Research Methodologies in Education

This assignment requires students to review a collection of research methods and design-related texts, providing a comprehensive overview of the field. The texts cover various aspects of research methodology, from sociological research methods to experimental research design, and include topics such as ethics, permission, and situated ethics in educational research. Students will gain insights into qualitative inquiry and research design, as well as interpretive research design concepts and processes.

ELEMENTS OF
RESEARCH DESIGN

Table of Contents
Q1. Ethical considerations in social / educational research and their importance...........................1
Q2. Elements of research design germane to proposed research project.........................................5
REFERENCE ..................................................................................................................................9

Q1. Ethical considerations in social / educational research and their importance.
Educational Research is the investigation, collection, interpretation and communication
of data collected in the field of education. Under this field of research, the investigations
conducted tend to be highly systematic and rigorous, mainly concerned with student learning,
teaching methods and classroom dynamics (Ary and et.al., 2018). On the other hand, 'ethics' refer
to those moral principles that foresee code of conduct undertaken by a group or single individual.
Ethical consideration is a highly important aspect of educational research as this field is prone to
plagiarism, manipulation of data, duplication and other such malpractices (Bell, Bryman and
Harley, 2018). This has resulted in decline of credibility of educational research in the recent
times. An ethical code of conduct binds the researcher in a commitment to honesty as well as
respect towards the privacy of people pursuant under the said investigation. Essentially a social
or educational research is conducted in a highly systematic order with a fundamental purpose to
improve quality of life in a society .
It is important to note that ethical considerations are mere guidelines that enable
justifiable actions on investigator's part and need not be considered as a formula or blue print for
carrying out the research. These considerations may be broadly classified into four categories
viz. Participants, Sponsors or Beneficiaries, Area of Knowledge and Fellow Researchers
(Bulmer, 2017). These have been discussed in detail as under:
 Participants:
Here, the word 'Participants' includes everyone that is involved in the educational
research either directly or indirectly. They may also be labelled as active or passive participants
based on the level of contribution made to the learnings obtained by the researcher (Burke,
2016). Despite their status of contribution, they are entitled to certain rights. The fundamental
rights of such parties, here, include Right to Privacy, Guaranteed Anonymity, Confidentiality,
Avoidance of harm, deception or betrayal. The ethical considerations in relation to them are as
follows: Respect: Educational Researchers need to work within an ethic of respect. This means
that they must not contrast and compare among participants based on age, caste, colour,
religion, race or political beliefs until and unless it is required for the work undertaken
(Busher and James, 2012).
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 Consent and Incentives: There should be voluntary informed and written consent
between the researcher and the participants to partake in the investigation. This would
result in increasing the authenticity and elimination of bias of the research results. Again,
a written consent does not bind the participants to go all the way through with the
research, it only claims that they were not pressurized to partake in such an activity by
the researcher or anyone else (Creswell and Poth, 2017). Incentives given to participants
in the form of cash or kind must be used rarely and in good sense. Freedom: Participants must be free to cite their views or voice their opinions especially
in those situations that have a direct impact on them. Impact on Workload: It must be ensured that the participants' work load and their normal
working hours are not adversely affected due to the research activities. This includes both
institutions as well as individuals (Cunningham, 2014). Any stress observed on a
participant must be taken into account and should be exempted from the rest of the
research activities. Communication of Research Results: An educational researcher must, following a
healthy practice, communicate the results of the research conducted to those parties who
were directly or indirectly involved in it. If this is not possible, alternative means of
communications such as websites must be used to accomplish the same. Privacy and Confidentiality: A participant has a fundamental right to privacy as well as
anonymity or confidentiality as well as not respond to information unacceptable to him or
her (Farrimond, 2012). If the participant wants to remain anonymous, educational
researcher must ensure that this happens no matter what changes they have to make
regarding the same.
 Honest Relationship between Investigator and Participants: Deceiving is one of the
malpractices to which the educational research is prone. In order to prevent this,
investigations must be carried out by building honest relationships with participants. In
case of retraction of full disclosure of information, appropriate authorities must be
informed (Greene, 2014).
 Sponsors or Beneficiaries:
A Sponsor is any person who provides necessary funds to conduct the research.
