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Module 3: Investigation Issues in the Caribbean

The Research Problem

A research problem is the topic you would like to investigate, to address or to study. It is a
statement on an area of concern, something that needs improvement or an issue to be
investigated and/or resolved.

Formulating Objectives from the General to the Specific

The Statement of the Problem: This is a statement which specifies the relationships between
variables. It acts as a guide for the researcher and the readers, so that they can see the direction
that the research is taking, and it shows what is being investigated. From the Statement of the
Problem, you are able to formulate the Research Objectives and/or Questions.

Identification of a Research Problem

In every society there are always a number of problems to solve such as social inequality,
resistance to diversity, poverty, discrimination, epidemics, unemployment and religious
intolerance. In identifying a research problem the following factors play an important role in
arriving at the research problem:

1. Your own interest.

2. A modern or contemporary interest.

3. The existence of different views in an area which invite investigation

The following questions can be asked when selecting an area for research:

1. How can my research improve the standard of living in society? (The goal of social research is
to find solutions for societal problems.)
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2. Which societal problems are the most pressing and require the attention of researchers?

3. Which of these problems need an urgent solution?

4. Do I want to dedicate the time, effort and commitment to undertake this research?

5. Can my research findings and recommendations make a difference?

Research Objectives

Research objectives describe what is to be achieved in the project and how it is to be achieved.
A research objective channels the investigation of the variables in the research. Research
objectives:

 need to be clear and succinct statements;

 are either formulated or refined after the literature review has been written, and are often
directly informed by the literature review;
 narrow the focus of the study – this prevents the researcher from collecting data that are
not relevant to the problem being studied;
 provide specificity – they ensure that the research is geared at a specific area of a theme;
 guide the information – they organize the study into clearly defined parts.

Research Hypothesis: A statement clearly stating the relationship between the independent and
dependent variables. It is a statement to be tested, it is an assumption made based on what
observed to be happening in the society as well as information from existing sources of literature.
It is a statement which predicts the cause-and-effect relationship between two or more
variables. A research hypothesis can be:

 an educated guess of conditions of a phenomenon;

 a prediction of a relationship between two variables;
 a tentative statement of a solution to a problem;
 a tentative point of view;
 a preliminary explanation;
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It is a proposition not yet tested. A hypothesis is a specific statement that relates to a problem,
presenting the answer as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ depending on the outcome of the research. For this reason,
it is a useful tool to help focus general research problems for meaningful analysis.

Writing a Hypothesis

When you write a hypothesis, it must:

 make a prediction;
 be formulated in simple terms that are easily understood;
 identify at least two variables, an independent and a dependent variable, and make
a clear distinction between them;
 provide the opportunity for refutation; this means that the results of the study can
be open to being proven false;
 correspond to existing knowledge;
 seek to provide an acceptable explanation of fact.

Example:
Topic: Housing in Trinidad (Broad or general)

Issue or Problem: usually starts with an observation of what is happening in the society.
The majority of people are unable to afford to own a house in our society.

Research Hypothesis/ Statement of the Problem

To what extent does the high cost of housing hinders people from owning a home?

The assumption being made here is the possibility of owning a home is dependent on the cost of
owning a home and the higher the cost the less likely it is for people to own their homes.
Therefore, owning a home is described as the dependent variable and high cost is described as
the independent variable.
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Research Questions

Research questions are smaller questions or sub questions which guides the research in ensuring
that the general objective of the research is achieved at the end of the study or investigation. The
general objective is reflected in the hypothesis or the statement of the problem. This can be
further broken down accordingly:

1. What is the cost of housing?

2. What percentage of persons live in their parents/family home?
3. What percentage of persons live in rented houses/apartments?
4. Do people prefer to rent or purchase a property?

Significance of the Study

The Significance of the Study is usually referred to as the ‘Rationale’. It is the explanation or
justification of the worthiness of conducting that particular research. It is a description of the
work’s importance, the benefits that are to be derived from the study and the overall impact that
it will have. The Significance provides a brief explanation of why your research topic is worthy
of study and why it may have a significant impact on the body of already existing research. The
researcher must consider the following in presenting the Significance of the Study:

• How the study will fill knowledge gaps in that area or promote further research.

