CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RESEARCH PROCESS
14.1 Objectives
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
i. Explain the background of the study;
ii. Discuss the statement of the problem;
iii. Explain the objective of the study;
iv. Describe the significance of the study
v. State the research question
vi. Formulate the research hypotheses
vii. State the basic assumption
14.2 Introduction
In this chapter, you will read about how to explain the background of the study, statement of the problem and other sub-headings in chapter one of research report.
14.3 Background of the Study or Introduction
This section is intended to introduce the research problem. The introduction contextualizes the research topic within a particular discipline. It is usually prudent for the author not to presume that the reader has a comprehensive understanding of the study's topic. The background material should describe the problem's origin, its breadth, and the extent to which past studies have effectively researched the issue, highlighting any gaps that your study seeks to fill.
It is the responsibility of the author to introduce the reader to the issue area in as succinct a manner as feasible. By citing reliable sources, the researcher may demonstrate that the examination of the issue area had been inadequate, insufficient, or nonexistent. The researcher must provide a clear picture of the circumstances and events surrounding the inquiry, including their impact on the topic being studied. All facts required to comprehend the problem area under examination should be stated succinctly and rationally. All factors included in the topic of study should be briefly addressed and connected.
Example; "Effects of Scaffolding Learning Strategy on Senior Secondary School Students' Achievement and Attitude in Solid Geometry" For the topic above, issues to be discussed in the background of the study should include:
i. The importance of mathematics in the overall development of human activities, including its role in the development of science and information technology;
ii. The significance of solid geometry; and
iii. These factors may include the inadequate background of the pupils, the lack of subject-matter expertise of the teachers, the substandard educational atmosphere, and the ineffective teaching methods.
iv. Discuss briefly the attempts made by previous students to tackle this problem and why the researcher believes his work will help solve or decrease the issue.
v. Discuss briefly the notion of scaffolding strategy and the theoretical foundation upon which it was constructed.
vi. Discuss attitude and how it affects mathematics learning briefly.
14.4 Statement of the Issue
The problem should be stated in straightforward language. The problem statement might be either declarative or interrogative. It explains why there is a deficiency or an unacceptable situation in the specific area of research. It is crucial for the researcher to demonstrate how the solution to the problem or the answer to the question might enhance teaching and learning. In other words, the researcher must justify why the planned study is worth the time, effort, and price (Best & Kahn, 2009). A proper formulation of the problem must specify precisely what is to be determined or addressed and limit the scope of the research to a single subject. The problem should neither be too broad nor too specific. If the claimed problem is very broad and imprecise, there is no clear indication of the research's intended path. On the other hand, the problem must not be so limited as to be meaningless and trivial. The search problem is mentioned in a few phrases. According to (Creswell, 2012), widely used statements for the description of problem include: 'the objective of the study will be...', 'this study will be done to...', and 'the problem to be studied by this study is...'.
Example; "The Effects of a Scaffolding Strategy on the Achievement and Attitude of Senior Secondary School Students in Solid Geometry"
According to the preceding debates and the findings of researchers, one of the causes of poor performance is an overemphasis on syllabus covering at the price of meaningful acquisition of mathematics ideas (Onwuka & Moseri, 2011). The lecture technique is still widely employed in Nigerian mathematics classrooms, despite its evident and significant limitations (Kankia, 2008). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2014) has advocated learning mathematics with comprehension as the vision for how school mathematics might be taught (Abdullahi, 2010). The purpose of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge by investigating the effect of scaffolding teaching tactics on the accomplishment and attitude of senior secondary school one (SS1) students in trigonometry.
14.5 The Purpose of the Study
The objective, purpose, or goal of the study describes the primary steps the researcher wants to take to provide a solution to the problem indicated in the problem statement. Typically, the objective of the study serves as a guide for the planned research topics. The study should specify the desired outcomes, ensuring that a solution to the identified problem is in place by the time these objectives are met. Therefore, the objective of the study must be explicit and unambiguous for the researcher. The entire research effort hinges on the study's goal. It is a good habit to list the tasks that will be performed for the goal of the research.
