Educational Research Assignment: Exploring Its Purposes

This assignment from Rockview University's School of Education and Research delves into the purposes of educational research, drawing on the work of Ikekhua and Yesufu (1995). The essay examines four key purposes: providing objective evidence to improve school learning, controverting myths surrounding educational practices, changing beliefs of educators and consumers, and establishing a firmer foundation for schools. The assignment defines educational research, explores its role in addressing educational problems, and discusses how it promotes quality education, challenges misconceptions like gender biases in mathematics, and shapes beliefs among educators and the public. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of research in supporting student development and improving the overall effectiveness of educational institutions. The conclusion reinforces the significance of educational research in enhancing educational practices, expanding knowledge, and facilitating positive changes in the field.

ROCKVIEW UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS
ASSIGNMENT ONE
QUESTION: What is the purpose of educational research? According to
Ikekhua and Yesufu (1995), the four-fold purposes of educational research are:
 To provide objective evidence to improve school learning;
 To controvert myths surrounding certain practices and principles in
education;
 To change beliefs characterizing practitioners and products of education
and the consumers of the products of education, and;
 To help place the work of the school and its agents on a firmer ground
with consumers of education.
Give life to the purpose of educational research as highlighted by Ikekhua and
Yesufu.

Ever since the end of Second World War, many educational institutions and notable writers
worldwide, have been showing strong concern over the purpose of educational research in
terms of improving the quality and variety of education. According to Ikekhua and Yesufu
(1995), the four-fold purposes of educational research include firstly to provide objective
evidence to improve school learning; secondly to controvert myths surrounding certain
practices and principles in education; thirdly to change beliefs characterizing practitioners
and products of education and the consumers of the products of education, and; fourthly to
help place the work of the school and its agents on a firmer ground with consumers of
education. It is from this point of view that this assignment discusses or gives life to the
purpose of educational research as highlighted by Ikekhua and Yesufu. A concrete conclusion
shall be given based on the entire discussion.
To start with, educational research is defined differently by different scholars. Educational
research is implied when research activities are geared towards unravelling educational
problems or bringing about improvement in teaching and learning. According to Ary et. al.
(1972:21) educational research is “the way in which one acquires dependable and useful
information about the educative process”. While Travers (1964:5), says that educational
research is “an activity directed towards the development of an organised body of scientific
knowledge about the events with which educators are concerned” This means that research in
education is a systematic attempt to define and investigate pertinent problems involved in
teaching and learning. This can take place within or outside the school setting or it can take
place at various levels of education, such as early childhood, primary, secondary or tertiary
levels.
One of the four-fold purposes of educational research as stated by Ikekhua and Yesufu (1995)
is to provide objective evidence to improve school learning. This can be explained as
educational research enables educational institutions to systematically apply scientific
methods to solve educational problems so as to improve the quality of education to be
delivered to the learners. This also implies that educational research is key or necessary in
bringing about a well-coordinated and improved education in any educational institution (Ali,
1996). Since research education professionals are always learning, finding out new things,
analysing information, adapting their behaviour according to information received, looking to
improve and adapting to modern demands, research enables them to be objective in terms of
the way they present their findings or results.
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Further, educational research enables practitioners within the educational sector to comply
with policies or standards in terms of goods and services. Objectivity is upheld in the delivery
of educational services so as to avoid biases that might cost one to lose a job or be fined for
not following the stipulated for example, teaching guidelines and standards or regulations.
Therefore, educational research provides a suitable environment for education practitioners
including teachers to systematically collect, organise and interpret information to the learners
to ensure quality delivery of services and avoid biases attributed to lack of necessary skills
and failure to follow rules and regulations. Additionally, educational research enables
teachers to adapt it to fit the individual needs of their own pupils or learners as a way of
promoting good teaching (Ali, 1996).
