Hypothsis of research studies in PhD Education

PhD Education

1. Research
•The ordered set of activities focused on the systematic
collection of data leading to useful information using
accepted methods of analysis as a basis for drawing
conclusions and making recommendations.
•"a studious inquiry or examination;especially
investigation or experimentationaimed at the
discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of
accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or
practical application of such new or revised theories or
laws“.(Merriam Webster (m-w.com). http:// www.merriawebster.com/dictionary/research)
•Research must be systematic and follow a series of steps and
a rigid standard procedure/practice.These rules are broadly
similar but may vary slightly between the different fields.
•Scientific research is performing a methodical study in order to
prove a hypothesis or find an answer to a specific question.

2. Research
•The ordered set of activities focused on the
systematic collection of information usingaccepted
methods of analysis as a basis for drawing
conclusions and making recommendations.
•The strict definition of scientific research is performing
a methodical study in order to prove a hypothesis or
find an answer to a specific question.

3. Contd…
•"In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of
research includes any gathering of data,
information and facts for the advancement of
knowledge.“Shuttleworth, Martin (2008).
Experiment Resources. http//www.experiment-resources.com/definition-of-research.html..
•Definition given by Creswell states -"Research is a
process of steps of used to collect and analyze
information to increase our understanding a topic or
issue". It consists of three steps: (i) pose a question, (ii)
collect data to answer the question, and (iii) present an
answer to the question. Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational
Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative
research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

4. Research -Scientific Methods
•Research needs dedication from the researcher which mainly
depends on the subject matter of the research. Before
undertaking any research in any subject areasone must be
sure about the intended purposeof the research that
determines the topic , hypothesis and/or queries or
questions to be answered , method , nature of data ,
technique to collect , etc. Any scientific research may fall
into the following three broadly categories:
•Exploratory research-This type of research may generate
any novel idea in the domain of knowledge. Its primary
purpose is to find anything new in any subject area and/or
always tries to shed some light in the unknown domain of
knowledge.
•This kind of research also helps to generate new discipline in
sciences and help us to identify problems of those particular
research areas.

5. Contd…
•Constructive research-This is mainly done by many
technological corporate in order to find new/alternative
solutions to any particular crisis or problems, e.g.
renewable energy research or development of the
capacity of optical fiber may fall into this category of
research.
•Empirical research-Thisis observational type of
research, where one observes or test on real-life data
or analysis the pattern of some specific events in order
to identify the nature or the class of trend that
specific phenomenon maintains.Based on the test
result, researchers try to draw lines in order to predict
the result of that type of incidents with certain level of
confidence.

6. Educational Research
•According to Gay (1981), the distinction between
educational research and other types of research is the
nature of the phenomena they study.
•It encompasses many different studies all of which
attempt to better understand and improve the learning
and educational process.
•It is a careful and systematic effort to define and
investigate significant problems involved in teaching
and learning in and outside the schooland at various
school systems,(Ali, 1990).
•Educational research concerns itself with both
theoretical and policy and practice issues in
education.

7. Contd…
•It tries to understand practical concerns, explain
them and recommend best ways of dealing with them
to maximize benefits of education.
•Nwana (2005), attempted to define the categories of
educational research which are as under:
•Psychological: learning theories, factors that affect
learning, remembering and forgetting, motivation,
maturation, growth and development etc.
•Philosophical :worthiness of education, educational
aims, moral judgments, methods of reasoning, meaning,
nature and sources of knowledge ,etc.
•Evaluation : continuous assessment, test instruments,
examinations, item analysis, students’ report cards,
curriculum evaluation, etc.

8. Contd…
•Curriculum content : the choice of school subjects, factors
affecting choice of curriculum content, curriculum
organization,curriculum implementation etc.
•Methodological: methods of teaching, teacher
effectiveness, instructional resources, teaching practice,
micro-teaching , intervention etc
•Administrative: school financing, discipline, school
records, classroom management, leadership styles,
recruitment and deployment of staff etc.
•Sociological : school-community relations, teacher-pupil
relations, interpersonal relations within the school, students’
classroom behavior, students’ unrest, cultism, etc.
•Historical: history of institutions, progammes, places or
persons of educational interests

9. Importance of Educational Research
•Educational research may be carried out by the scholar,
the teacher trainee, practicing teacher,
administrator, curriculum specialist, policy maker, or
indeed anyone with a specific issue to resolve. The role
of research in informing policy decisionshas gained
prominence in the recent past.
•The overriding significance of educational research is
that it leads to improvement in teaching and learning
situations.
Example: when a study is done to establish the most
effective strategies of teaching a given subject, there can
be an improvement in achievement when teachers are
encouraged to adopt the methods found to be effective.

