RES 01: Research Fundamentals and Methods

Chapter 1 | (Part 1) Introduction and Basic Research Concepts

Part 1 Learning Outcomes

At the end of the topic, the student must have:
1. defined the meaning of research;
2. described the general process of research

Part 1: The Meaning of Research

Introduction
This section of Chapter 1 is intended to quickly provide overall, “bite-size”, general view of
research and the research processes. The term research is defined and the process of research is
introduced. Details will be discussed in the succeeding lesson.

Defining Research
Research is often defined by experts from their own perspectives, aligned with their own
interests and expertise. Despite of the tendency of researchers to focus on their fields of specialization,
research does have a universal meaning that is applicable to all types and fields of research. Here are
some of the commonly accepted general definitions of the term “research”:

• According to Adanza, Bermudo, Rasoble (2009), “research is defined as looking for

answers to a query and reach new conclusions”.
• Creswell (2008) defines research as “a process of steps used to collect and analyze
information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue”. It essentially consists of
three major steps: pose a question, collect data to answer the question, and present an
answer to the question. ( Creswell, J.W. (2008). Educational Research: Planning, conducting,
and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
• Kowalcz and Scalia (2020) state that research is a careful and detailed study into a
specific problem, concern, or issue using the scientific method. This is best accomplished
by turning the issue into a question, with the intent of the research to answer the
question.
• The Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD, 2015) defines research as “a creative
and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the
collection, organization, and analysis of information to increase understanding of a topic
or issue”.
• According to Portillo, Iringan and Jose (2015), research is a process of seeking for new
knowledge of theories, of testing the accuracy of existing theory, applying established
facts or knowledge in generating new products or ideas in solving problems.

Despite of the numerous definitions of the term research, they all have common elements: 1)
It is a process of systematic inquiry, 2) It involves collection of data, 3) A suitable methodology is
developed or adopted, 4) Documentation of information, 5) Analysis and interpretation of the
facts, and 6) Drawing of conclusions to answer the inquiry. With all these elements, we can define
research as a process of scientifically and methodically searching for answers to questions which
involves the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of facts.

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 RES 01: Research Fundamentals and Methods

The Research Process

Research inevitably involves writing. Good writing requires the coherent and logical organization
of ideas; therefore, it is important to understand the flow of the research process before beginning to
write. In other words, the aspiring researcher must be able to see first the general overview and context
of the research process.

1) Identify 2) Review 3) Determine 4) Develop

the Research the the Research Research
Problem Literature Question Methods

8) Refine / 7) Present 6) Document 5) Collect

Expand, your the Work and Analyze
Pioneer Research Data

Figure 1. The Research Process (Source: University of Nebraska’s “Fundamentals of Research Writing”)

Figure 1 above depicts the process of conducting research, consisting of a series of steps within a
loop, with each step dependent on the previous one. The research process is recursive in nature; this
means that once the process is finished, the researcher may start again by building on the initial
approach, or even solve the original problem with an entirely different, novel approach. The details of
each step are discussed as follows:

1) Identify the Research Problem

From the point of view of a student researcher, there is a need to identify the research problem
first. This is done by looking for a general topic that is interesting and meets the recommendations and
expertise of the research adviser. Once chosen, the topic would be narrowed down into something more
specific. For example, if social media is the chosen general topic area, a possible specific topic would be
something like a comparison of how social media affects teenagers of each gender.

2) Review the Literature

This step entails reading about the research problem and finding out what research or writing has
been done about the research area. It is highly recommended that the topic be discussed with the
research adviser in order to develop a better understanding of the topic, and discover new ways of
approaching the research. It may even be possible (if applicable) to start writing a draft of the research
questions, purpose statement, and hypothesis(es).

3) Determine Research Question

In general, a research question or problem is considered good if it is worth asking and solving. In
sum, a good research problem should be: Clear, Researchable, and Connected with established theory
and research.

A more detailed discussion of the characteristics a good research problem will be presented later.

4. Develop Research Methods

At this stage, the researcher will prepare a research proposal. The highlight of the proposal
would be the research methodology. This is essentially a detailed strategy or plan of how the research
project will be executed. A research proposal is a requirement to the success of a research activity in the
same sense that an engineer’s plans are vital to the construction of a concrete bridge. Depending on

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 RES 01: Research Fundamentals and Methods

institutional requirement, the proposal and its methods may also be required to undergo ethical review
before being allowed to proceed.

5. Collect & Analyze Data

The researcher at this point will collect and analyze the data or facts that are related to the
problem. This also involves organizing the data logically, determine the meaning of the data, figuring out
whether the data resolves the research problem or not, and whether or not the data supports the
hypothesis.

6. Document the Work

Documenting the work essentially means preparing the research report or paper. The format of this
document differs from school to school, by college, by department or by discipline. It is recommended that
students keep in touch with the research adviser or committee to understand the prescribed way of formatting
documents, as well as the proper way of citing sources. The library is also a good resource for viewing examples of
completed research papers.

7. Present Your Research

A researcher typically presents the research in a suitable venue. A research that is a school requirement
would be orally presented before a panel composed of professors, external experts in the field, or both. Research
works with great potential can be presented in local, regional, national or even international venues. Publishing the
research in relevant books or journals is highly encouraged. This is where networking with the research adviser,
professors, other researchers and organizations will prove to be useful.

8. Refine/Expand, Pioneer

With the recursive nature of the research process, the researcher can review or return to the original
research problem with the findings as the context. The completed research can have implications, and it is possible
to identify new problems or enhance the methods used in the original research. This would result in a new
research, completing the full cycle of the research process.

What’s Next: Relevance, Purpose and Value of Research

REFERENCES:
A. TEXTBOOK AND REFERENCES
1. Brinkerhoff, Cellia. (2019). Doing Research. Kwantlen Polytechnic University
2. Diez and Barr. (2019). Openintro Statistics. OpenIntro
3. Aaron Tucker and Paul Chafe. (2018). Write Here, Right Now: An Interactive Introduction
to Academic Writing and Research. eCampus Ontario
4. Portillo & Iringan & Jose (2015). Research Writing Guide. Saint Paul University
5. Adanza & Bermuo & Rasonable (2009). Methods of Research: A Primer. National Bookstore.
6. Creswell, J.W. (2008). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

B. WEBPAGES / WEBSITES

1. Gurugubelli, J.R. (2020). An Introduction to Research Methodology. OER Commons.

https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/72052/overview

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2. University of Nebraska (2020). Research Writing. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

https://researchwriting.unl.edu/#
3. Devin, K. and Scalia. S. (2020). What is Research? - Definition, Purpose & Typical
Researchers. Study.com https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-research-definition-
purpose-typical-researchers.html#additionalActivities
4. OECD. (2015). Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental
Development. https://eduq.info/xmlui/handle/11515/35750
5. Finlay, Alan. (2004). Basic Research Methods. OER Commons.
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/basic-research-methods

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