Further, when the purpose of educational research is said to provide objective evidence to
improve school learning, it also implies that educational research promotes the development
or formation of highly qualified or skilled professionals in the educational sector and other
sectors to deliver quality goods and services. Teachers project their own personality upon
learning experiences. Sometimes this is intuitive and these decisions can either be successful
or fail. Research methodologies therefore give teachers the tools to analyse and make
informed decisions about their practices (Pramodini and Anu, 2012). This is also in line with
the introduction of staff performance appraisals to motivate and enhance the performance of
employees as a way of improving delivery of services of good quality. It should however be
understood that, as teachers and other education practitioners are accountable, the public must
have faith in the profession and attitudes towards education vary across many social groups,
therefore, the performance of teachers can be demonstrated through the publication of
research findings. In this manner, educational research serves the purpose of providing
objective evidence to improve school learning (Ikekhua and Yesufu, 1995).
On the other hand, educational research is said to serve the purpose of controverting myths
surrounding certain practices and principles in education as argued by Ikekhua and Yesufu,
(1995). Since educational research is meant to be an activity that is directed towards the
development of an organised body of scientific knowledge about the events with which
educators are concerned, it makes it possible to refute falsehood or any such practices that are
not based on truth or not systematically investigated. It attempts to define and investigate
pertinent problems involved in teaching and learning. This can take place within or outside
the school setting or it can take place at various levels of education, such as early childhood,
primary, secondary or tertiary levels (Travers, 1964:5).
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Educational research helps to refute myths surrounding certain practices and principles in
education. For example, myths in education such as boys are naturally better at Mathematics
than girls and many more, affect the learning processing by perpetuating gender inequality
and viewing girls as being dull as compared to boys which is not true. Girls are not inherently
less good at Mathematics than boys. Of course, in most of the studies boys do achieve better
scores than girls, but in other studies girls perform better, but the differences are not
biological but social and cultural in nature (Ikekhua and Yesufu, 1995).
According to De-Bruin (2019) educational research shows that gender differences in
Mathematics performance are small and not biological and are attributed to social, cultural,
political and economic factors. Further, the gender gap in Mathematics skills does not exist or
is minimal in societies where there is promotion of gender equality. Boys outperform girls in
Mathematics or even in other subjects in cultures where there is an expectation that boys are
always stronger than girls in such a subject and other skills. Girls one the other hand, have
demonstrated that they are good at Mathematics and in other subjects just like men and as a
result, they equally obtain good grades, occupy good jobs and many more. Therefore,
educational research makes it possible to refute falsehood or any such practices that are not
based on truth or not systematically investigated (Alexander, 1996).
On the other hand, Ikekhua and Yesufu (1995) also stressed that the purpose of educational
research is to change beliefs characterizing practitioners and products of education and the
consumers of the products of education. It has been observed that beliefs affect the way
people learn in their societies. Research changes the way teachers and other educational
practitioners present credible and consistent information to the learners. It offers them a
system of thought with which to interpret classroom practices which usually results in
delivery of quality education. In other words, educational research helps to change beliefs
characterizing practitioners and products of education and the consumers of the products of
education through logical thinking. This is usually done by making mangers be able to
provide the necessary educational materials or requirements which include infrastructure,
books, and desks among others especially to the less privileged persons in rural areas as far as
promotion of equal access to education is concerned (De-Bruin, 2019).
Educational research provokes thought and helps education practitioners to understand the
complexity involved in what they do which as a result changes their beliefs including
behaviour (Thomas, 1984). It also lets teachers see how others teach, helps them test
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decisions they have made, and provides principles to negotiate classroom tasks (Porter and
Brophy, 1988). In this view, research does not give answers and it does not make decisions,
but it is a very helpful source of insights, ideas, and information that impacts on beliefs.
However, it should be noted that teachers’ beliefs affect the interest for educational either
positively or negatively. Hence, educational research helps to promote good beliefs that
support the acquisition of knowledge as well as delivery of quality educational goods and
services (Ali, 1996).
