HENG 73024

ENGLISH SELECTED THEME/LONG

PAPER
DR FELIX AWUNG
E-mail: [email protected]

MS MARYNA ROODT
E-mail: [email protected]
COMPONENTS
OF RESEARCH
RESEARCH BACKGROUND

• Historical information
• Rationale
• Relevant studies
• Problem statement
• Theoretical lens
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• A research problem is a gap in practical or theoretical
knowledge that a researcher seeks to address (McCombes &
George, 2022).
• It could be a practical problem or a theoretical one.
• A practical problem could be about challenges faced by a
community, the performance of persons or tools, the
effectiveness of a process, etc.
• A theoretical problem focuses on perspectives or philosophies.
RESEARCH AIM?

• Provides the purpose for which the study is conducted.

• Must be aligned with the title of the study.
• Could be converted and stated as a research question.
• It is usually broken down into research objectives for better
planning
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• These are breakdown points from the research aim
• They guide the progression of the study
• They inform the literature review of the study
• They must align with the specific research questions
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• They guide the purpose and progression of the study
• They are composed of a main question and secondary or
specific questions.
• The main question aligns with the aim of the study while the
secondary questions align with the research objectives
LITERATURE
REVIEW
DEFINITION
• A literature review is an overview of scholarly works (articles,
books, etc.) published on a specific topic.
• It provides a summary as well as a critical evaluation of each
scholarly source.
• Examples of works used in a literature review are articles,
books, dissertations, reports and policy documents
PURPOSE OF A LITERATURE
REVIEW
• Place a scholarly work in a context of existing scholarship.
• Highlight the studies that contribute to the understanding of a
topic.
• Identify previous studies on a topic so as to avoid repetition or
duplication.
• Describe the similarities and differences between scholarly
works on a given topic.
• Highlight and resolve conflicts of views on a topic.
COMPONENTS OF A LITERATURE
REVIEW
• Identify the topic or area to be examined and outline the
factors of the topic.
• Search for scholarly material relevant to the topic, taking one
factor at a time.
• Highlight the contribution of each source to the understanding
of the topic.
• Organise the sources according to which ones have similar or
different views.
• Analyse or interpret the findings of each source, and
determine which sources offer the most convincing views.
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Methodology vs Method
• Research methodology: The overall procedure used to
solve a research problem. It explains why, how, which way,
which data, which technique of collecting and analysing data.
• Research Method: This refers to the tools and techniques
used to conduct a research study. The research methods is
part of the research methodology.
Research methodology process
• Identify the research design
• Identify the target population
• Identify the sampling method and select a sample size
• Identify the data collection method
• Identify the data analysis method
• Articulate the ethical issues involved in the research
Research design
This refers to the approach to be used in collecting and analysing the
data. A research design could be quantitative, qualitative or mixed.
Quantitative approach: A quantitative approach is used for
numerical data. Such data is collected using instruments such as
surveys and simulations.
Qualitative approach: A qualitative approach is used to evaluate
attitudes, opinions, behaviours. Such data is collected using
instruments such as interviews, questionnaire, focus groups and
ethnography.
Mixed-method approach: This is an approach that combines
quantitative and qualitative data. Data collection instruments in this
case could also be mixed, such as triangulation.
Sampling
• Sampling is the process of selecting research participants
from a population group.
• A target population refers to the entire number of possible
respondents that meet the criteria for selection, e.g., SPU
students, female teachers at a high school, English studies
students, etc.
• Due to the size of a target population, it may not always be
possible to use all its members as participants in a study. The
researcher therefore has to select a sample to represent the
entire group.
Sampling
• A sampling method is the process through which a
researcher selects a portion of the population to take part in a
study.
• Random sampling is when any member of the group may be
selected for the purpose of the study, e.g., any SPU student.
• Purposive sampling is when a researcher intentional
identifies a participants or participants for a study, e.g., a
specific female teacher, specific SPU students, etc.
Data collection and analysis
• Data collection is the process of collecting data required for
a study. Examples of data collection methods are:
questionnaires (surveys), interviews, focus group, participants
observation, etc.
• Data analysis is the process of analysing the data so as to
interpret it, e.g., thematic analysis.
• Data interpretation is the process of making meaning of
the data analysed.
Data collection and analysis
• For text-based studies, e.g. literary studies, data collection is usually by
desktop methods. This refers to the use of data that is already available to
the public, such as published novels, poems, plays, etc. The analysis of text-
based data could be done with the following methods:
• Application of theory: This is when a theory is applied in the analysis of a
text
• Thematic analysis (themes): This is when the themes in a text are analysed
• Comparative study: This is when a text or an aspect of it is compared with
another text
• Translation studies: This is when the process or product of a translated text
is analysed.
• Stylistic studies: This is when the style of an author is analysed.
Ethics
• Research ethics refers to the way a research is conducted
without any intention to harm participants of deceive the
public.
• Aspects of ethics to be considered in qualitative studies
include:
• Anonymity of participants: This is when the names of
participants are not revealed in the research report.
• Confidentiality: This is when no personal information of
participants is revealed in the research report.
REFERENCES
• Goundar, S. 2012. Research Methodology and Research
Method. In: Goundar, S (Ed.), Cloud Computing. (n.p.)Research
Gate Publications.
• McCombes, S. & George, T. 2022. How to Define a Research
Problem: Ideas & Examples. Scribble. Available online:
https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-problem/.
Accessed on 1 March 2023.