• The impact the study will have on the public as well as those in the field of research.

• The practical benefits to be derived.

• The influence it might have on public policy.

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The Literature Review

This is foundation of research because it summarizes the findings or assertions of previous

research. A literature review is:

 A critical analysis and summary of a published body of knowledge;

 The researcher’s conclusions about the topic. In conducting research, there are numerous
authentic sources from which you can gather information for your literature review. The
main sources from which you should gather information are textbooks, statistical
reports, archives, minutes of meetings, newspaper reports, internet sources and oral
histories.

Advantages of conducting a literature review:

 Allows the researcher to gather current findings about the research topic.
 Provides greater understanding of an unfamiliar topic.
 Gives new ideas that can be utilized by the researcher.
 Prevents the researcher from doing what has already been done.
 Allows the researcher to identify flaws and problems of previous research.
 Highlights conflicts between the views of different authors.
 Provides the researcher with options in the selection of possible approaches. Once the
literature review has been completed, the researcher should:
 have a solid foundation of knowledge in the area;
 have a clearer understanding of where their research will go and what questions they
need to pose;
 Have a knowledge of the experts he/she will need to consult if questions about the topic
arise.

The purpose of the literature review is to:

 Identify and discuss the sources that have contributed to your research topic;
 Define, refine, establish and focus your research topic;
 Provide information about the viewpoint your research will take;
 Draw attention to inaccuracies in previous research;
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 Justify your research by showing there has been previous interest in the area and by
highlighting gaps in the previous research which your research can help fill.

Example

Research Hypothesis

To what extent does the quality of student-teacher relationship influence student motivation?

Research Questions

1. How do students feel about teachers?

2. How do teacher's attitude affect students?

Literature Review

Barberos, Gonzalo, and Padayogdog (2019) suggest that teachers play a critical role in education

and ought to be proficient in order to impart knowledge to their students. They contend that when

students are motivated, learning takes place easier. Furthermore, they argued that in order for a

teacher to capture students' interest, a variety of teaching styles or techniques be employed. They

believed that teachers must recognize diversity in the classroom and a myriad of teaching

strategies be employed. Barberos et al (2019) also support the view espoused in the Educator's

Diary (1995) that "teaching takes place only when learning does"

Frenzel, Taxer, Schwab, and Kuhbandner (2018) has identified teacher enthusiasm as a main

factor in high-quality teaching. They believed that teachers' motivation are directly related to

students' motivation and emotional experiences. They contend that teachers emit positive

motivational signals that can motivate students to learn.

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Similarly, Kohler (2014) found that in classes where teachers appear to teach with little passion

for the material, students also seem to exhibit little enthusiasm for the subject material.

Conversely, in classes where teachers taught with passion and excitement, the student also

seemed to be more excited and receptive to the content taught. Her findings were supported by

research done by Keller, Goetz, and Hansley (2014) found that "dispositional teacher enthusiasm

directly correlates with student-interest in a subject"

Locus Assignments (2012) argued that the relationship between teachers and students is one of

the most important factors in a learning environment. They argued that an educator enhances

communication with students to allow for quality learning. As supported by Silver (2018), good

teachers get to know their students' hopes, fears and aspirations. He explained that educators

should communicate their appreciation for what their students do by celebrating their successes

and constantly encouraging them. This in turn, helps students feel recognized and validated

which by extension makes them more motivated in class.

Goldenburg (2014) agreed that expectations have some effect on achievement. He implied that

when a teacher has high expectations for his students, regarding them as capable and expecting

them to perform well, that teacher attempts to teach more and create a positive atmosphere, to

push students to a higher academic achievement.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) Barberos, M. T., Gonzalo, A., & Padayogdog, E., (2019). Ed.D. Chapter 1 The effect of

teachers’ teaching style on students’ motivation. Steinhardt School of Culture, Education,

and Human Development.

2) Educator's Diary (1995), Phoenix Publishing house, Quezon City.