Beneficiaries include mainly Administrators or teachers and Policy Makers. Teachers or
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Administrators are concerned with finding solutions to routine problems. Whereas Policy Makers
are interested in the database formed due to collection of new information that is helpful in
bringing reforms in collegiate and university levels. The ethical considerations included for such
parties are as under: Language: As the users of research are usually those who do not participate in the
research activities directly. Therefore, due consideration must be given to the language
used while formulating the research report. It should be easily comprehensible as well as
be free from any verbal or technical jargon so that a diverse group of individuals are able
to understand it. Also, usage of offensive language must be prevented so as to not hurt the
sentiments of the users (Hartas, 2015). Clarity: From Researcher's Perspective, the investigator must ensure that he or she is
clear about his goals and objectives and is able to communicate clearly the same to the
users. On the other hand, the results derived from the research must be clear enough in
stating solutions regarding a particular issue or problem. This is due to the fact that
findings are hardly perspective in the filed of educational research. Usability of Results and Data: As users of the report have different usability for the
results derived from a particular research, the results must be prepared by taking into
consideration all of those issues that would be addressed through such report. In addition
to this, data must be interpreted in accordance with the nature of results (Jones and
Newton, 2012). Disclosure: As the raw data collected is the rightful property of the researcher, he or she
should have the discretion to disclose the same as and when the need arises. The results
must be disclosed in an honest way, free from any sort of bias or deception. Additionally,
limitations of the research must also be duly reported by the investigator during
disclosure of such results.
 Parameters to be considered: The results must not be taken as the final opinion, they are
always open to a debate. Due regards and recognition must be given to those that
contributed intellectually or otherwise during the research. Also, proper care must be
taken to the content and media in terms of technicality and generalization so as to warrant
proper dissemination of findings (Lewis, 2015).
 Area of Knowledge:
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Area of Knowledge includes the field in which the researcher sought to conduct the
investigation. Hence, it is his or her responsibility to take into account the following ethical
considerations regarding the same: Justification of Output: The researcher must thoroughly assess the area of research from
a broad perspective. They should take into account the appropriateness of study, issues to
be addressed as well as contributions made thereof through justifiable actions and
generation of output (McKenney and Reeves, 2018). Literature Review: Prior studies of other researchers and scholars must be given due
weightage while conducting an investigation in a highly explored area so as to gain
valuable insights for the research.
 Expenditure: The research may be a small-scale or large-scale affair. Hence, proper
justification must be given on the part of investigator in regards to expenses incurred
(Mutch, 2013).
 Fellow Researchers:
In educational research, the fellow researchers include teachers, administrators, scholars
and other similar persons involved in this area. This community must be provided with a detailed
report including the research design, questions, aims, methodology, findings and
recommendations in order to facilitate professional evaluation of the research. For this purpose,
following ethical considerations must be kept in mind: Data: Reproduction of research findings to the fellow researchers includes raw data. This
is the rightful property of the investigator and must be disclosed at discretion. Such
presentation facilitates re-evaluation of data. Sample Data must be convincible enough to
the community based on logical rationales. It must also be ensured that the data collected
is free from bias. Methodology: The researcher must be fully aware of the methodology used during the
research, in a justifiable manner, as well as the alternatives to it. In addition to this,
limitations of the study must also be fully disclosed (Pardo and Siemens, 2014). Mutual Respect: Manipulation of data, distortion, concealment of facts and figures,
plagiarism, fake practices, use of defamatory language and other such malpractices
should not be used. Any work subjected to criticism, negative or positive must be
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constructive in nature. There must be mutual respect for others and their work in the
field. Acknowledgement: There should be due recognition of other's work and their
contribution to the research conducted. Authorship must also be duly noted.
 Protection of Integrity: Reputation and Integrity of educational research must be
preserved by maintaining the highest quality of standards.
By duly following the ethical considerations mentioned above, the researcher would be
able to conduct a research and gain valuable insights that are authentic, unbiased and highly
reliable (Plomp, 2013). Hence, one can say that ethical considerations play an important role in
the field of social/ educational research by giving meaning to the research based results in the
long run. The ethical considerations hold an important position in research, especially in
educational research, looking at its recent degradation of quality due to critical impact of
malpractices in the field. Thus, it becomes all the more important for the researchers to follow
such guidelines while undertaking an investigation in the field of education (Punch and Oancea,
2014).
Q2. Elements of research design germane to proposed research project.
A Research Design is one which includes an integrated structure of the research that it
undertaken to be carried out by the researcher. It is an important part of planning the research so
as to know which methodology would be best suited to go ahead with the research. It guides an
research worker to know 'how' the investigation needs to be done on their part so that all the
relevant research aims and objectives are efficiently answered. Typically, a research design
would include the type of researches as well as their sub-types. The research design can be
mainly categorised as Data Collection, Measurement and Interpretation (Ross, 2014). This is
largely based on the type of problem being addressed or investigation being undertaken. The
following image perfectly illustrates the elements of research design that are germane to the
proposed research project:
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A strong research design would entail minimum bias and maximum authenticity in it with
least margin left for making an error. The proposed research project is an educational based
investigation that calls for a highly systematic research design on the investigator's part. Based
on this, the essential elements can be enumerated as under: Statement of Problem: A clear statement of research problem must be pointed out. These
would also include specific articulation of the same. It is extremely important to mould
research problems as they would define the rest of the research process. If the research
problem is wrong, the whole project would fail (Schwartz-Shea and Yanow, 2013). Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study must be clearly and accurately stated
through the research design. This includes the hypothesis testing as well as the type of
investigation undertaken viz. Exploration or Description. Exploratory Study is one that is
conducted when there is not much information available with the researcher in regards to
the investigation being conducted (Sharp, 2012). On the other hand, a Descriptive Study
is carried out to identify and explain the key characteristics of the variables being
scrutinized for a given situation.
