Conducting Educational Research

CHAPTER 1
hypothesis, make a conclusion). While this works well for many scientific problems,
it really is not a “one size fits all” methodology—think ecological studies, as an
example. The same holds true with the five-chapter design for educational research
that we are about to describe. This model works for many educational studies, but
not necessarily all. However, it brings an easy to understand, logical structure to
your work and it is by far the most common approach to reporting on educational
research.
This basic design of educational research involves the following five components:
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – Review of the Literature
Chapter 3 – Study Design and Research Methods
Chapter 4 – Results
Chapter 5 – Discussion/Conclusions/Implications
Let’s look at these chapters with a little more detail so you’ll have a better
understanding of what is ahead (see Figure 1-2). Chapter One, the Introduction, is a
narrative that lets the reader know what you plan to study or examine. It sets the
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Figure 1-2. Schematic of a five chapter design.