Day 2 - EDU 504

Research Problem and
Literature Review
Prepared by: EDU 504 Research Methods 1

Ayesha Mahmood Reading Research and Writing Reports
Course Faculty Member
Email:[email protected]
Contents
Basic Research Steps
Research Problem and Literature Review

Identifying a
research
problem
Reporting and
Reviewing the
evaluating
literature
research
6 steps of Research
Analyzing and Specifying a
interpreting either purpose and
quantitative or research questions
qualitative data or hypotheses
Collecting either
quantitative or
qualitative data
Where can we find our Research Topic?
Area of interest
Documents – (e.g., Education Policy,
International declaration, Educational
document, Relevant documents)
Curriculum and Course contents
Practice in an institution/organization
Knowledge gap revealed in research/
Education related document
Research Topic Example
Students will become global citizens through understanding own-

self in relation to 'others' within the local and broader community
and analyse issues and situations critically.
Students will be responsible and effective global citizens

who engage in an internationalized world, exhibit cross-
cultural competence, demonstrate ethical values and
produce critical, innovative solutions to problems.
Research Problem
A ‘question’ proposed for academic discussion / solution by research
Specify Justify Suggest

Judging Appropriateness
Want to Interest
do
Should
Time
Can do
Skill
Importance
do
Experienc
e
Knowledge
Resource
Steps for selecting a Research Problem
(a) Select a broad area of your interest
(b) Narrow down your area to specific
Example:
Broad: Secondary level of education
Specific (1): Assessment system of secondary education
Specific (2): Effect of assessment on students’ learning at
secondary level
Research Title
❑ Phrasing of research title shows linkage with research

problem, variables
❑ Wordings should be precise, clear and reflective
❑ Topic and title are linked
❑ Topic is the broader area linked to the problem
❑ Title is narrowed down to the particular issue,
dimension or case.
“
Research Title
Education for Global Citizenship: The
”
lived and imagined mobilities of
Bangladeshi higher education students in
Australia
Differentiate the problem
Tend to be quantitative Tend to be qualitative
Measure variables Learn about the views of individuals
Assess the impact of these variables

Assess a process over time
on an outcome
Generate theories based on

Test theories or broad explanations
participant perspectives
Apply results to a large number of Obtain detailed information about a

people few people or research sites
Major intent
or focus
Participants in the
Specifying the purpose study
Location/site
of inquiry
Research
A focused restatement of the question or
problem is the purpose hypothesis
statement.
It begins with “The purpose of

this study is to…..,” Indicates the overall
study, data collection
and result
Literature Review
Locating summaries, books, journals on relevant & related topic
Choosing appropriate literature
Summarizing literature in written report

Techniques of Literature Review
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Direct quoting
Example
• According to Jones (1998), "students often had difficulty using APA
style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).
• Jones (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p.
199); what implications does this have for teachers?
If you do not include the author’s name in the text of the sentence,
place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page
number in parentheses after the quotation.
• She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones,
1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.
Research Question
••••
What is the big

question or query that
the researcher wants The research
to find out or know question reflects
about what you would
like to know as a
result of the The research
research question should
guide the overall By narrowing
research down the research
problem, you can
come to the
research question
Research Question
Title: Education for Global Citizenship: The

lived and imagined mobilities of Bangladeshi
higher education students in Australia
RQ: How do young Bangladeshi

international students at two Australian
universities understand themselves as
global citizens?
Quantitative Research Question
The basic steps in forming a quantitative research question are:

◆ Begin with “how,” “what,” “is” “do”
◆ Specify the independent, dependent, and mediating or control
variables
◆ Use the words describe, compare, or relate to indicate the action
or connection among the variables
◆ Indicate the participants and the research site for the study
1. Descriptive questions
How frequently do (participants) (variable) at (research site )?
2. Relationship questions
How does (independent variable) relate to (dependent variable) for
(participants) at (research site)?
3. Comparison questions.
How does (group 1) differ from (group 2) in terms of (dependent
variable) for (participants) at (research site)?
A quantitative research question would be as follows:

Do parent-teacher Internet communications affect
student performance in the classroom?
Qualitative Research Question
Guidelines
◆ Expect your qualitative questions to change and to emerge during a study to
reflect the participants’ views of the central phenomenon and your growing (and
deeper) understanding of it.
◆ Ask only a few, general questions.
◆ Ask questions that use neutral, exploratory language and refrain from conveying
an expected direction (or non-directional outcome if you are thinking like a
quantitative researcher).
What is (the central phenomenon) for (participants) at (research site)?

The following example illustrates the application of this script to the study of
creativity:
What is creativity for five students at X High School?

Beginning word: “What”
Central phenomenon: creativity
Participants: five students
Research site: X High School
Another qualitative research question is the following:
What types of Internet experiences do parents have with

teachers about the performance of the parents' children?
Collecting Data
Identifying and selecting individuals
obtaining their permission
gathering information
Analyzing and Interpreting the Data
Breaking down the data
Presenting the data
Interpreting the data

Reporting and Evaluating Research
Deciding on Structuring the Writing the report

audiences report sensitively
Referencing
• APA 7th
• Mendeley
• MLA
• Harvard system
• Chicago Style
• IEEE
References
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research Design: Qualitative,

Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications.
.
Creswell, J. W. (2001). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and
Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB26859968

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Research Problem and

Prepared by: EDU 504 Research Methods 1

Basic Research Steps

Research Problem and Literature Review

Students will become global citizens through understanding own-

Students will be responsible and effective global citizens

A ‘question’ proposed for academic discussion / solution by research

Specify Justify Suggest

(a) Select a broad area of your interest

(b) Narrow down your area to specific

❑ Phrasing of research title shows linkage with research

Education for Global Citizenship: The

Tend to be quantitative Tend to be qualitative

Measure variables Learn about the views of individuals

Assess the impact of these variables

Generate theories based on

Apply results to a large number of Obtain detailed information about a

It begins with “The purpose of

Locating summaries, books, journals on relevant & related topic

Choosing appropriate literature

Summarizing literature in written report

What is the big

Title: Education for Global Citizenship: The

RQ: How do young Bangladeshi

The basic steps in forming a quantitative research question are:

A quantitative research question would be as follows:

◆ Ask only a few, general questions.

What is (the central phenomenon) for (participants) at (research site)?

What is creativity for five students at X High School?

Another qualitative research question is the following:

What types of Internet experiences do parents have with

Identifying and selecting individuals

obtaining their permission

Breaking down the data

Presenting the data

Interpreting the data

Deciding on Structuring the Writing the report

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research Design: Qualitative,

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