 Type of Investigation: Another important element of Research Design includes Type of
Investigation. It must also define the independent as well as dependent variables of the
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research being undertaken by the researcher. Also, it must include the type of research
being undertaken that can be experimental, correlational, causal or descriptive. These are
explained as follows:
 Experimental: An experimental design examines the effect of changes made in
independent variable against the dependent variable (Simons and Usher, 2012). For
this purpose, a series of experiments are carried out by the researcher using various
types of permutations and combinations.
 Correlational: Such an investigation explores the relationship between two or more
variables belonging to the same group. Such an investigation is undertaken by
researcher where there are no dependent or independent variables present.
 Causal: If the research project undertaken by an investigator does not entail
manipulation of independent variable against dependent variables on their part, a
causal investigation may be adopted. Here, it is important to define such variables
clearly as it would facilitate easier understanding of the work carried out by the users
of such a study.
 Descriptive: Under this type of investigation, a clear statement of interest is produced
that systematically as well as precisely measures the results of the given research
project. It entails the study of phenomenon occurring at a specific period of time. Extent of Interference: A researcher's interference largely impacts the study performed
in relation to the investigation (Storozhenko and Gasii, 2014). Depending on this a study
may be causal or correlational. If there is maximum interference from their side, a
correlational study may be undertaken and vice versa. Study Setting: The Study Setting relates to the physical, social or cultural site where the
researcher puts his or her investigation into effect. For Qualitative research, the study
setting may be formulated to identify the meaning making, hence a natural setting may be
adopted. Time Horizon: Also known as Planning Horizon, it is the future time period under which
the research shall be completed. These may be classified as longitudinal or cross-
sectional. While the former is repeated over an extended period of time whereas the latter
includes a fixed or limited time horizon.
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 Units of Analysis: The units chosen to be analysed must be clearly defined in this
statement. The units of analysis, here, comprise individuals, dyads, groups, organisations
among other things (Tuckman and Harper, 2012).
Looking at the elements of research design, one can say that it is a crucial part of a
research being conducted in any field. For the proposed research project in the education field,
these too hold a germane position. As this field requires systematic research procedures to be
implemented, a research design having a more limited time horizon as well as descriptive based
research would be more suitable.
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REFERENCE
Books and Journal
Ary, D. and et.al., 2018. Introduction to research in education. Cengage Learning.
Bell, E., Bryman, A. and Harley, B., 2018. Business research methods. Oxford university press.
Bulmer, M., 2017. Sociological research methods. Routledge.
Burke, P. J., 2016. Elements of inquiry: A guide for consumers and producers of research.
Routledge.
Busher, H. and James, N., 2012. The ethical framework of research practice. Research methods
in educational leadership & management. 3.
Creswell, J. W. and Poth, C. N., 2017. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among
five approaches. Sage publications.
Cunningham, K. B., 2014. Social research design: Framework for integrating philosophical and
practical elements. Nurse researcher. 22(1).
Farrimond, H., 2012. Doing ethical research. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Greene, M. J., 2014. On the inside looking in: Methodological insights and challenges in
conducting qualitative insider research. The qualitative report. 19(29). pp.1-13.
Hartas, D. ed., 2015. Educational research and inquiry: Qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Jones, R. and Newton, T., 2012. Is it research?. Education for Primary Care. 23(6). pp.382-384.
Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches. Health promotion practice. 16(4). pp.473-475.
McKenney, S. and Reeves, T. C., 2018. Conducting educational design research. Routledge.
Mutch, C., 2013. Doing educational research. Nzcer Press.
Pardo, A. and Siemens, G., 2014. Ethical and privacy principles for learning analytics. British
Journal of Educational Technology. 45(3). pp.438-450.
Plomp, T., 2013. Educational design research: An introduction. Educational design research,
pp.11-50.
Punch, K. F. and Oancea, A., 2014. Introduction to research methods in education. Sage.
Ross, M., 2014. Research ethics and permission. Clinical Teaching. 11(7). pp.495-496.
Schwartz-Shea, P. and Yanow, D., 2013. Interpretive research design: Concepts and processes.
Routledge.
Sharp, J., 2012. Success with your education research project. Learning Matters.
Simons, H. and Usher, R., 2012. Situated ethics in educational research. Routledge.
Storozhenko, L. I. and Gasii, G.M., 2014. Experimental research of strain-stress state of
ferrocement slabs of composite reinforced concrete structure elements. Metallurgical
and Mining Industry. 6(6). pp.40-42.
Tuckman, B. W. and Harper, B. E., 2012. Conducting educational research. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers.
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