Research means to search again. Educational research refers to the systematic investigation of teaching, learning, and educational processes to generate knowledge and insights that can improve educational practices and policies. It is an essential field within education, contributing to evidence-based approaches that enhance the quality of teaching and learning experiences for students.
Research can also be described as an activity to carry out the diligent inquiry or critical examination of a given phenomenon. It implies exhaustive study, investigation or experimentation following some logical sequence. It is a process of arriving at an effective solution to problems through systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data.
It can be referred as a critical analysis of existing conclusion or theories with regard to newly discovered facts. It therefore means a continued search for new knowledge in order to understand the world around us.
Alternatively Educational Research:
- It is a set of systematic investigative activity designed to survey, observe and clearly portray the status of education and other social settings as well as the need to improve education and social issues
- It is also a process of arriving at dependable situations to problems through a planned and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data
- It is the most important tool for advancing knowledge promoting progress and enabling human being to relate more effect to their environment to accomplish their purpose and resolve their conflicts
Classification of Research
Education research can be classified by the phenomenon investigated i.e.
- By topic
- By purpose
- By method
Educational Research by Topic
In education, topics investigated by researches include:
- Learning process
- Cognitive abilities
- Teaching method
- Students personalities and motivation
- Administrative leadership
- School finance
- Programs for special groups of learners
Research by purpose
Research has got two main purposes.
- Descriptive Research
The researcher takes a sample and describes it with respect to at least two variables and their response to one variable. One variable is correlated (compared) with the response of the other variable
- Relationship Research/Exploration Research
- Exploration relationship research goes further than descriptive research. The sample is described with respect to at least two variables and their response to two or more variables
- The purpose of relationship research is to determine whether response to variables co-vary in a non-chance manner.
- An everyday co-variation like height ( variable ) and weight ( variable ) is a good example
- The two variables co-vary in that taller people tend to weigh more ad shorter people tend to weigh less
- Predicative research is search for relationship between variables measured at one point in time and variables measured at another point in time
- Research for control is conducted through experiments
- In experiments, the researcher seeks to discover relationship between a variable that is manipulated ( presence v/s absence of a new teaching method) and another variable e.g. one to use practical methods, other use normal teaching method and another lecture method
- Exploration in science means being able to state lawfully the relationship between variables
- Basic versus applied research
- Basic research focus on fundamental structures and processes with the goal of understanding them.
- It is conducted purely for the purpose of newly development and refreshment. It is not concerned with practical application e.g. Applied research on the other hand focuses on structure and processes as they appear in educational practice with the goal of developing knowledge that is directly useful to practioners, its conducted for the purpose of testing theory and evaluating its usefulness in solving educational problems (i.e. test and evaluate results often to solve education problems.
Variable
- A variable is a measurable characteristic that assumes different values among the subjects. It is therefore a logical way of expressing a particular attribute in subjects.
Conceptual/ theoretical Definition of variables
- This a way of specifying precisely what we mean when we use a particular term to refer to a variable for the purpose of scientific inquiry, the researcher should clearly specify the working Definition of the main variables in the study
Operational Definition of variables
- Operation refers to the measurement of variables
It is the description of the operation that will be used in measuring the variable
- It may be stated quantitively or categologically.e.g. Operational Definition of the variable age can be states as the number of years or the date of birth.
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