Fundamentals of Research PDF

Unit 1 – Introduction to Research Overview: This unit describes the purpose and importance of research and how research paved the way in the creation of knowledge. This unit will explain the meaning and nature of research and identify the parts of a scientific research paper. Learning Outcomes: Af...

Unit 1 – Introduction to Research Overview: This unit describes the purpose and importance of research and how research paved the way in the creation of knowledge. This unit will explain the meaning and nature of research and identify the parts of a scientific research paper. Learning Outcomes: After completion of this lesson, you will be able to competently do the following: Discuss the need for doing research, Explain what research is, Discuss the role of research in our society Differentiate Thesis vs Feasibility Study Enumerate the characteristics of research Describe the research process and describe the difficulties encountered in research Cite sources of research topics Course Materials: Research is a way of examining one’s practice which is undertaken within most professions. More than a set of skills, research is a way of thinking – a critical examination of the various aspects of professional work. It is a habit of questioning what you do and a systematic examination of the observed information to find answers. We do research in order to understand content of directed reading within courses. It aids us in writing essays or reviews of published literature and allows us to plan and conduct projects where there is an element of research in the investigation or the evaluation of what was done. As in any activity, necessary skills are needed in doing research. Primary to these is good library working skills especially in searching for the right materials to be included. Having an eye for details and an inquisitive mind is very much helpful especially in determining specific details about the research. Of course, critical thinking and thinking outside conventions are as important as the others. Research is a toilsome but exciting adventure. Research allows a person to learn about global, regional and local issues. It deepens one’s knowledge and experience in 1 his topic of interest. It is a journey towards self-discovery. Good research results contribute to the existing body of knowledge in a certain field of study. Meaning of Research There are many different definitions of research based on the many different philosophies and opinions about the world. Research simply is about generating knowledge on what we believe the world is. The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search (Duehn, 1985). The first syllable is a prefix meaning again, anew or over again, and the last as a verb meaning to examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe. Together they form a noun describing a careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles (Grinell & Unrau, 2008). Research is a structured enquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to solve problems and create new knowledge that is generally applicable. Scientific methods consist of systematic observation, classification, and interpretation of data. The difference between day-to-day generalization and the conclusions of scientific methods lies in the degree of formality, rigorousness, verifiability, and general validity of the latter. Research is also defined as a systematic enquiry, which is reported in a form that allows the research methods and outcomes to be accessible to others (Allison, Hilton, O'Sullivan, Owen, & Rothwell, 2016). With research, we are concerned with seeking solutions to problems or answers to meaningful questions. By meaningful questions we mean questions expressed in a way that indicates what you will accept as an answer. This is in contrast with non-meaningful questions (in research terms) that are not answerable as a result of enquiry alone (e.g. judgmental or metaphysical questions). Research is defined as a “structured inquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to solve problems and creates generally acceptable knowledge” (Grinnell, 1993). It is about confirming that what you assume or think is based on science. The results of the findings is not necessarily imposed to anyone. Another researcher may accept or reject it; he/she just have to prove his points or views by conducting related research to come up with scientific proof. Research is generation of new knowledge to add up to what is known today. Nature of Research The scientific method “is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge” (Goldhaber & Nieto 2010). The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where? A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is an attempt to answer your question with an 2 explanation that can be tested. A good hypothesis allows you to then make a prediction. Your experiment tests whether your prediction is accurate. In the experiment, you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same. Once your experiment is complete, you collect your data/measurements and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not. Researchers often find that their predictions were not accurate and their hypothesis was not supported, and in such cases they will communicate the results of their experiment and then go back and construct a new hypothesis and prediction based on the information they learned during their experiment. This starts much of the process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis was supported, they may want to test it again in a new way. Research, as a scientific method of inquiry involves systematic processes right methods and techniques, and appropriate tools. Figure 1 Model of Scientific Inquiry The Scientific Method of Doing Research: 1. Do background research and synthesize related studies on topic of interest 2. Ask questions. Identify gaps in the existing body of knowledge. 