The fourth and last purpose of educational research according to Ikekhua and Yesufu (1995)
is to help place the work of the school and its agents on a firmer ground with consumers of
education. This is true in that the systematic collection, organisation, analysis and
interpretation of information enable the educational institutions to provide instruction that
maximizes students' learning, understand and support the developmental needs of pupils,
develop an educational environment that supports students' motivation and also provide
others solutions to educational problems (Pramodini and Anu, 2012).
It generally known or observed that without quality information about the population and its
characteristics, the education system cannot function properly. Without knowledge of the
learners in terms of social, cultural and economic background, the educational institution
cannot attain any of its set goals with respect to delivering quality educational goods and
services. Therefore, educational research provides a firm foundation for educational
institutions to understand and support the developmental needs of pupils or learners as well as
institutional needs systematically. It enables educational institutions to perform properly by
clarifying purposes, processes and priorities when introducing change for example,
to curriculum, pedagogy or assessment (Ikekhua and Yesufu, 1995). Further, educational
research also helps to improve understanding of one’s professional and policy context,
organizationally, locally and nationally, enabling one to teach and lead more strategically and
effectively. In this manner, it to helps place the work of the school and its agents on a firmer
ground with consumers of education (Ibid).
Additionally, educational research has significant implications in the education sector with
respect to teaching and learning. It makes work easier and more significant and
understandable to the consumers of education anal goods and services. For example, Siegler
and Ramani (2009) conducted a research study to examine best practices of teaching number
skills to young children. Mathematics teachers typically teach number skills by asking pupils
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to recite the number string for instance, "Say after me: 1, 2, 3...” on the other hand,
educational research particularly psychological research makes it possible to study key
variables about a human being that relate to how they behave, think, feel, and believe among
others. Therefore, examining student performance, student motivation, student attitudes,
student beliefs, teachers' knowledge through educational research, makes it possible to
establish a strong foundation of learning and also helps to develop influence, self-efficacy
and voice within the education institution and more widely within the profession (Ali, 1996).
In conclusion, propounding on the four-fold purposes of educational research by Ikekhua and
Yesufu (1995) makes it possible to establish that educational research is very significant in
terms of delivery of educational goods and services. Generally, educational research helps to
find solutions to particular problems arising from classrooms or schools; underpin
professional learning of knowledge, skills and understanding and connects educational
institutions to sources of information and networks of professional support; and also helps to
clarify purposes, processes and priorities when introducing change for example,
to curriculum, pedagogy or assessment. Further, it improves understanding of one’s
professional and policy context, organizationally, locally and nationally, enabling one to
teach and lead more strategically and effectively. In other words, educational research helps
to improve practice, add to knowledge and address gaps in knowledge on a particular topic or
problem of interest.
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REFERENCES
Alexander P.A. (1996). The past, present, and future of knowledge research. A reexamination
of the role of knowledge in learning and instruction. Educ Psychol. 1996; 31: 89‐ 92.
Ali, A. (1996). Fundamentals of Research in Education. Awka, Nigeria: Meks Publishers
De-Bruin, B.H. (2019). Debunking myths in medical education: The science of refutation.
Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14028
.Ikekhua, T.I. and Yesufu, J.T. (1995). Exposing research methods in education study and
reporting aid for students and beginning researchers. Warri: Ar B10 Publishing
Limited.
Porter, A. C. (1986). Collaborating with teachers on research: Pioneering efforts at the
institute for research on teaching (Occasional Paper No. 105). East Lansing:
Michigan State University, Institute for Research on Teaching.
Porter, A. C. and Brophy, J. (1988). Synthesis of research on good teaching: Insights from the
work of the Institute for Research on Teaching. Educational Leadership, 45, 74-86.
Pramodini D.V. and K. Anu S.K. (2012). Evaluation of importance for research in education.
International Journal of Social Science and Interdisciplinary Research Vol.1, ISSN
2277 3630
Siegler, R. S. and Ramani, G. B. (2009). Playing linear number board games - but not circular
ones - improves low-income preschoolers' numerical understanding. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 101, 545-560.
Thomas, D. (1984). What research can and cannot do for teachers. Unpublished manuscript,
Institute for Research on Teaching, Michigan State University, East Lansing.