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M.Ed. Compulsory Paper - I

Elements of Educational Research

Objectives :

The Student :

1. Understand the place of research in education.

2. Gets acquainted with various resources for research.

3. Becomes familiar with various methods of research.

4. Achieves skill in writing and comprehending research reports.

5. Gets conversant with the problems of research design tools of collecting data and methods and techniques of analysis.

6. Is initiated into research by undertaking a piece of research and preparing a dissertation.

Syllabus :

1.    Research and Education :

• Meaning of research and educational research.

• Need for educational research.

• Characteristic of the research process.

• Factors hindering educational research.

• Types of research.

• Teachers and research.

• Ethical consideration in research.

2.    Selection The Research Problem :

• Source of research problem.

• Characteristics a research problem.

• Criteria used in selecting a research problem.

• Narrowing the rang of the problem.

• Drafting a research proposal.

3.    Steps In The Research Process :

• Identifying a problem

• Constructing a hypothesis / objectives / questions.

• Reviewing the literature.

• Identifying and labeling variables.

• Constructing operational definitions.

• Manipulating and controlling variables.

• Sampling procedures.

• Decision regarding tools to be used and preparation thereof. 

• Data collection.

• Statistical analysis and interprepretation.

• Writing a research report.

4.    The Research Hypothesis :

• Meaning a hypothesis.

• Criteria for evaluating hypothesis.

• Some objections to hypothesis construction.

• Writing the research hypothesis.

• Types of hypothesis.

• Independent and dependent variables of a hypothesis.

• Constructing operational definition of variables

• Testing a hypothesis.

5.    Resource for Research :

• Reference books : Encyclopedia, Dictionaries, Almanacs and Yearbooks, Directories, Biographical sources, Bibliographical sources.

• Books and monographs : Cards Catalog, Book-lists and Reviews.

• Periodical and Pamphlets : News papers, Periodicals, Micro films and other aids.

• Dissertations, theses and research journals.

6.    Research Work Done In Gujarat :

• Institutions conducting research, nature of studies undertaken.

7.    Methods of Research :

• Historical Methods: Collection of data, primary and secondary sources, external and internal criticism of source materials, interpretations in historical research.

• Surveys : Schools surveys, job analysis, documentary analysis, public opinion surveys, community surveys.

• Inter-relationship studies : Case study, causal comparative studies, correlation studies.

• Development studies : Longitudinal and cross sectional studies, trend studies.

• Experimental research : Definition of an experiment, variables in experimental research, criteria for evaluating experimental designs, internal validity methods of equating experimental and control groups, external validity control of the experiment.

8.    Sampling Techniques :

• Population and sample.

• Defining the population.

• Importance of sampling.

• Characteristics of a good sample.

• When should the sample be large.

• Sampling biases.

• Sampling techniques.

  1. Probability samples: simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, systematic sampling, and cluster sampling.

  2. Judgment samples : Incidental sampling, purposive sampling, quota sampling.

  3. Other sampling techniques; Sampling by pairs, double sampling, sequential sampling.

• Mistakes often made in sampling.

9.    Tools of Research :

• Questionnaire :

• Advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires.

• Forms of questionnaires.

• Types of questionnaires items.

• Questionnaire format.

• Preliminary tryout.

• Techniques for usable returns.

• Ratability and validity of questionnaires.

• Interview :

• Advantages and disadvantages of interview.

• Effects of interview on data collection.

• Reliability, objectivity, and validity of interview.

• Biasing factors in the interview.

• Types of interview : individual and group, structured and unstructured.

• Conduct of interview.

• Observation :

  • Simple Observation : In controlled, participant and nonparticipant.

  • Aid in simple observation.

  • Systematic observation : Control over the observer and the observed.

• Rating Scales :

  • Numerical scales.

  • Graphic scales.

  • Descriptive graphic scales.

  • Rule for constructing scales.

  Standardized tests :

  • Characteristic of a good standardized test.

  • Factors to be considered in test selection.

  • Using tests in research.

  • Different types of standardized test;

    • Intelligence, aptitudes, achievement, diagnostic, measure of interest, personality, attitude scale.

  • Tests available in Gujarati version.

  • Mistakes often committed in selecting, administrating and using standardized tests.

• Other tools : Checklist, scorecard, sociometry, Q-sort techniques, the semantic differential, content analysis

10.    Treatment of Data :

• Classification of data.

• Qualification and description of data.

• Types of scores: Continuous scores, rank scores, dichotomies, categories.

• General descriptive statistics and statistical in reference.

• Conclusions and generalizations.

11.    Writing Research Report :

• Format, style, typing, quotations, footnotes, bibliography, pagination, tables, figures, graph, chapterization (divisions of a report)

• Introduction section.

• Review of the literature section.

• Methods section

• Results section.

• Summary and discussion section.

• References.

• Abstract.

• Mistakes in preparing research reports

References :

1. Best, John W.,  Research in Education :  Englewood Cliff, N.J. Prentice-Hall.

2. Borg, W.R. & Cal M.D. : Educational Research An Introduction (4th ed.) New York: Longman Inc. 1983.

3. Burroughs, G.E.R. : Design and analysis in Educational Research (2nd. Ed.) Oxford : Allen and Mowbray ltd. 1975.

4. Desai H. G. Style Manual for Dissertations / Theses, Rajkot : Saurashtra University, 1979.

5. Gaphart, W. J. & Ingle, R.B. : Educational Research (Selected & reading) Ohio : C.E. Merill Publishing Co.,; 1969

6. Good, Carter C. And Scates Douglas E.: Method of Research: Educational psychological Sociological. New York : Appleton - Century, Inc., 1964.

7. Gilbert, S. : Foundations of Educational Research. Englewood Clifs, New Jersey : Prentice Hall, Inc., 1979.

8. Good, W. J. & Hatt P.K. : Methods in Social Research. New York : Mc-GrawHill Book Co,, 1962.

9. Hyman, H.H. : Survey Design and Analysis. (Principles, Cases, Procedures) New York : The Free Press, 1955.

10. Kerlinger, F.N. Foundation of Behavior Research : Educational and psychological Inquiry : New York : Holt & Rinehart and Winston, Inc, 1964.

11. Levin, J. : Elementary Statistics in Social Research : (2nd ed.) New York : Harper and Row Publishers, 1977.

12. Lynch, M. D. & Huntsberger, D.V. : Elements of Statical Inference for Education & Psychology : Allyn & Bacon, Inc, 1976.

13. Rummel J.F. : An Introduction to Research Procedures in Education (2nd ed.) New York : Harper and Row Publishers, 1964.

14. Sidhu, Kulbir Singh, Methodology of Research in Education, New Delhi : Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1985.

15. Sukhia, S.P. Mehrotra, P.A. & Mehrotra R.N. Elements of Education Research (2nd Ed.) New Delhi : Allied Publishers, 1966.

16. Travers, R.M.W. : An Introduction to Educational Research. (3rd ed.) London : The MacMillan Co., 1969.

17. Tuckman, Conducting Educational Research (2nd ed.) New York : Harcourt Brace, Jovenovish, Inc, 1978.

18. Van Dalen D.B. & Mayer, William J. : Understanding Educational Research - An Introduction. New York. Mc-Graw-Hill Book Co. 1979.

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