3. Do more detailed background research and review of related literatures. Identify their limitations. 4. Develop hypothesis 5. Test hypothesis (using Methods) 6. Analyze data (Results of tests and methods) 7. Interpret findings (Discussion and Conclusions) 3 Importance of Research Research is the source of new discoveries that are utilized to support the truth; to help researchers in the discovery of new phenomena and deduce meaning from complex situations; to help us make informed decisions; to improve teaching in universities; to help businesses or organizations to improve, re- think or re design certain aspects of the business for success; to create and implement policies, procedures, techniques, and tools that help solve societal or organizational problems in the local, national, regional or international scope. Researches that are funded by government agencies should be attuned to the national development plan. Hence, these researches should be relevant and responsive to the needs of the society; and organizations should be able to use the results (data generated) of the study for the improvement of organizational processes. Characteristics of Research Empirical - based on observations and experimentation on theories. Systematic - follows orderly and sequential procedure. Controlled - all variables except those that are tested/experimented upon are kept constant. Employs hypothesis – an assumption that guides the investigation process Analytical - There is critical analysis of all data used so that there is no error in their interpretation Objective, Unbiased, & Logical - all findings are logically based on empirical data Employs quantitative or statistical methods - data are transformed into numerical measures and are treated statistically. Source: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Characteristics_of_research The Research Process Research is a systematic process of discovering something. You conduct research because you want to fill some gap in the existing body of knowledge. You want to gather data from which you will draw out your findings and conclusions. Gathering these data and information requires several painstaking activities including formulating specific research questions or objectives, formulating hypotheses or assumptions, conducting surveys and experiments, recording, analyzing and then interpreting the results of these 4 surveys and experiments. For those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics field, it is often necessary to develop models, tools, or prototypes that will be subjected to tests and experiments. A researcher might conduct an experiment to determine the level of accuracy or reliability of a new technology (model/prototype) in terms of a specific aspect. An experiment is also necessary to determine the effect of the introduced innovation or intervention to a certain population. Results of these tests and experiments will then be summarized and analyzed to answer the specific research questions formulated early in the research process. These specific research questions serve as specific objectives that will guide researchers along the research process. The right methodologies and techniques need to be applied to be able to come up with the data that will serve to answer these specific questions. Below are the steps in developing your thesis, which is an academic research. Figure 2 Steps in the research process - experimental Begin with a question. Think about which topics and theories you are interested in and what you would like to know more about. You may want to choose a problem related to your own personal battle in your specific program or field of study. Think about the topics and theories you have studied in your program. Is there some question you feel the body of knowledge in your field does not answer adequately? A good research (point of inquiry/investigation) actually stems from conflicting theoretical claims of theorists, and/or conflicting results from previous studies. It may also stem from a sound recommendation of past researcher. 5  In formulating research objectives (specific problem statements or research questions): there is no point to prove something (in the problem statement) that is already obvious or is known. There is also no point to compare characteristics/data resulting from the difference in structure and nature (e.g., comparing performance of different algorithmic structures is like comparing the performance of a dog and a cat). Thesis advisers and/or thesis panel should look into all these things. However, we should be careful not to presume that a certain inquiry or investigation already has a given or fixed answer or if the already known value/answer generally applies to all scenarios. Search. Once you have a question in mind, begin looking for information relevant to the topic (related literatures and studies), and its