10. Contd…
•Research requires a high level of alertness in planning,
executing, observing, recording, and reporting.
•Educational research develops in the researcher
scientific attitudes of objectivity, curiosity and
critical outlook.
•For the teacher trainee and practicing teacher it
provides professional growth through a deeper
understanding of pedagogical practices and
psychology of learning.
•It also equips them with problem-solving and
leadership skills. This is achieved through the rigor that
go with the research process.

11. Contd…
•For the education planners, curriculum designers and
policy makers,educational research provides
useful baseline data that can be used for planning
purposes and policy decision making; e.g. in the
development or review of any curriculum, the content
to be includedhas to be identified through a careful
research process involving ;
a needs assessment survey to allow stakeholders to
give their views.;
document analyses have to be done such as on
educational psychology books in order understand the
psychology of learning; and
current materials also have to be analyzed so as to know
about current trends and information.

12. Research -Process
•To effectively carry out the research , the research
process consists of a number of
interrelated activities which overlap continuously and are
not mutually exclusive events.
these activities do not necessarily follow each other in
any specific order or sequence .
•According to William Wiersma (1990) Process of Inquiry
Modeldealing with Problem solving and Communicants
comprises :
•A person or organisation or Institution , The researcher
,The observer and The observed

13. Research Process
•Research must be organized and conducted
according to set procedure andplanning, including
{-Selection of Area and Topic}
literature review of past research
evaluating what questions need to be answered
[formulation of hypothesis(es)].
collection and organisation of data
data analysis , finding patterns, results
approving or disapproving the hypothesis(es)
further research

14. Research Process
•Existence of problem & selection of the topic
literature review
•Hypothesis Formulation/ Identification of problem
•Identification of variables
•Operational definitions
•Manipulation of variables
•Research design /Selection of method
•Research instrument/methodology
•Data collection , Recording of data , compilation
•Treatment of data-statistical analysis/interpretation
•Report writing
•Evaluation of the study

15. Research -Method
•There are a number of ways or approaches that a
researcher may follow to carry out research ; these are
called research methods.
•Research methodis a procedure to collect the required
datato draw conclusion or make some predictable
results on the experiments or incidents /events –no
matter where or when or what extent that particular
incident is happening.
•Research method is a way of collecting inputs and
finding the outputs, to conduct research successfully.

16. Contd…
Researcher can choose one or a combination of the following :
•Experiments-used in exploratory type of research. Types of
experiments necessary depends on the research topic. Time
consuming and expensive .
•Surveys-used in empirical or exploratory type of research,
usually used in social sciences. Questionnaires and /or
interview some specific group of people to get ….
•Observation–observational data can be recorded to find
empirical relationship between different parameters of the
research. Disadvantage is very time-consuming and expensive
method.
•Each of these methodsis (more ) suitable for certain source
of data , data collection technique , collation, treatment
,presentation ,interpretation and leading to most pertinent and
appropriate information .

17. Hypothesis
•A thesis is an argument, a proposition supported by the
evidence, presented by the researcher.It should be
carefully defined as to time, place, specific problem,
and approach/method to solving it.It should be
interesting and doable.
•Before proposing a thesis, an hypothesis is
formulated-an educated guess or an informed
question about problem.Its answer becomes thesis.
•Hypothesis or thesis shapes research; methodology,
population, sample, data collection techniques ,
research instrument, treatment of data, etc.
•Hypothesis is “ The guess scientists make that either
solve the problem or guide them to further investigation”.
(Fowler Floyd J.)

18. Hypothesis /Hypotheses
1. A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or
scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.
2. Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or
investigation; an assumption.
3. The antecedent (precursor) of a conditional statement.
Hypothesis: a principle or propositionthat is assumed for the
sake of argument or that is taken for granted to proceed to the
proof of the point in question.
•A proposition to be tested ; accepted or not accepted
•A tentative suggestion or provisional guess , temporarily
accepted to be true for sake of argument
•A tentative generalisation to be tested
•An intelligent guess asto be probable outcome
•A statement whose tenabilityis to be tested.

