A research project is more like the building of a house. It has a foundation, body and roof. If the foundation is poorly constructed, no matter any kind of structure is on it, it will collapse sooner or later. Likewise, a project without a solid body will stand still but will not entice the supervisor or any examining officer checking the work. In all, a research which lacks a good roofing is at best an inconclusive work which can potentially spoil the whole building. Thus, all components and processes involved in a typical research project are crucial….
A research project is more like the building of a house. It has a foundation, body and roof. If the foundation is poorly constructed, no matter any kind of structure is on it, it will collapse sooner or later. Likewise, a project without a solid body will stand still but will not entice the supervisor or any examining officer checking the work. In all, a research which lacks a good roofing is at best an inconclusive work which can potentially spoil the whole building. Thus, all components and processes involved in a typical research project are crucial.
Now more than ever, processes to be followed in conducting a research project have become scientific in nature. This scientific nature makes research projects more purpose-driven and not just a guess work or willy-nilly piece of work. It now allows researchers to carry out projects using empirical approach to problem solving rather than speculations. The components of research are developed in a chronological way from one step leading to another scientifically with the aid of the empirical approach to research undertakings. These processes include: –
Identification of a Researchable Problem
Although it is expected that the research project should emanate from real-life situations, it is equally important to note that not all real-life situation problems are researchable (Issa, 2006). Take for instance; studying already established concepts like qualities of water is not researchable because it is a common knowledge. Once a researchable problem has been identified, you have to clearly write it down in a way that it will be understood by another person. For example, a typical written researchable problem can be – application of water in incent fire and the resulting factors.Review of Relevant LiteratureWhen attempting to conduct a research, the researcher must make him or herself acquainted with the past and current works of other researchers on that subject matter. Hence, it is imperative to search for past articles, journal papers, past projects, thesis, dissertations, lectures and even notes related to that problem. At A.O.S Academy for instance, we have a designated online library currently been built on our website @ aosacademy.com for the purpose of making available such materials. So, you can check it out now via the link.Selection of Good Research Instrument(s)
The instruments are so designed that they seek specific information from respondents, which would help in providing needed answers to the research questions and/or providing relevant data for testing the hypotheses. Instruments can be questionnaires, audio recorder, wordlist, frame technique or even interviews which can solelybor jointly be used to collect data from the respondents or informants. By the term “respondents”, we refer to the group of research subjects {people} from whom the researcher intends to collect relevant data for the purpose of his research project. This could be students in a class or group of classes, primary and post-primary institutions, farmers, technicians, medical doctors, engineers, market women, etc. in a
particular point in time.
Presenting for Analysis and Discussing the Data Collected Since the researcher will basically be collecting raw data from the field of study, it is expected that such data are presented first, and then subjected to discussions and interpretations. There are so many methods of doing this; depending on such things as: –
i. The type of research in question.
ii. The type of instruments for its data-gathering; and
iii. The types of data collected in the end.
Regardless of all these, however, it is important to note that tabular presentation of data as well as diagrammatic representation in the forms of charts, histograms and frequency tables, are common. For hypotheses testing, the various but relevant statistical methods are employed and are so presented for necessary discussions and interpretations.
Drawing Inferences, Conclusions and Recommendations from the AnalysisThis is where the so-much-talked-about contribution(s) to knowledge is made manifest and clearly stated. That is, what the inferences, conclusions and recommendations set out to do; and it is on this basis that generalizations, principles and theories would be derived. Stakeholders are hereby assigned responsibilities with a view to ensuring that the present conditions are improved upon.Thanks for reading this week’s blog article. Kindly inform me of any research work you’re conducting. I would be very much glad to be of assistance. Do not forget to rate, comment on and share this post link. Thanks a lot. Talk you next time!