theoretical framework. Back-up your claims by schematic or textual framework from emerging theories discussed in which the study was anchored. Theoretical framework serves as blueprint of the study that allows you to understand how things go the way they will. It contains explanation or meaning of variables (and relationship of variables) in your study. However, theoretical framework is not necessary for experimental studies. Read everything you can--academic research, trade literature, and information in the popular press and on the Internet. Start writing early; keep notes while reading. Present a coherent framework – what are the major approaches?; what are the main open problems? When you write, don’t just copy, give your own opinion. A good way to scoop from an existing study is to determine what statement of the author struck you most. Then determine in which part of your research paper you will mention that author or his/her work. Propose. As you become well-informed about your topic and prior research on the topic, your knowledge should suggest a purpose for your thesis. When you can express this purpose clearly, you are ready to write your thesis proposal (Chapters 1-3). This document specifies the purpose of the study, significance of the study, a tentative review of the literature on the topic and its theoretical framework (a working bibliography should be attached), your research questions and/or hypotheses, and how you will collect and analyze your data (your proposed instrumentation should be attached). You may come up with a formal working title for your research where important words are placed first, and leaving out unnecessary words. All claims (e.g. variables) in the title should be supported by the data that will be generated by the research. 6  After writing the proposal, spare time to sit down with research team members and contributors to refine your plans if needed and to make explicit expectations for completion of the thesis. Once your instrumentation is developed and validated, you need to present and clear it and your informed consent protocol with the thesis review panel before you begin collecting data. Leave adequate time for the review. The thesis proposal should have two (2) versions – one for the thesis manuscript and a publishable format for the proposal defense panel. (See difference between thesis and publishable paper in the appendix). Gather the Research Data. The next steps are collecting and analyzing data, writing up the findings, and composing the final chapters (Chapters 4-5). You should make sure Chapters 1 and 2 are now fully developed. Your chair and panel committee members provide guidance as needed at this point but expect you to work as independently as possible. You should be prepared to hire assistance with coding and data entry and data analysis if needed. Write. Write the thesis; but do not start writing without having full knowledge on the research study. Each thesis is unique but all share several common elements: Chapter 1-Purpose and significance of the study, Chapter 2 - Review of the Literature, Chapter 3- Methodology, Chapter 4- Findings Chapter 5- Discussions and Conclusion. Sometimes, findings and discussions are placed in the same chapter. For more of the research process you may go to https://guides.lib.usf.edu/c.php?g=291297&p=2104188#:~:text=The%20research%20pr ocess%20involves%20identifying,developing%20and%20expressing%20your%20ideas. &text=The%20research%20process%20can%20be,manageable%20and%20easier%20 to%20understand.. 7 Difficulties In Research Doing research is not easy. Below are proven challenges encountered by researchers worldwide: Challenge: Choosing the Right Topic Your research topic is the foundation on which everything else rests, so it’s crucial to choose carefully. Dr. Susuann V. Getsch emphasizes that you cannot do anything else until you figure out the basic focus of your topic. She shares her recommendations for choosing an effective research topic. 1. Develop a doable topic. Determine what resources you have available— time, money, people—and choose a topic that you can do justice. Getsch scrapped an initial study idea of replicating another researcher’s study because it would be too resource-intensive. 2. Read everything you can on the topic. Getsch “stumbled across” systems theory, an interdisciplinary framework for understanding systems in science and society. The topic was outside her required class reading, but ultimately provided Getsch’s theoretical framework. 3. Find a theoretical basis to support your topic. The key is having an overarching theoretical context for your results. “I was really thrilled when I found these theories that fit my study like a glove,” Getsch says. 4. Make sure the topic will hold your interest. You’ll be spending at least a year on a dissertation or any large research project, so it has to be compelling enough that you’ll go the distance. 5. Look for a niche in which you can make a difference … My view is that you really should be offering something new to the field,” says Getsch. 1. … but remember you can’t change the world with one dissertation. Getsch’s dissertation committee chair, Dr. Stephanie Cawthon, helped her focus on the crux of what she wanted to explore. “She gently pointed out that I couldn’t change the whole world with my dissertation, but I could add to the body of knowledge,” says Getsch. 