to
participants
– Avoid socio-political environments
– He has the duty to maintain privacy, confidentiality
and anonymity
• “the academic research is built on the
foundation of trust, people trust that the
results of the research reflect an honest
FUNCTIONS OF ETHICS
• Ethics is important component of research writing
because:
– Norms promote the aims of research such as
knowledge, truth and evidence of error
– Promotes the values that are essential to collaborative
work
– Ensures that researchers can be held liable to the public
– Research help build public support quality and integrity
of research
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH
– Honesty -responsible publication
– Objectivity -respect for colleagues
– Integrity -social responsibility
– Carefulness -non-discrimination
– Openness -competence
– Respect of intellectual property
– Confidentiality
– Legality
ETHICAL CONSIDERATION IN
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
– The researcher may uncover issues that are
reportable and non reportable
– The researcher is expected to act professionally
– The researcher is expected to give back
appreciation
– The researcher needs to write letters to conduct
a study
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
• Define a research problem
• Review the literature
• Formulate hypothesis
• Design a research
• Collect data
• Analyze data
• Interpret and report
 LESSON 4
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
QUANTITATIVE AND
QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
BROAD CATEGORIES OF RESEARCH:
2 CATEGORIES OF RESEARCH

– Qualitative Research – based on approach which sees the

individual and the world around him as interconnected. It
sees social reality as unique and therefore, human behavior
can only be understood by focusing on the events based on
the meanings for the people involve
– Qualitative research has its roots at Positivism where it is
considered as a traditional scientific method that involves
hypothesis testing and objective data gathering.
– Overtime, new methodology is being introduced resulting to
mixed method which combine Quali and Quanti in one
study. It is believed that this combine method provides a
more complete explanation of the research.
SIMILARITIES OF QUANTITATIVE AND
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH (BACHMAN,2009)
– Empirical research is aimed at creating new knowledge
– Research creates knowledge by observing phenomena
– All entries of interest like attitudes, motives and learning
can be inferred through observation from the respondents
– All researchers are concerned about the universality of ideas
or expressing an idea in general statement that is to find
meaning for the research result beyond a particular study
CONT.
• Qualitative research deals with designs, techniques
and measures that do not produce discreet
numerical data. It includes extensive narrative data
in order to gain insights into phenomena
• Quantitative research includes designs, techniques
and measures that produce numerical or
quantitative data which analysis is mainly
statistical.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Mainly for exploratory research
• Use to give understanding of underlying reasons,
opinions and motivations
• It provides insights into the problem to develop ideas or
hypothesis
• It is used to uncover trends in thoughts and opinions and
dig deeper into the problem
• Sample sizes are small
• More flexible allowing more naturalness and
acclimatization for the interaction and collaboration
between the researcher and participant
FEATURES OF A QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
– Studying the meaning of people’s lives, under real
world conditions
– Representing the views and perspective of the
people
– Covering the contextual condition within which
people live
– Contributing insights into existing or emerging
concept that may explain human behavior
– striving to use multiple sources of evident rather
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• associated with hard data
• used to quantify and the output is numerical
equivalents to finding
• math and statistics dominates the study
• used to quantify problem by way of generating
mathematical data that can be transformed into
usable statistics.
