RESEARCH
The overall aim of the course
why you should study it
This course would:
1. Provide you with the basic information needed to understand the research process, from idea formulation through data analysis and interpretation.
2. Enable you to use this knowledge to design your own research study on a topic of personal interest.
3. Allow you to read and understand educational research literature.

    The main outcome is to design your own research study.
    what you will be able to do in terms of your own research
    Here's what you will be able to do after successfully completing the course:
    • identify the basic components involved in the research process;
    • distinguish between quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research;
    • give some examples of potential research problems in education;
    • identify research trends and gaps in education;
    • formulate and clarify a research question;
    • identify variables that might be investigated by educational researchers;
    • formulate a research hypotheses that might be investigated in education;
    • conduct a search of the literature for your research;
    • write a literature review;
    • describe different approaches to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research designs;
    • use and describe different data collection and data analysis methods;
    • write the discussion and result section of your research.
    Semester Projects
    what will help you demonstrate your skills
    The tasks are aimed at sharing your vision for your own research:

    RESEARCH TRENDS
    Read the abstracts for each article related to your area of interest / research and record the topics and themes you see based on the abstracts in your blank chart, giving each topic or theme its own row.

    PROJECT ORGANIZATION
    State your research question and working hypotheses, 3–4 reasons that might support it and evidence that you need to support each reason.

    SOURCES / TAKING NOTES
    Find 3 secondary sources related to your research and use the note-taking techniques to write down evidence for the identified reasons that support your working hypothesis.

    METHODS
    Decide which method(s) will be appropriate for your research.

    RESEARCH ANALYSIS
    Thoroughly analyze an empirical / a theoretical article related to your research.

    PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW
    An overview of the main points of each source related to different themes of your research that combines them into a coherent whole.
        Final project: Presentation of the research (8 points)
        what will help you demonstrate your skills at the end of the course
        The main assignment is to present your course syllabus, its description (goals, principles, etc.), and materials developed for two units of the course.

        Presentation of your research must include:
        1. The title of your research;
        2. The hypotheses of your research, its dependent and independent variables;
        3. The main arguments ("reasons") that support your hypothesis based on the literature analysis you have conducted;
        4. Summary of current research trends you identified while working with sources;
        5. The significance of your research based on the research trends or/and the analysed literature;
        6. Methods appropriate for your research and how they will help you prove your hypothesis and measure the indicated variables;
        7. Data collection options and limitations of the chosen methods.
        Presentation: Checklist
        — All the seven components are presented
        — All the components are aligned with each other:
        • the title is connected with the hypothesis;
        • the hypothesis is consistent with the main arguments;
        • the significance is based on research trends / analysed literature;
        • the methods are consistent with the hypothesis and arguments
        — The presentation takes 3 minutes maximum.
        — All slides follow the rule of 7: no more than 7 lines of text or 7 bullet points (the heading included).
        Final assessment: Exam questions (12 points)
        what will help you demonstrate your knowledge at the end of the course
        The face-to-face exam is aimed at the revision of the main theoretical themes of the course combined with your own examples taken from literature and your own research.

        Examples of examination questions:
        • What is a research question? What are its main characteristics? What is the research question of your MA project? What is the research question of the arcticle you analyzed?
        • What is a working hypothesis? What is the working hypothesis of your MA project? What is the hypothesis of the arcticle you analyzed?
        • Explain the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Give examples of such sources related to your research.
        • What are the dependent & independent variables? What the dependent & independent variables of your research? What other variables might affect scientific research?
        • Name the main methods of data collection in qualitative / quantitative research. What are their characteristics? How were they applied in the article you analyzed?
        • What are the most important stages of data analysis in qualitative / quantitative research? How were they applied in the article you analyzed?
        • What is the main aim of the Results section? How was it presented in the research article that you analyzed?
        • What is the main aim of the Discussion section? How was it presented in the research arcticle you analyzed?
        Assessment system
        how the teacher will evaluate your work
        Your score = points gained for:
        • active participation in seminars (presenting homework, answering questions, group work, etc.)
        • dealing with your individual projects
        • final assessment
        The grading scheme ranges from 0 to 100 points
        • Participation in seminars = about 30 points max
        • Individual projects & assignments = about 30 points max
        • The final assessment = 20 points max (12 points for the exam, 8 points for the presentation)
        • Portfolio of the main tasks = 10 points max
        • Attendance (more than 66 %) = 4-5 points
        4-point scale and the grading scheme:
        less than 50 points = Fail
        50—64 points = Satisfactory
        65—84 points = Good
        85—100 points = Excellent

        Your scores are available in this file.
        COURSE CONTENT
        1. Research Process: Overview
        Types of research. The dissertation structure
        2. Research questions
        Problems, questions, variables, hypothesis
        3. Types of sources & literature review
        Main types of sources and how to find them
        4. Methods
        Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies
        5. Method section of your research
        How to describe research approaches, participants, and procedure
        6. Data collection & analysis
        How to clearly describe the specific steps of data collection and data analysis
        7. Results
        How to present the results of your study
        8. Discussion
        What to include in the Discussion section
        9. Conclusion
        What the conclusion should consist of
        COURSE SYLLABUS
        Semester 2
        1. Research Process: Overview
        Experienced researchers often consider many of these components simultaneously as they develop their research plan:
        • Statement of the research problem
        • Formulation of an exploratory question or a hypothesis:
        • Definitions
        • Review of the related literature
        • Methods: participants and procedures
        • Instrumentation: data collection & analysis tools.
        2. Research questions
        Many research problems are stated as questions.
        The essential characteristic of a researchable question is that there be some sort of information that can be collected in an attempt to answer the question.

        3. Types of sources & literature review
        The boundaries of the groups are fuzzy, but knowing these categories can help you plan your research.
        1 Consult Primary Sources for Evidence
        2 Read Secondary Sources to Learn from Other Researchers
        3 Read Tertiary Sources for Introductory Overviews
        4. Methods
        The main approaches to use:
        • quantitative
        • qualitative
        • mixed-methods approach.
        Depending on which of these three research approaches you use, there will be specific information important to include.
        5. Methods section of your research
        The overall essential components of a Method section include the following subcategories (subheadings):
        • Description of research approach;
        • Participant demographic information;
        • Study procedure & study instruments;
        • Data collection and data analysis (will be discussed in the next section).
        6. Data collection & analysis
        Data collection:
        • Survey
        • Experiment
        • Qualitative methods

        Data analysis:
        • Quantitative methods
        • Qualitative methods
        7. Results
        The most pressing is the decision of how to best present the data in the Results section and to be as concise as possible.

        The Results section will differ greatly by the type of research approach used:
        • Quantitative approach
        • Mixed-methods approach
        • Qualitative approach

        8. Discussion
        Strong discussion section includes
        • A restatement of study purpose (in the first sentence).
        • Similarities and differences from previous literature in your field.
        • Implications of your study for areas of theory, research, practice, and other domains.
        • Study limitations.
        9. Conclusion
        A good introduction encourages readers to read your work with interest and prepares them to understand it better.

        A good conclusion leaves them with a clear statement of your point and renewed appreciation of its significance.

        The time you spend revising your introduction and conclusion may be the most important revision you do.