2. Let yourself shift gears. Getsch admits that the topic she started out with was “in no way” what she ended up with. 3. Fine-tune your topic based on input from others. “Take every opportunity you can to pick the brains” of experts, Getsch recommends. “I went across disciplines. I drove people crazy. And each time, I would revise slightly based on what the last person taught me.” 8  Challenge: Choosing the Right Methodology Once you’ve chosen a topic, you’ll need a methodology—a procedure for conducting your research—to move forward. “The best way to choose it is not to choose.” In other words, “the methodology that’s used comes from the research question, not from your personal preferences for one design or another.” Refrain from choosing between a qualitative or quantitative methodology until you: 1. Complete the sentence: “The problem is …” Complete the sentence: “The purpose of this study is …” Formulate your research questions. 2. Let your answers guide you. Determine what kind of design and methodology can best answer your research questions. If your questions include words such as “explore,” “understand,” and “generate,” it’s an indication that your study is qualitative. Whereas words such as “compare,” “relate,” or “correlate” indicate a quantitative study. The design comes out of the study, rather than being imposed on the study. 3. Hone your study design. Once you become clear whether you’re going in a quantitative or qualitative direction, you can begin to look in more detail at the methodology. This will be determined by figuring out “from whom you’re going to collect data, how you’re going to collect the data, and how you’re going to analyze it once you collect it,” says Crawford. 4. Be crystal clear. For a qualitative study, you might use focus groups and interviews, for example, to collect data, whereas a quantitative study may use test scores or survey results. Either way, the methodology should be so clear that any other trained researcher should be able to pick it up and do it exactly the same way. 5. Be honest about your abilities. Ask yourself, “This is what the study demands—do I have the skills to do it?” says Crawford. If not, determine if you can develop the skills or bring together a research team. 6. Take your time with the planning process. “It’s worth consulting other researchers, doing a pilot study to test it, before you go out spending the time, money, and energy to do the big study,” Crawford says. “Because once you begin the study, you can’t stop.” Challenge: Assembling a Research Team Research is never done in a vacuum. Once your topic and methodology are in place, you will need a research team to support you, as well as study participants. Dr. Lynette Savage ’09, PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, recommends assembling a network of advisors before starting your research: 9  1. Solicit useful feedback. Savage suggests that you “cultivate friendships with people who are going to help you think critically” about your topic. These people are invaluable for helping you consider your idea from a different angle or perspective. 2. Vet your committee. If you need a formal committee, choose your chairperson carefully, Savage says, “because you’re going to work closely with him or her for a while.” She recommends interviewing your potential chair and committee members to make sure there’s a match and discussing upfront what each party needs in order to go through the process. This includes asking whom your chairperson is comfortable working with—“The chair helps negotiate things if the committee can’t come to agreement, so he or she needs to get along with everyone else,” Savage explains. 3. Be clear about your needs. Similarly, when it comes to finding mentors, or getting help for tasks such as creating a survey tool or writing your research question, Savage suggests being very clear about what you need from them. “People are very willing to help when you come structured and prepared,” she says. Challenge: Finding Study Participants Once you have your team together, it’s time to conduct your study, and that means finding participants. Dr. Rodney Lemery ’08, PhD in Public Health, managed to overcome a big challenge to recruiting participants for his study: “Like a lot of epidemiology researchers, I was trying to target a ‘hidden population’—men who have sex with men,” he explains. Lemery shares how, through trial and error, he recruited 125 participants for his study. 1. Don’t waste your money. Lemery first tried hiring a third-party email marketing group to send his survey to 50,000 self-identified men who fit his criteria. While email marketing might work in some cases, it’s a costly risk— Lemery spent $2,500 and got just four subjects. 2. Leverage the power of a network. Lemery’s next attempt to reach his target group was more successful. He used what are called “snowball” sampling techniques—“targeting a particular group, locating advocates within that social network,” and then asking them to recommend others who might be willing to participate in the study. “You almost get a domino effect, if it works,” Lemery explains. 3. