RESEARCH
The overall aim of the course
why you should study it
The overall aim of the course is to prepare you for writing your master project (dissertation) in terms of academic requirements you are expected to fulfil.

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;
  • 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;
  • describe different approaches to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research designs;
  • use different data collection and data analysis methods;
  • write a literature review;
  • plan 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 research and its methods.

      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 8 minutes maximum.
      — All slides follow the rule of 7: no more than 7 lines of text or 7 bullet points (the heading included).

      Projects: Folder
      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 35 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)
      • Additional test = 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

      The full grading scheme is available in the course folder.
      Course folder
      Google Classroom
      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. Intro & Outro
      What the conclusion should consist of
      COURSE CONTENT
      1. Research Process
      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.

      Presentation 1

      PORTFOLIO TASK 1
      Select one of the journals and begin with the volumes/issues from 3 years previous and complete the following steps:
      1 Look through the table of contents to identify articles that are related to your area of interest / research.
      2 Read the abstracts for each article and record the topics and themes you see based on the abstracts in your blank chart, giving each topic or theme its own row. You may notice that there are broad, general topics/themes and more specific subtopics/subthemes.
      3 Rearrange your table as necessary to record subtopics/ subthemes underneath their more general categories. use the numbers column to show the relationship between general topics/themes and subtopics/subthemes (e.g., 1 is a general or unique category, but 1a is a subtopic or subtheme of 1).
      4 As you read the abstracts, record some basic bibliographic information about all of the articles that focus on a specific topic or theme.
      5 Continue this process until you have looked at the most recent 3 years of one journal.
      6 Repeat the entire process using a different journal. Again, do not make a new table—just add to the table you have already started.
      By the time you complete this process using at least 3 years of two different journals, you should have a clear idea of what the current research trends in your discipline are.
      If there are few research articles related to your project, move on to another journal.

      You may use these works for inspiration:
      Research trends: Reading fiction
      Research trends: Web platforms for lexical skills

      Presentation 2
      2. Research questions
      Research boards to manage your projects:
      • Like an outline spread over several pages, with lots of space for adding data and ideas as you go.
      • Research board pages can be moved around, allowing you to try out new ways of organizing your ideas.
      • You can have a "picture" of your project that shows you at a glance the design of the whole and your progress through it.

      Use a graphic organiser you like (PowerPoint, Padlet, etc.) to manage your research project.
      Gradually add information about your research project to the research board using activities from RM handouts.
      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

      Theory & presentation

      Literature Review must...
      • bridge your dependent and independent variables;
      • be organized thematically around the main arguments ("reasons") in favour of your
      hypothesis;
      • logically prepare the reader for the method section of your research;

      Literature Review: Example of organization
      The Use of E-learning Tools in Teaching Intonation to Linguistics Students
      1.1 Foreign accent, intelligibility, and pronunciation teaching
      1.2 Main features of pronunciation and prosody
      1.3 Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Teaching (CAPT)
      1.4 E-learning tools for teaching intonation
      1.5 Visualization of speech
      4. Methods
      The main approaches to use:
      • quantitative
      • qualitative
      • mixed-methods approach.
      There will be specific information important to include depending on which of these three research approaches.

      Theory & presentation
      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).

      Theory & presentation
      6. Data collection & analysis
      Data collection:
      • Survey
      • Experiment
      • Qualitative methods
      QUALitative methods: Presentation

      Data analysis:
      • Quantitative methods
      • Qualitative methods

      Data analysis: Presentation

      Data analysis: Table

      Data analysis: Research example
      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

      Results: Presentation
      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.

      Discussion: Presentation
      9. INTRO & OUTRO
      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.
      INTRO: 1 Establishing a context
      How is the context established in this article?

      Malicka, A., Gilabert Guerrero, R., & Norris, J. M. (2019). From needs analysis to task design: Insights from an English for specific purposes context. Language Teaching Research, 23(1), 78-106.
      INTRO: 2 Stating your problem
      How do the the author state the problem in this article?

      Malicka, A., Gilabert Guerrero, R., & Norris, J. M. (2019). From needs analysis to task design: Insights from an English for specific purposes context. Language Teaching Research, 23(1), 78-106.

      In this article, how does the author present
      a) a condition of incomplete knowledge?
      b) the consequences of that condition, a more significant gap?

      Sampson, R. J. (2019). Openness to messages about English as a foreign language: Working with learners to uncover purpose to study. Language Teaching Research, 23(1), 126-142.
      INTRO: 3 Stating your response
      How do the authors their solution to the identified problem(s) in this article?

      Weijers, R. J., de Koning, B. B., & Paas, F. (2021). Nudging in education: From theory towards guidelines for successful implementation. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 36(3), 883-902.

      Which strategy do they adhere to?
      a) stating your solution or main point
      b) promising that you will do so later on
      INTRO: Analysis
      Analyze the introduction of the article:
      El Majidi, A., de Graaff, R., & Janssen, D. (2021). Debate as a pedagogical tool for developing speaking skills in second language education. Language Teaching Research.

      Identify how the authors …
      1 contextualize background
      2 state the problem
      3 respond to the problem

      Do they respond to the problem summarizing their solutions or only promising them?
      INTRO: How to start
      Analyze the introductions of the following articles:
      1 What do the authors start them with?
      2 Do they give definitions? To what terms?
      3 To they emphasize the significance? Of what?
      OUTRO: Analysis
      Analyze the introduction of the article:
      El Majidi, A., de Graaff, R., & Janssen, D. (2021). Debate as a pedagogical tool for developing speaking skills in second language education. Language Teaching Research.

      Identify how the authors …
      (a) align the introduction with:
      1. the Results section
      2. the conclusion
      (b) structure the conclusion of the article. What does it consist of?