Educational Research Chapter 21 Preparing a Research Report

Educational Research Chapter 21 Preparing a Research Report Gay, Mills, and Airasian

Topics Discussed in this Chapter n General guidelines for writing a research report n n n Outlining General writing rules Format and style n Common components of a research report

Outlining Material n n Imposes organization, sequence, and clarity on the report Characteristics n n Involves the identification and ordering of major topics Differentiates each major heading into logical subheadings Objective 2. 1

General Writing Rules n n n Provide an accurate description of the study for the reader Write clearly, simply, and in a straightforward style Avoid abbreviations n n Exceptions include commonly used terms like IQ or GPA Acronyms must be identified in parentheses after the first use of the reference n n American Psychological Association (APA) American Educational Research Association (AERA) Objective 2. 2

General Writing Rules n Refer to authors by last name only n n Express numbers in words only if n n n Richards (1982) not Sam Richards (1982) Kirby (2002) not Dr. Kirby (2002) Anderson (2001) not L. W. Anderson (2001) they are less than 10 they are the first word in a sentence Proof the report carefully at least twice Objective 2. 2

Format and Style n Definitions n Format – the general pattern of organization and arrangement of the report n n APA format MLA format Style – the rules of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and word processing Follow APA format and style unless otherwise directed Objective 2. 3

Components of a Report n Three major sections n Preliminary pages n n Main body of the report n n Set the stage for the report to follow and indicate where each component, table, and figure can be found Information about the topic, literature reviewed, hypotheses, participants, instruments, procedures, results, discussion, and references Appendices n Data and information pertinent to the study but not important enough or too lengthy to be included in the main body of the report Objective 1

Components of the Preliminary Pages n n n Title page – indicates the major focus of the study Acknowledgements – expresses appreciation to people who have contributed significantly to the completion of the report Table of contents – an outline of the report which indicates the page of each major section Objective 1. 1

Components of the Preliminary Pages n n List of tables and figures – identifies the location, number, and title of each table and figure Abstract – describes the most important aspects of the study n n n Topic Participants Instruments Data collection procedures Results Conclusions Objective 1. 1

Main Body of the Report n Introduction n Statement of the problem – indicates the variables examined in the study Review of the literature – indicates what is known about the problem Statement of the hypotheses n n n Quantitative - states the relationships between variables in operational terms Qualitative – sense of what the study might show Significance of the study – explains why the study is important Objective 1. 2

Main Body of the Report n Method n Participants n n n Quantitative - describes how the subjects were selected, the population they represent, the sample size, and major characteristics of the subjects Qualitative – includes information about the site and the participants Instruments - describes all data collection procedures and protocols indicating their purpose, application, and technical characteristics (i. e. , validity, reliability, and scoring) Objective 1. 4

Main Body of the Report n Method (continued) n n Design – describes the rationale for the selection of a specific design, a description of the threats to validity, and steps taken to minimize these threats Procedures – describes chronologically the steps followed in conducting the study in sufficient detail to allow for replication Objective 1. 4

Main Body of the Report n n Results – describes the statistical techniques applied to the data and the results of these analyses Discussion – interprets the results, draws conclusions, states implications, and makes recommendations n n Discussions of the results in terms of their relation to the topic studied A conclusion is not a result Objective 1. 2

Main Body of the Report n References – alphabetically lists all the relevant information for the sources used in the report by authors’ last names n n APA format for references Different formats for different types of sources n n n Journal articles Books Papers Personal communication Electronic sources Objective 1. 2

Appendices n Appendices – includes information and data pertinent to the study but not sufficiently important or too large to include in the main body of the report n n Raw data Tests Questionnaires Cover letters Objective 1. 2