Section 1 Understanding the Nature and Ethics of Research MN tN iM i Uf Hh, —_ ===. ae > am am Tes = S => pe aa Pp a> p <-> Section Intended Learning Outcome (SILO) * Describe and explain the nature of research and the ethical considerations involved when carrying out a research activity. CHAPTER 1 : Basic Concepts in Research Concept is an abstract term, notion or idea, often conveyed in a single word which serves as a springboard or building block of a theory, (de Belen, 2015). Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) At the end of this chapter, students are expected to: Define research. Explain the importance of research. Differentiate the goals and purposes of research. Explain the characteristic of educational research,(Beivcact —_ scientific method of inquiry i h Definition of Researc! i owl based on the Research i ene he fields of natural and social sciences. to enrich the system of objective knowl o orview oe i, ‘The authors cited below defined research from different poin' it uses disciplineq «Polit & Beck (2001) stated that research is a systematic teeter Se veaeaTch are to methods to answer questions or solve problems. The go develop, refine, and expand a body of knowledge. an: . patspls (2001) cited that research is carried out for a Se ee knowing specific questions to solve a particular problem or issue. t ne coritributes: to’ the and provides useful information in the form of verifiable data. ‘ 4 attainment of the development ‘goals of a nation. Research is not only con lucted because it is a prerequisite to obtaining a degree, but more so because it can tentially mobilize society. . Bums & Grove (2007), id that research is to search or examine again and again or carefully. Research is a diligent, systematic inquiry or investigation to validate and refine existing knowledge and generate new knowledge. © Parel (1973) defined research as a systematic investigation or something in order to answer the questions posed by the researcher. * Coleman & Briggs (2002) defined research as both a critical and self-critical inquiry aimed at contributing towards the advancement of knowledge and wisdom. Sanchez (2002) defined research as a discovery and exploration of the unknown. It involves an investigation of facts leading to the discovery of new ideas and new methods. It proceeds from the known to the unkn i i own. The end discovery of truth. To arrive at such, the result is the ‘ chosen field. researcher uses a method that suits his Research is an academic undi erstal Process of search and : nding across disciplines. It involves scholarly« In Social Science - when it involves a study of human behavior and societies. It is “social” research because its primary interest is human being, the context of his/her life and environment. . Research is therefore a method of acquiring knowledge based on the scientific method of inquiry, it is known as the scientific problem solving process or an empirical inquiry. It is also an organized body of knowledge humans have acquired and organized the process of research. The purpose of research is to inform action. A study should seek to contextualize its findings within the larger body of research. Research must always be high quality to be able to produce knowledge applicable outside the study setting with implications that go beyond the study participants. In addition, the results of the research should have implications and policy implementation. One problem that hinders progress is the slow translation of research into practice (The Imporatance of Research, n.d.). Importance of Research Researchers must not simply set results and recommend actions. The importance of research should be measured on the extent to which they are being actually carried out (Katigbak, 2008). : Best & Kahn (1993) described research as “the systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles, or theories, resulting in prediction and possibly ultimate control of events.” Research is conducted in many different settings. Conducting research in an educational setting is important in every educator's professional life (Educational Research, 2011). Education in a research is done to improve these practices. Education should look at research as a way to develop new understanding about teaching, learning and educational administration. This new knowledge will lead to the improvement of educational practice (Gall and Barg, 2003). Taflinger (1996-2011) cites two basic importance of research, to learn something or to gather evidence. To learn something is for our benefit. It is almost impossible for a person to.- stop learning. Research is organized learning looking for specific things to add to our store « of knowledge.of Research ‘cous one Conducting Research as cited in Cristobal & Cristobal ( ) Goals in To Produce Evidence-Based Practice best practice i i titution must provide the ti Every discipline or ins onde he bes pra search studies. In education, e ; ns de the best teaching practices as pro based on that he/she is able to provi to learning. The principles on w! based on the results of research. The a are as follows; of management ner must ensure ven by research, hich the tasks and functions of educators are dministration and management of schools, guidelines on admission, assessment, community service and others must be dealt with accordingly. The results of research must be published in journals, articles, locally, and internationally for benchmaking. Research findings can also be utilizeq in seminars, workshop, or trainings so that the new knowledge can be shared. 2. To Establish Credibility on the Profession A profession can be identified by the body of knowledge it util llizes. A profession is distinct from other disciplines when there are practices and peculiarity of service in a given area of field. Effective and efficient practices are products of research. 3. To Observe Accountability for the Profession Every action conducted by a profession must have a rationale. There are principles why a teacher has to prepare a curriculum/syllabus; why a manager needs to plan, why a treasurer needs to conduct studies. All professionals must be accountable for each task he/she performs. 4. To Promote Cost-Effectiveness Through Documentation The findings or research must be shared to individuals, organizations for which the study was intended. It is useless, made public, Results of research must satisfy to researcher’s 0 share it with other Tesearchers and professionals to whom fina In this manner research becomes cost-effective, groups, community, if its results are notPurpose of Research The purpose of research is stated cleart icitly i ly and explicitly in a format appropriate for the style of investigation. The purpose of research indi nd div icates the fc i the research (Denscombe, 2002), Simens and cretion of The purpose of research may be organized into three groups based on what the researcher is trying to accomplish, explain a new topic, describe a social phenomena, or explain why something occurs. Studies may have multiple purpose (e.g. both to explore and to describe) but one purpose casually dominates. 