3) Elliott, J. G., Hufton, N. R., Willis, W., & Illushin, L., 2015; Fredrick’s, Blumenfeld &

Paris, 2004; Reeve, 2006. Motivation, engagement and educational performance:

International perspectives on the contexts for learning

4) Frenzel A. C., Taxer, J., Schwab, C., & Kuhbandner, C., (2018). Motivation and

Emotion: Independent and joint effects of teacher enthusiasm and motivation on student

motivation and experiences: A filed experiment.

5) Goldenburg, B. M., (2014). Urban Education, from journals.sagepub.com.

6) Keller, M. M., Goetz, T., Becker, E. S., Morger, V., & Hansley, L. (2014). Feeling and

Showing : A new conceptualization of dispositional teacher enthusiasm and its

relationship to students’ interest. Learning and Instruction, 33(1), 29-28.

7) Kohler, I., (2014). Focus on Teacher Education.

8) Locus Assignments (2012). The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships:

locusassignments.com.
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9) Silver, R. B., Measelle, J., Armstrong, J., Essex, M. J., (2018). Journey of School

Psychology: Contributions of child characteristics and the teacher-child relationship

during school. Retrieved (February 2016), from researchgate.net

Referencing Style

In the writing of any research, it is extremely important that the researcher acknowledges the

sources from which he or she has gathered information. In some instances, you will be citing the

work that you used, in other cases you will be paraphrasing. As you will need to include

information about all these sources in the bibliography, it is best to familiarize yourself with the

means of citing sources. A Bibliography is a compilation, arranged alphabetically, of the

sources that the researcher consulted in the process of conducting his or her research.

There are three major referring styles used for citing sources. These are the American

Psychology Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA) and Chicago Manual of

Style.

APA – The American Psychology Association, is the reference style used in Social Sciences.

The American Psychological Association (APA) sets out some key requirements for referencing,

writing the bibliography and the appendices. For text citation, the APA utilizes the author-date

method of citation. This means that the author is listed by last name, and date of publication

within the text. The guidelines to follow for referencing are:

 Include a quote or to summarize an author, you must include the page number or

paragraph number.
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 Direct quotes that are fewer than 40 words must be incorporated in your text. Use

quotation marks to separate the quote.

 Direct quotes that are more than 40 words must be separated from your text and

presented as an indented block of text. You do not use quotation marks in this

case.

MLA – The Modern Language Association provides researchers with guidelines for

writing and acknowledging the works of others. It provides guidelines for formatting

your writing as well as references. In using the MLA formatting there are some basic

rules that apply:

 Using a standard font such as Times New Roman, size 12.

 Double-spacing throughout the paper.

 Setting margins of one inch for top, bottom and both sides.

 Using indentation for paragraphs.

 Numbering pages consecutively, placing it in the top right-hand corner.

 Double-spacing within each citation and between each citation.

 Having a page titled ‘Work Cited’.

Chicago Manual of Style – a guide for structuring citations, and using grammar and language in

writing. It establishes the criteria for academic publishing in the Humanities. For the Chicago

Style, there are a few things you should remember:

 URLs must be cited for online sources.

 A list of sources cited (bibliography) should be included and titled ‘References’.

This should be placed at the end of the text.

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 The general format for text citations is (Author Last Name, Year of Publication,

Page number).

 The citation should usually be placed at the end of the sentence, but before the

punctuation mark.

 It uses footnotes (notes printed at the bottom of the page to explain further, cite

references, or add a comment).

 Newspapers are rarely included in the list of references. All information related to

them should be in the body of the work in parenthesis. The format would be

(Newspaper Name, Day Month Year of Publication, Section, Page number).

Plagiarism – (or literary theft) is the act of passing off work of others as your own without
giving credit to the source that provided it. Plagiarism is a very serious offence and can have far-
reaching effects on the persons involved. Acknowledging your sources is the surest way of avoid
allegations of plagiarism. The best way to do this is to document all the sources that you have
gathered information from.

Penalties can be:

 Legal – being taken to court and fined for copyright violations;

 Academic – being given a failing grade, being expelled from the institution and being
blacklisted.
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