Conducting Educational Research
Caroll
Caroll
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WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION<br />
listing is not a glossary or a dictionary. It should only include salient terms that<br />
may cause confusion because of their use. “As has been demonstrated in the literature<br />
many times, sometimes seemingly familiar terms develop a life of their own as<br />
a diversity of definitions, understandings, and interpretations emerge over time”<br />
(Loughran, 2006, p. 1). Some examples of these are reflection, looping, blended,<br />
inclusion, cooperative learning. The purpose of including the definitions is so the<br />
readers will understand the meaning of the terms as you intend them to be understood.<br />
Examples of introductory chapters for several of students are located in<br />
Appendix 2-A, located at the end of this chapter. Reading through them may<br />
help give you a more solid understanding of what goes into Chapter One.<br />
NEXT STEPS<br />
You are taking the hardest step. You are examining your professional life and<br />
determining what problem you would like to solve. After you decide on a purpose<br />
for your study, you have what you need to craft your question into a researchable<br />
problem statement. Chapter One of your research paper will lay the groundwork<br />
for what you want to do and why. It’s now time to examine what others have to say<br />
and have done in the same area. On to the Literature Review!<br />
CHAPTER SELF-CHECK<br />
Having completed this chapter, you should be comfortable discussing the<br />
following:<br />
− considerations in deciding on a problem statement<br />
− requirements of a researchable question<br />
− characteristics of qualitative and quantitative questions<br />
− guidelines for writing your problem statement<br />
− ethical considerations when designing a study<br />
− regulations affecting studies with human subjects<br />
− organization and writing Chapter One<br />
CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS<br />
1. What makes a question researchable?<br />
2. Frame a question for the following problems:<br />
a. You are interested in discovering how the teachers in your building feel<br />
about the new reading curriculum.<br />
b. You are interested in determining whether the implementation of the<br />
new reading problem will affect student scores on the annual statewide<br />
reading test.<br />
c. You want to know both how teachers feel about the new reading<br />
program and if the reading program will affect student achievement<br />
scores.<br />
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