• It quantifies attitudes, opinions, behaviors and other
defined variables and generalize results from a large
sample of populations
• It discusses the quantitative relation between the
 Criteria
Purpose
Group studied
Variables
Type of data collected
Form of Data Collected
Type of data analysis
Objectivity and Subjectivity
Role of the Researcher
Results
Scientific Method
View of Human Behavior
Most common research
objective
focus
Nature of observation
Nature of reality
Final report
Qualitative Research Quantitative Research
Understand and interpret social Test hypothesis, look for cause and effect
behavior and makes predictions
Smaller and not randomly selected Large and randomly selected
General variables Specific variables
Words, images or objects Numbers and statistics
Open ended responses, interviews, Based on precise measurements using
observations, field notes or reflections
structured ad validated data collection
instruments
Identify patterns, features and themes Identify statistical relationships
Subjectivity is expected (statement of Objectivity is critical (observed by the
the participants) researcher)
Known – where participants and Unknown – no contact between the two
researcher know each other and deliberately hidden from the
researcher (double blind study)
Findings is less generalizable Findings maybe applied to general
population
Exploratory or bottom-up, the Confirmatory or top-down, the researcher
researcher generates hypothesis from test the hypothesis and theory with data
the data collected
Dynamic, situational, social and Regular and predictable
personal
Explore, discover and construct Describe, explain and predict
Wide angle. Examines the extent and Narrow angle, test specific hypothesis
depth of phenomena
Study behavior in natural environment Study behavior under controlled
conditions, isolates fundamental effects
Multiple realities, subjective in nature Single reality and objective in nature
Narrative report with contextual Statistical report with correlations,
description and direct quotation form comparisons of means and statistical
the participants significance of findings
 LESSON 5
TYPES AND EXAMPLES OF
RESEARCH IN THE
DIFFERENT
AREAS/FIELDS
TYPES OF RESEARCH
• APPLIED RESEARCH - designed to solve practical
problems rather than to acquire knowledge for
knowledge’s sake,
– its goal is to improve human condition, finding
solutions to everyday problems, current illnesses and
develop technologies
• BASIC RESEARCH - referred as Fundamental or Pure
Research,
– it is driven by scientist’s curiosity or interest in a
scientific question,
– its purpose is to extend man’s knowledge not to create
or invent things,
• CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH - refers to the systematic
investigation or statistical study of relationship among two or
more variables with necessary determining the cause and
effect.
– It seeks to establish a relation or association between
variables that do not readily lend themselves to
experimental manipulation
• DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH - this provides accurate portrayal of a
class or a particular individual, situation or group, it is also
known as Statistical Research.
– This research finds its way in discussing new meanings,
describing what exist, determining the frequency with which
something occurs and categorizing information.
– It collects large amounts of data for a detailed study
– It deals in everything that can be counted and measured
• ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH – refers to the
investigation of cultures through an in-depth
study of the members of the culture.
– It involves the systematic collection, description, and
analysis of data for development of theories of
cultural behavior
– It studies ethnic groups in their settings
– It attempts to understand what is happening naturally
in the setting and to interpret the data gathered so
that inferences can be formed from those data
TWO APPROACHES TO ETHNOGRAPHY
• Realist – researcher provides objective
account of the situation
• Critical – researcher show his advocacy
for a marginalized group or attempts to
empower the group by giving them voice
ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF
ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
• Advantage in the observation of behavior
in real –life setting
• Disadvantage is the findings is dependent
on the researcher’s observation and
interpretation of data
OTHER FORMS OF RESEARCH
• EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH - it is an objective,
systematic, controlled investigation for the
purpose of predicting and controlling
phenomena and examining probability and
causality among selected variables
– It is best establishes cause-effect relationship
– It studies the effects if the variable on each other
CONT.
• EXPLORATORY RESEARCH – a type of
research conducted for a problem that
has not been clearly defined.
– It helps to determine the best research
design, data collection method and selection
of subject.
– It can be informal, relying on secondary
research such as review, available literature
and/or data
CONT.
• HISTORICAL RESEARCH - it involves analysis of
events that occurred in the remote or recent
past.
– It shows pattern of events in the past and overtime
which can help to see where we came from and
what kind of solutions we have used in the past
– It gives us understanding the past can add on how
we examine current events and educational
practices
CONT.
• PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH – an inductive
research developed from phenomenological
philosophy
– It aims to describe an experience as it is actually
lived by the person, It concern with the study of
experiences from the perspective of the individual,
it emphasizes the importance of personal
perspective and interpretation
– It is powerful for understanding subjective
experience, gaining insights into people’s
motivation and action
CONT.
• ACTION RESEARCH - involves the
application of the steps of the scientific
method in classroom problems and done in
a very limited scope with limited
population
–This might be answered through an interview
about their experiences in the classroom
CONT.
• CASE STUDIES types
• Intrinsic Case Study - conducted to understand
a particular case that maybe unusual or unique
• Instrumental Case Study - represents some
other issues under study and the researcher
believes that this particular can provided
additional insights into the issue
• Multiple or Collective Case Study – uses several
cases selected to further understand and
investigate a phenomenon, population and
CONT.
• CONTENT ANALYSIS – a type of research
applied to written or visual materials
that can be analyzed in textbooks,
newspapers, web pages for the purpose
of identifying specified characteristics of
the materials
–It is laborious and time consuming
END OF CHAPTER
1,
6 MORE TO GO…!!!
THANK YOU….