RESEARCH IN

EDUCATION
RES
01 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH
TOPIC
The most important aspect in
writing a thesis, dissertation, or a
research paper, THE TITLE. It is
the first thing that panel committee,
journal, editors, and reviewers will see
when they first received your paper.
02 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH
TOPICField of Study Education
Major Subjects Child and Adolescent Psychology,
Taken/Favorite Subjects Technology in the Learning Environment,
Campus Journalism, Teaching Profession,
Assessment on Student Learning
Academic Interest/Topic Assessment on Student Learning
Title Impact of Assessment for Learning on
Students’ Achievement in Mathematics
Subjects
How well do I understand ( ) Excellent, ( )Very Good,
the concepts in the chosen ( ) Good
area of interest ( ) Poor
Review of Literature Conceptual Literature (10%)
Research Literature (90%)
03 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH
Once you have decided upon the topic for your research,
TOPIC
familiarize yourself with previous research work done on the
topic.
You must be able to answer these questions after studying the
previous literature:
What do we already know about the topic?
What is the knowledge that we still do not
know?
Why this knowledge is important?
05 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH
TOPIC
After identifying a topic for your action research, the table below
will assist you in recording additional ideas to support topic
development.
QUESTIONS RESPONSES
What is the topic?
What I want to learn from this topic?
What are my plans to do in order to
address the topic?
To whom will the outcome of our study
be important?
How much time to do you anticipate the
study requires?
How difficult you anticipate it will be to
conduct the study?
04 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH
TOPIC
Checklist for Developing the Topic for Action Research
(SAGE Publication, n.d.)
1. Is the topic relevant and meaningful to my everyday
practice?
2. Do I have a strong interest or passion for the topic?
3. Is it a topic that other educators at my grade level,
school, or beyond are interested in?
4. Is there a literature base to support my
understanding of the existing knowledge of the topic
or aspects of the topic?
5. Am I able to develop a concise statement of problem
around my topic?
06 DEVELOPING A RESEARCH
TOPIC also the following tips for your title:
Consider
1.Ensure that the title is clear, interesting, and attracts the
reader's attention.
2.The title should be around 10-15 words. Highlight key aspects of
the study using keywords.
3.Avoid unnecessary words and technical jargons. Make sure the
title conforms to journal guidelines and is formatted properly.
4.Make sure to follow a right format based on your institutions’
requirements. The main format of the research title is generally
describing your work or study.
07 WRITING PROBLEM STATEMENT
A problem statement is few sentences or a short paragraph that
addresses the three elements of who, what, and how, and conveys the
overall goal of the projects (Pearson Education, Inc., 2008).
Example:
Elements Responses
Who Grade 7 Students Section A
What Lack strategies for dividing fractions
How Determined by scores on an end-of-chapter test
administered by the teacher. The test scores show
the average number of correct answers was 9 out of
20.
Goal of the Action The goal of the action research is to increase the
Research number of correct answers by an average of six per
learner during the next four weeks
08 WRITING PROBLEM STATEMENT

PROBLEM STATEMENT:
The grade 7 students of Section A, lack strategies for dividing
fractions. As determined by scores on an end-of-chapter test
administered by the teacher. The test scores showed the average
number of correct answers was 9 out of 20. The goal of the action
research is to increase the number of correct answers by an average of
six per student during the next four weeks.
09 DEVELOPING RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
As the name suggests, the research question is what you would aim to
answer as a result of the actions and activities performed within your
report. It is used to guide your research. The research question should
help you to remain focused and should be written widely to answer
your investigation’s big ideas.
Characteristics of a Good Action Research Question
• The question that you design must relate directly to the issue or
problem that you have chosen to explore.
• The question must be answerable. It is necessary to make sure that
an answer to the question you pose is attainable within the context of
your work and resources.
09 DEVELOPING RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
Characteristics of a Good Action Research Question
• A good research question usually begins with why, how or what.
You will need to discard any questions that can be answered with
yeas or no as these are not conductive to explaining and discussing
your results.
Examples:
What is the effect of_____________ on student motivation and completion of
project work when learning about fractions?
What is the effect of the ___________________on the comprehension of my
kindergarten students’ content knowledge?
How will the use of the cooperative learning strategies (Jigsaw II and Inside-
Outside Circle) increase the achievement of seven of my students who are failing in
science?
10 DEVELOPING RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
Checklist for Developing a Research Question (SAGE Publication,
n.d.)
1. Is it a question that hasn’t already been answered?
2. Is it a higher-level question that gets an explanations, reasons,
and/or relationships? (“How does…?” “What are the effects of…?”
“Why are…?”)
3. It is not a ‘Yes/No” question.
4. Is it written in everyday language; does it void jargon?
5. It is not too lengthy; is it concise and clear?
6. Is it something that is manageable? I can complete it. It is not too
large in scope.
7. Is it something manageable within the context of my work and
available resources?
11 DEVELOPING RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
Checklist for Developing a Research Question (SAGE Publication,
n.d.)
8. Do I have a sense of commitment to the question or feel passionate
about it?
9. Is it based in my own practice? (The further you get away from this,
the more difficult it will be.)
10. Is it a challenging question? Will it provide me the opportunity to
stretch myself?
11. Is it meaningful to me? Will it provide me with a deeper
understanding of the topic or issue?
12. Will this question most likely lead me to other questions and
additional inquiry?
12 EXAMPLE OF ACTION
RESEARCH
Title: The Effects of an Open Investigation Workshop
Approach on Ninth-Grade Science Learning
Problem: In a lower-level ability section of ninth-grade
science, students struggle with science content and a
motivation to learn. I want to see how an open investigation
workshop approach impacts these students’ learning and
engagement during the second quarter of instruction.
Action Research Question: What is the effect of an open
investigation workshop approach on a ninth-grade science
class with students who are lower-level readers?
THANK YOU