Example: "The Effects of Scaffolding on the Achievement and Attitude of Senior Secondary School Students in Solid Geometry"
The primary objective of this study was to examine the impact of scaffolding skills on the success and attitude of senior secondary students about a particular notion of solid geometry. Specifically, the study aimed to:
i. determine whether there are variations in students' performance in solid geometry when taught utilizing a scaffolding technique.
ii. determine if there are variations in the accomplishment of male and female students in solid geometry when taught utilizing the scaffolding technique.
iii. determine if students taught utilizing a scaffolding method will experience a change in their attitudes.
14.6 Research Problems
These are built and organized questions aimed to assist the researcher to a solution for the identified problem. By posing the questions, the researcher seems to imply that solutions to the problems can be found if these questions can be answered. Agee (2009) suggested that an initial generating question might be posed, followed by the formulation of subordinate inquiries. Depending on the subject of the overall inquiry, several sub-questions may be posed. If this is the case, the researcher must guarantee that the questions positively correspond with the goal of the study, or that they are congruent.
Example: "Effects of Scaffolding Strategy on the Achievement and Attitude of Senior Secondary School Students in Solid Geometry"
On the basis of the mentioned objectives, purposes, or goals, the following research questions can be formulated:
i. What are the mean performance scores in solid geometry for SS1 students taught using the scaffolding technique vs those taught using the lecture method?
ii. Will there be any discrepancies between male and female performance in solid geometry when the scaffolding technique is utilized?
Is there a difference in the attitudes of male and female students who use the scaffolding strategy?
14.7 Scientific Hypotheses
In investigations that need the manipulation and control of variables and those that seek to demonstrate a cause-and-effect connection between variables, the development of nontrivial hypotheses becomes vital. A hypothesis is a reasonable response to the investigational inquiries. According to Tashakkori and Creswell (2007), hypotheses are the researcher's predictions on the predicted relationships between variables. Notably, research hypotheses should be consistent with the study topic and given in null form, i.e. "no significant difference" or "no link.””
Example; “Effects of Scaffolding Strategy on the Achievement and Attitude of Senior Secondary School Students in Solid Geometry"
On the basis of the aforementioned research questions, the following research hypotheses might be formulated:
i. There is no significant difference in the mean performance scores of SSI students who were taught solid geometry using the scaffolding technique and those who were taught using the lecture method.
ii. There is no significant difference between male and female performance in solid geometry when scaffolding method is employed.
There is no discernible difference in the attitudes of male and female students taught using the scaffolding approach.
14.8 Importance of the Research
Every research endeavor is performed with the intention of advancing education-related knowledge. The inquiry may have been conducted to address a practical issue or to address a gap in educational theory. The researcher must demonstrate the significance of the proposed study and the impact it would make if carried out. The researcher describes who will profit from his study and how they will do so.
14.9 Range or Boundaries of the Study
This section should outline the study's limits in terms of its subject matter. Each research conducted in a field represents a small portion of a vast field. Thus, in this part, the researcher should exhibit understanding of the regions or dimensions of the issue and then precisely describe the area he/she want to address in the study. The researcher should specify the boundaries or limits of the investigation. It helps to place the study in its right context, allowing the researcher to determine the precise component of the topic he wishes to investigate and the scope of the investigation. Delimitation is performed to make the study viable, practical, conductable, and generalizable. For instance, delimitations are created by providing the time, the location of the population, and the sampling site.
14.10 Fundamental Hypothesis of the Study
Assumptions are statements of what the researcher thinks to be facts but cannot verify. A researcher may assume that the participants, i.e., the SSI students in the study, have studied the mathematical content they are expected to cover in their JSS. Likewise, the instructors in the sampled schools are qualified and competent to instruct at those levels.
Student Activity
For the topic “The Effectsof Improvised Instructional Materials on Students Performance in Solid Geometry”
1. a. Mention any 4 things that need to be included in the background for the topic above.
b. State any two research questions and corresponding two hypotheses.
2. Mention any five possible significances of the topic above.
3. For the topic “The Survey on Relationship Between the Attitude and Academic Achievement of N.C.E II Students of Niger State College of Education.
a. Mention any three purposes of the research.
b. Mention any two scopes of the study.
14.11 Summary
In this chapter, background of the study was discussed as part of item containing in chapter one of research process. In this chapter also, statement of the problem, objective, scope of the study, basic assumption, including research questions and hypotheses were learnt.
References
Awotunde, P. O. & Ugodulunwa, C. A. (2002). An introduction to statistical methods in education.Printed and published in Nigeria by FcbAnieh (Nig) ltd.
National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna (2000): Course book on education