INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS AND IMMERSION

• Research


  It follows a step-by-step process of investigation that uses a standardized approach
• Research


  • It plays an important role in tertiary education
  • Though there are many problems confronted by higher education, developments are realized through research
• Research


  It is an investigation following ordered steps leading to a discovery of new information or concepts
• Research


  It is a very careful investigation of something that purports the contributions of additional or new knowledge
• Research


  It tests approach of thinking and employing validated instruments and steps
• Characteristics of research

  • It should be systematic
  • It should be objective
  • It should be feasible
  • It should be empirical
  • It should be clear
• General forms of research

  • Scientific
  • Research in humanities
  • Artistic
  • Qualitative
• Qualitative research designs


  • Phenomenological study
  • Ethnographic study
  • Case study
  • Grounded theory
  • Basic interpretative qualitative study
• Qualitative research


  • Useful to conduct limited in-depth case studies or interviews
  • Useful for describing complex phenomena
  • Useful for specific environment, context and condition
  • Include researcher and people's personal experiences of phenomena
  • Research is more dynamic and flexible
  • Research findings in words and narrative could explain the phenomena better and more in-depth
• Qualitative research weaknesses


  • Research findings might not be general and it applies to specific context
  • Insufficient research data to test hypotheses and build theory
  • Data collection and analysis could be time consuming
  • Data collection and analysis could be resource intensive
  • Research results are easily influenced by the researcher's personal biases
• Quantitative research


  A systematic investigation of observable phenomena where the researcher gathers quantitative or numerical data and subjects them to statistical methods
• Quantitative research designs

  • Descriptive
  • Correlational
  • Ex post facto
  • Quasi experimental
  • Experimental
• Quantitative research strengths

  • Easy to implement the research (surveys, questionnaire)
  • Relatively quick to gather research data
  • Provides precise and numerical research data
  • Useful for large sampling size
  • Relatively faster to analyze research data (SPSS)
  • Easier to interpret research data
• Quantitative research weaknesses

  • Researcher's theory and hypotheses might not reflect real phenomena
  • Research data gathered could be too general research results might not be in-depth
  • Research results could be bias as researcher is verifying his/her predetermined theory and hypotheses instead of building them from the research findings
• Importance of research


  • Builds credibility
  • Enables efficient learning
  • Enhances knowledge
  • Introduces new ideas
  • Provides the latest information
  • Provides truthful evidence
  • Expands your knowledge base
  • Helps you reach people
  • Developing new technologies
  • Discover and seize opportunities
  • Encourages curiosity
  • Exercises your mind
  • Finding solutions to problems
  • Focuses your scope
  • Helps in business success
  • Helps in understanding issues
  • Teaches discernment
• Research article


  A journal article in which the authors report on the research they did. Research articles are always primary sources. Whether or not a research article is peer reviewed depends on the journal that publishes it.
• Pattern for published research articles

  • Title & Author(s)
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • References
• Research article format

  • Font Style: Arial
  • Font Size: 10
  • Spacing: Single-line spacing
  • Margin: 1 inch
  • Paper Size: A4
• Title

  Use bold for your article title, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns
• Abstract


  Italicized with a maximum of 150 words
• Headings

  • First-level headings should be in bold, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns with a font size of 12
  • Second-level headings researchers name first name first (alphabetical by surname) with a font size of 12
  • Third-level headings should be in italics with a font size of 8
• Data availability statement


  Tells the reader where the research data associated with a paper is available, and under what conditions the data can be accessed. They also include links (where applicable) to the data set.
• Variable


  Any element or entity which can be measured for quantity or quality
• Types of variables in experimental research

  • Dependent
  • Independent
• Types of variables in non-experimental research

  • Criterion variable
  • Predictor variable
• Types of qualitative variables

  • Nominal
  • Dichotomous
  • Ordinal
• Types of quantitative variables

  • Discrete
  • Continuous
  • Ratio
• Purpose and role of variables


  Variables are important to understand because they are the basic units of the information studied and interpreted in research studies. Researchers carefully analyze and interpret the value(s) of each variable to make sense of how things relate to each other in a descriptive study or what has happened in an experiment.
• Types of mixed methods

  • Sequential explanatory design
  • Sequential exploratory design
  • Convergent parallel
• Basic mixed methods research designs

  • Convergent parallel design
  • Explanatory sequential design
  • Exploratory sequential design
  • Embedded
• Sampling techniques

  • Probability: Random simple sampling, Stratified, Cluster, Systematic
  • Non-probability: Convenience, Purposive, Snowball, Quota
• Hawthorne effect


  Refers to the observed change in behavior due to consciousness that they are under observations.
• Data collection and preparation

  • Merging
  • Sorting
  • Selecting cases
  • Preparing data file information
• Exploration of the data


  • Identify the graphs and the descriptive statistical values appropriate for representing the data
  • Identify the categories to be used in classifying and further organizing the data
• Analysis of the data


  • Look into the relationships among the variables
  • Compare the data representing the groups of participants in the study