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Lemery also approached established researchers in his field for guidance and networking. “I was very nervous, but I went ahead anyway and contacted two very well-known researchers, 10  and one of them turned out to be a very key advocate in my research and recruitment,” he explains. “If I had listened to my fear, I never would have gotten 45 of my participants.” His advice to others looking for mentors: “Just go for it—the worst thing that can happen is that people can say no.” Challenge: Getting Institutions to Participate Sometimes recruiting study participants requires going through institutions, which may put up barriers, particularly if your research is controversial or sensitive, and this presents an additional challenge. Dr. Eileen Berg ’09, Doctor of Education (EdD), conducted her doctoral study on the relationship between teachers’ unions and educators throughout schools and districts in Ontario, Canada, and came up against strong resistance due to the political nature of her topic. And Dr. Christopher Plum ’09, PhD in Education, needed to observe Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings—in which a plan is developed to help students with disabilities—in order to conduct his research. These meetings are often very difficult for parents and students, and getting access required permission from school districts, as well as the parents, student, and school psychologists attending each meeting. Berg and Plum offer suggestions for getting institutional buy-in: 1. Don’t stop at the first rejection. “I went to one of the superintendents, and she said, ‘That’s interesting, but you’re not going to get any support from this school district,’” says Berg. “So I started to apply to different districts and got all these rejections—the influence of the unions in Ontario was so strong that nobody wanted to participate. 2. Pursue alternate avenues. After extensive research online and networking, Berg eventually found an organization that would promote the study to principals and another organization that agreed to publish a notice about the study in its bulletin for teachers. 3. Persevere. “If it’s an extremely hot topic, you’re going to have the doors blocked,” Berg says. “You need to persevere, you need to make contacts, you need to network with people and make phone calls and ask, ‘How can you help me?’... Just sending emails won’t work.” 4. Build relationships. Plum agrees that when going through institutions to find study participants, the key “is trying to form relationships with the people who will help you gain access.” 5. Learn to sell yourself. “You’ve got to do a lot of selling of yourself and what you’re trying to do,” Plum says. But, he warns, there’s a fine line between being persistent and not turning people off. “That’s the art,” he says. “You have to finesse it and understand the importance of building that comfort level. The people who are the gatekeepers have to believe that you’re 11  coming in objectively and that what your research yields will potentially positively impact the institution in some way. How does this add value?” 6. Be prepared. Plum also stresses the importance of having all of your forms and information—such as a copy of your abstract and a thumb drive with supporting documents—on hand at all times, in case someone wants more information. 7. The importance of image. Finally, Plum says, “presentation is important— it all paints a picture in terms of how you’re going to come across.” Challenge: Staying Motivated and Working Your Plan Sometimes, in the course of a large research project, the biggest challenge can be internal—maintaining the motivation to keep going despite obstacles in your research and the pressures of work and personal commitments. Dr. Latrice Y. Walker ’08 completed her PhD in Education in just eight quarters (while also working “non-stop” on her business). She shares her strategies for maintaining an upbeat, confident attitude and staying the course with any large-scale research project. 1. Follow your passion and your purpose. “The first component of motivation is working on something you’re passionate about, that you believe in,” Walker explains. “It’s cyclical—if you’re passionate about what you’re researching, the research will increase your passion to complete your research.” Passion, she says, comes from the belief that your work will have some kind of social impact, that an injustice in the world could be improved “even just 10 percent.” 2. Monitor your attitude. “When there’s so much to do, attitude does make a difference,” Walker says. “There can be no doubt in your mind that you can do this. You must believe that you can make it through this process.” To stay positive, she suggests thinking of the mind like a garden: “We have to pluck out the negative thoughts like weeds and constantly plant positive thoughts.” 3. Reward yourself. “Make rewards part of your work plan, and then give yourself those rewards,” Walker says. “It could be going to the movies, going out to lunch, spending time with your family—whatever it is, make it something meaningful to you.” 4. Ask for help. Walker credits her family—especially her husband—with helping her handle all her commitments. “If you share your goals with those individuals you care about, they will get to buy in and help you achieve those goals,” she says. “But only share your greatest dreams and goals with people who are going to be positive and supportive.” 