Thinking About Research?

Thinking about Research? 
Research does not have to be scary! Take the following questions into consideration and ease the process of research. Even though research may differ from field to field, and topic to topic, you can start thinking about research by keeping these questions in mind.

Statement of problem
Purpose of the study-Why have you decided to conduct research on this topic? Why is the topic you have selected important to you and your practice, as well as your learners and the greater community of educators? What is the specific gap that you are hoping to close as a result of the study?
Objectives of the study – What do you hope to accomplish by conducting your study? What are your research questions and sub questions? What information do you hope to gain by posing these questions?

Review of the Literature
Include several resources, especially from peer reviewed journals. Google scholar for example is a great tool for research.

Methodology
Participants (research subjects) – who will participate in your study and how will the participants be selected for the study? Why have you chosen these individuals as the participants for the study? Include basic demographic information (age, gender, and ethnicity).
Procedure – What specifically will you change in your practice in order to conduct your study? What is the sequence of events that will take place? What will the participants in the study experience as a result of being involved in your study?
Research Design – What tools have you chosen to gather the data that you believe will answer your research question and sub questions? Have you thought about triangulating your data in order to increase the validity and reliability of your study?

Once you answer these questions, you will hopefully be more prepared to get going on your research with more ease and confidence!


Look for us on our website www.MasterTeachersCommunity.org and connect with us on Facebook. We look forward to meeting you!