1. Exploratory/Formulative Research ‘The researcher's goal is to formulate more precise questions that future research can answer. Exploratory research helps ensure that a more rigorous, more conclusive future study will not begin with an inadequate understanding of the nature of the problem. 2. Descriptive Research This research presents a picture of the specific details of a situation, social setting or relationship. The major purpose of descriptive research is to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon. It seeks to determine the answer to who, what, where, and how questions. 3. Explanatory Research The desire to know “why” to explain, is the purpose of exploratory research. It builds an exploratory and descriptive research and goes on to identify the reasons for something that occurs. Exploratory research looks for causes and reasons. For example, researchers are interested in learning why some children bully other children. Other Purposes of Research Research provides a scientific basis for any practice or methodology in any field. This is important since the interest of the entire operation and all the members of the institution or organization is at stake. Research is undertaken for sustainable development of and further productivity in any field like education, management, business, nursing, and other areas. Research develops tools for assessing the effectiveness of any practice. Research provides solutions to problems encountered in the different areas of work. Research develops and evaluates alternative approaches to the educational aspects of any discipline. . Research advances the personal and professional qualifications of a practitioner. ‘Cuarren 1: Basic Concepts in Research: it must be e certain characteristi ical and critical. 1g information to answe, ristics (Kuma, stics of Research the process must hav! Character valid, verifiable, empil To qualify as research, controlled, rigorous, systematic, is a process of collecting, analyzing, ant ‘as research, the process must d interpretin mere i have certain characte! questions. But to qualify 2009). what are the characteristics of a good research? . + 1. Controlled ‘There are many factors that affect an outcome. A particular event is seldom the result ofa one-to-one relationship. Some relationships are more complex than others. In a study of cause and effect relationship, it is important to be able to link the effect(s) with the cause(s) and vice versa. in exploring causality in relation to two variables, the study is .ffects of other factors affecting the relationship. This as most of the research is done in a laboratory. ” rried out on issues relating to Control implies that, set up ina way that minimizes the e! can be achieved in the physical sciences, However, in social sciences it is difficult as research is cal human beings living in society where such controls are impossible. » 2. Rigorous ‘This characteristic ensures that procedures followed to find answer to questions are relevant, appropriate, and justified. The degree of rigor varies between the physical and. social sciences and within the social sciences. : 2 3. Systematic The procedures adopted to undertake ai , in investigation follo sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a haphazard way. aan | 4, Valid and Verifiable This implies that whatever on e can and can be verified by others too conclude on the basis of the findings is correct 5, Empirical Any conclusion drawn i wn is based upon 7 ___ collected from real life experience or ae hard evidence gathered from information & Grtica ervation. Critical scrutin ly of the procedi 4 research inquit p lures used and the prdcess and the proces Process of investigation mu: aI prods employed is important 0 ‘ures used must be able to withstand ne Sia. trawoucles, TP ical scrutiny. Charen t: Basic Concepts in Resear?‘Types of Applied Research 1 © Action Research ‘ ducted by and for those ‘Action research is a disciplined process of inquiry orn research is to assist the taking the action, The primary reason for engaging IN 9°00 ners who engage “action” in improving and/or refining his or her actions. Tn earch hae in action research find it to be an empowering experient® cearchi this positive effect for many reasons. The most importan! ne d because the focus of - always relevant to the participants. Relevance is guaranteed Dersie” = A each research project is determined by the researchers, wl consumers of the findings. TG> Impact Assessment Research is To estimate the consequence of a planned change. Such Sean ts used for planning and making choices among alternative policies to ma e 7 iting assessment. Ex. To determine changes in housing if a major/new highway It. /s,+ Evaluation Research The process of establishing value judgement based on evidence about the achievement of the goals at a proper time. Evaluation research measures the effectiveness of a program, policy or way of doing something. . Two types of evaluation research as a formative and summative. Formative is built-in monitoring or continuous feedback on a program used for program management. Summative evaluation looks at final program outcomes. Both are usually necessary. . Time Dimension in Research Treatment of time is another dimension in research. Some studies give us a snapshot of a single, fixed time point and allow us to analyze in detail. The two brand types are: * Cross-sectional Research Researchers observe at one point in time. It is usual costly a . ly the simplest and least alternative. Its disadvantage is that it cannot cap\ s ‘ ture the change process. It can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory, but is most consistent in the descriptive approach. . #* Longitudinal Research vs ay oe ees features of people or other unit at a more than one time. complex and costly than cross- i powerfan steciiaeat oe ‘Sectional research but is also more rches such as an i Th ’ swer to questions about chang? ree types of longitudinal research are time series, panel and cohort. F grep oF ) b 2 ¢ ,* Cuarrer 1: Basic Concepts in ResearName: Date: A. From the various definitions of research, what are the common points of view about it? Common Points of View DO TTS ara) Cee dd B. Library work Look for additional information on the emerging types of research purposes. 1. warren 1 Basie Concepts in Research td oOA. What is your conceptual understanding of research? B. Briefly describe the nature and characteristics of research.