12  Challenge: Dealing with Your Data When you’ve completed your study, the final challenge is knowing how to make sense of the data you’ve collected. Dr. Ronald Paige ’07, PhD in Education, was faced with 900-plus pages of transcribed stories from the interviews he conducted. And Dr. Paula Dawidowicz, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, is the author of Literature Reviews Made Easy: A Quick Guide to Success. Paige and Dawidowicz offer tips for working with your data. 1. Ground yourself in the research. Paige realized that, to address his large volume of research, he had to connect his own research to the existing research. Grounded in a “huge survey of the literature,” he had the parameters to organize his research. Dawidowicz adds that your data should be presented in a way that demonstrates how your research adds to the body of knowledge. 2. Get back to your methodology. Paige credits a course in research methodologies taught by his mentor and committee chair, Dr. Linda Crawford, with preparing him to deal with his data. “The books we had to read were excellent,” he says, “and we compared methodologies in class— that was very helpful.” 3. Listen to the data. “When you have that kind of qualitative data, and you’re looking at it cold, the biggest challenge is not to look at it with any preconceived ideas—you literally have to step back and wait for the data to come alive and start speaking,” Paige says. 4. Take advantage of technology. “The key thing in qualitative research is looking for patterns, and that’s where having a software program—I used one called HyperRESEARCH—was invaluable,” Paige says. “I couldn’t have done it without that.” 5. Stay focused. Dawidowicz cautions against being distracted by irrelevant data as you do your analysis. She suggests “keeping a really close eye” on your research questions and your hypothesis, “because sometimes the data you collect will take you away from that.” 6. Account for biases. Dawidowicz explains that, in a quantitative study, the researcher needs to address the biases of the individuals completing the survey before the results can be generalized to a larger population. Whereas qualitative work requires researchers to discuss “how their bias or interpretation may have played into their conclusions.” 7. Let the data drive your presentation. Dawidowicz says, “The data should drive how you present what you’re doing. It’s your job to organize it around the research questions.” 13  8. Draw on the details. “A good quote or a good point pulled from a quantitative survey—that information can always give us a greater sense of what actually occurred,” Dawidowicz says. Adapted from https://www.waldenu.edu/connect/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research- challenges Difficulties Encountered In Research (By Student Researchers) Right Topic. Many bright and able students have their proposal rejected due to not choosing an appropriate topic. A good exercise for you is to look at PhD papers in general. One common theme amongst them is the fact that they are on very specific topics. It is very rare to see a PhD level paper encompass a large umbrella of topics. As such, you focus should be very narrow when deciding which topic to choose for your research. If you need some inspiration then check out some recent papers published related to your subject area. You should be looking for a niche within a field that offers a new perspective. Methodology. Just like your topic, you should also choose the correct methodology for carrying out your proposed research. Choosing the wrong methodology will mean that your proposal is rejected, even if you have a very good topic in mind. When choosing a methodology, it is a good idea to keep many things in mine such as: o Formulate your research questions and then choose a method that best answers these questions. o Be very clear with the methods you are looking to employ. There should be no ambiguity in this matter. o Take your time to carefully formulate a good methodology for your research. o There can be significant challenges within different methodologies that many students often face. For example, it can be tough to find the right participants for your study. For this, it is a good idea to make good use of social media to find the participants you are looking for. Research Material. A large part of research will build upon existing research. This means that you need to acquire good research material to read up on for your 14  proposal. One of the best ways to do this is through looking at academic journals related to your subject area. The journals will have a large archive of all the publications relating to your research. Making use of your university’s library is also a good idea, as they will have many important textbooks for you to read up on. Adapted from https://www.studioamytis.com/difficulties-encountered-by-students-for- research-proposals.html Sources Of Research Topics published materials (magazines, articles, videos, etc.) grey literature (reports, working papers, government documents, white papers and evaluations) current affairs research supervisors and mentors scholarly events national and international development blueprints calls for research papers past research projects where areas for future research are proposed. Characteristics Of Good Research Topics A good research topic should have the following qualities. Clear. Clarity is the most important quality of any research topic. The topic should have to be clear so that others can easily understand the nature of your research. The research topic should have a single interpretation so that people cannot