19. Hypothesis –Importance
•Research proceeds with hypothesis and ends at
hypothesis
•Help in deciding the direction of the research
•Focuses research on specific points
•Links facts of the research , links variables , Cause
and effect relationship
•It helps in designing the research methodology
•Nature and techniques of data collection

20. Hypothesis –Characteristics
•Testable
•Limited in scope ; manageable -not too ambitious
•State variables and possible relationship
•Consistent with known facts, existing theories, literature
•Stated in simple terms
•Flexible
•Direction : Help to
keep the research process on track
avoid review of irrelevant literature
avoid collection of useless ,irrelevant and excessive
data (sifting the data)

21. Contd…
•Sensitizing the Researcher: Researcher become
aware of the various aspects of the research problem,
therefore
Leading to Clear Understanding of the Research
Problem
Provide a Framework

22. Hypothesis –Sources
•Main source is personal experiences, knowledge,
comprehension and interest in the chosen subject
area/ problem
•Purpose
•Topic of the research or problem statement
•Objectives
•Analogies
•General culture
•Theoretical models
•Reading relevant literature
Findings of other studies
Reviews of research studies

23. Hypothesis –Forms
•Declarative /Unbiased
Positive statement about outcome of the study –
predictive in nature “unemployment is the main cause of
the crime”
•Null / Statistical or testing hypothesis
“There is no significant difference in academic performance
of high school students who participate in extracurricular
activities and those who do not participate in
extracurricular activities “.
Non-directional
“ The academic performance of high school students is
related to their participation in extracurricular activities”.

24. Hypothesis –Forms
•Directional
“ High school students who participate in extracurricular
activities have lower GPA than those who do not
participate in such activities “.
•Question form
•Research or alternate hypothesis
“ There is significant difference in the academic
performance of high school students who participate in
extracurricular activities and those who do not participate
in extracurricular activities “.
•Working hypothesis
“ Increase in unemployment increase the crime rate”.

25. Hypothesis –Forms
•Causal
“ High school students who participate in extracurricular
activities spend less time studying which leads to lower
GPA” have lower GPA than those who do not participate
in such activities “.
“ Increase in unemployment increase the crime rate”.

26. Declarative Null / StatisticalQuestion form
Instructions through
video programmes
will increase the
learning of students
…in comparison with
those who do not have
this facility
There will be no
difference in learning
outcomes of students;
one following
instructions through
video programmes
and the other having
nosuch facility
Will instruction
through video
programmes will
enhance the learning
of students ….?

27. •the study aimed at discussing activity-based learning
and traditional methods of teaching at secondary level at
…...
•Objectives of the Study
Following were the objectives of study:
To investigate the performance of students by teaching
Mathematics through traditional method
To investigate the performance of students by teaching
Mathematics through ABL
To differentiate the performance of students in
Mathematics by using two methods
To recommend measures for implementation of ABL at
secondary school level

28. Objectives of the Study
•Following were the objectives of the study:
1.To find out teaching methodologies currently used by
teachers in teaching English in Model Secondary
schools Level at Islamabad.
2.To find out academic achievement of students of Model
secondary schools at Islamabad.
3.To find out the relationship between Academic and
Professional qualifications of teachers and academic
achievement of students in the subject of English at
Secondary Level.
4.To find out effective teaching methodologies used by
teachers teaching English in Model Secondary Schools
at Islamabad.

29. 6.To compare teaching methodologies used by male and
female teachers teaching English in Model secondary
schools at Islamabad.

30. Hypotheses of the Study
•The following hypotheses were to be tested in this study:
1.The academic achievement of students in the subject of
English of class 10
th
is the samein Model secondary
Schools at Islamabad.
2.There is significant relationship between academic
qualification of teachers and academic achievement of
students at secondary school Level in Model secondary
Schools at Islamabad.
3.There is significant relationship between professional
qualifications of teachers and academic achievement of
students at secondary school level in Model secondary
Schools.

31. 4.There is no significant difference between effectiveness
of teaching methodologies used by teachers teaching
English at secondary school level in Model secondary
schools. IMCs
5.There is significant difference between teaching
methodologies used by male and female teachers
teaching English in Model Secondary Schools.