get distracted. The topic should have to be clear in your mind so that you can properly undertake it. The research topic should have to be free of any ambiguity. Clarity also means that the research topic should have to be directional, and it should set the whole research methodology. Well-defined. Well-defined and well-phrased research topic is a half guarantee of a successful research. Sometimes researchers phrase the research topic in such a way that it gives a double-barreled impression. The research topic should have to be well-defined and well-phrased, and it should have to be easy to understand. it should have a single meaning. When the research topic is not well-defined the researcher is not able to formulate the right objectives and the hypothesis. This confusion become worse as the research progresses. If you are not sure about the 15  phrasing of your research problem ask help from your research advisor, supervisor, teacher or any other person who has expertise in research. The language of the research topic should have to be simple. You should use technical terms only when it is necessary, otherwise use simple words so that everyone can understand it. Do not introduce any sort of bias directly or indirectly, willingly or unwillingly in the research topic. The titling of the research problem should follow the rules of titling. There are various rules of titling. You can either use a sentence case or a title case but most of the titles follow title case. Read the rules of titling titles before writing it down. Current importance. Current importance should also be the consideration of the researcher while selecting a research topic. An obsolete topic will not be beneficial for anyone the topic should have current importance. You should also assess how much the topic will provide benefit to the field in which you are conducting the study Adapted from http://researcharticles.com/index.php/what-qualities-good-research-topic/ Thesis Vs Feasibility Study Thesis Thesis is an academic research required to complete an academic degree. It is a claim based on theories and tested through the hypothesis testing process such that results are based on empirical data. As a rule of thumb, if a researcher has no claim to test or prove, there is no thesis. It takes the form of a technical paper that documents the entire research process and the results of the study. It is usually presented to a panel of evaluators for critiquing; and the approved version submitted to the department head as final requirement for course completion. It should be noted that a thesis requires causality and hypothesis testing. Hypothesis testing validates previous claims if they are true in your context. It is an empirical testing of previous theories in your current endeavor, in order to provide definitive conclusion. It is needed to have a basis for action and for the design of evidence-based interventions in the future. But prior to hypothesis formulation, there has to be a semi-complete literature review. The chapter generally suggests some theoretical framework to be explained further in the chapter for literature review. For experimental research, it is necessary to test a null hypothesis. The significance is addressed by discussing how the study adds to the theoretical body of knowledge in the field and the study's practical significance for professionals in 16  the field being examined. You may also explain how the research makes an original contribution to the body of knowledge in the discipline. It is especially critical that this chapter be well developed. Without a clearly defined purpose and strong theoretical grounding, the thesis is fundamentally flawed and is often rejected. As an academic research, a thesis has specified format and required contents depending on the academic program or field of study. A thesis widens/broadens human knowledge by going into previously unexplored areas, eg, by proving or disproving a theory which nobody has proven/disproven before Or, you might extend present knowledge into new areas, eg, if nobody had asked the question before, you might seek to prove the speed with which a body fell in a vacuum, rather than in normal air. A thesis is a detailed theoretical elaboration of the basic ideas, accompanied by evidence supporting the basic idea as an independent entity. Feasibility Study A feasibility study is an exercise to find out the extent to which a project can be implemented, eg, if I built a car park at a given location, what kind of financial returns can I expect? You had have to forecast demand, supply, competitors, etc. The feasibility study is the elaboration of the applicability of the basic idea, Thesis, in practical terms with an assessment of all relevant parameters that give the legitimacy of the practical application of Thesis. A thesis is a theory, and the study (feasibility) is the justification of the practical application of the basic idea Activities/Assessments: 1. Write any five definitions of ‘research’. 2. In your own words, explain what research is and why is it important. 3. Briefly describe the different steps involved in a research process. 4. Explain why research is a scientific method. 5. Describe at least three (3) characteristics of research 6. What are the difficulties encountered by student researchers? 7. Give some sources of research topics? 8. What are the characteristics of a good research topic? 17