Presentation

Although relieved after submitting the research proposal, I needed to prepare for another two important tasks.  Examination and presentation were waiting in the last class.

I was required to prepare a powerpoint presentation on my research proposal.  The 5 minute presentation would be basically on Chapter 1.  The highlight would be on the research objectives and questions.

Here, I would like to share my slides that I have prepared for the presentation.

http://www.slideshare.net/hazilaabdullah/research-proposal-slides-21062014

By the way, this is my first slideshare.

Happy reading!

Turnitin

Well, after struggling and having several sleepless nights, I managed to complete the first three chapter of my research proposal.  Earlier my lecturer instructed us to hand in the assignment through turnitin.

Turnitin?  What is turnitin?

I was not familiar with it.

Later, I found out that it is a service to check our works' originality and prevent plagiarism.  It promotes best practises when using and citing other people's work.

That night, when I submitted my research proposal, I felt a sigh of relief.

Bye bye sleepless nights...

Literature review

Papers, books and journals were lying around but I did not know where to start.....

I had many references but I came to a dead end...I kept staring at my notes but I was not sure which one was to be highlighted first.  I was clueless.

Then, I tried to flip the notes my lecturer had given me during one of the classes...Well, after reading my green log book, I realised I needed to follow the steps of literature review which will definitely aid me in writing the proposal.  

The steps: (as discussed in the class on 26 April 2014)

1.  Define the research problem as precisely as possible.

2.  Look at relevant secondary sources.

3.  Select one or two appropriate general reference works.

4.  Formulate key terms pertinent to the research problems and questions.

5.  Search the general references for relevant primary sources.

6.  Obtain and read relevant primary sources;  note and summarize key points in the sources.

Research Proposal

Writing a research proposal is not an easy job.  There are many things to be considered while writing. However, Dr. Teoh has given us the guidelines in writing a good proposal.  As a start, for a research proposal, I need to write 3 chapters.

The first chapter is the introduction, chapter 2 revolves around literature review and chapter 3 focusses on research design and methodology.

Below are the details of each chapter:

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.0  Background of the study
1.1  Problem Statement
1.2  Research Objectives
1.3  Research Questions
1.4  Significance of the Study
1.5  Limitation of The Study
1.6  Scope of the Study
1.7  Operational Definitions

Chapter 2 - Literature Review

- The discussion or overview on the sub topics relevant to the study
- The discussion on the previous research
-  should include a conceptual or theoretical framework

Chapter 3 - Research Design and Methodology

3.0  Introduction
3.1  Research Design
3.2  Population and Sampling
3.3  Instrumentation
3.4  Validity
3.5  Reliability
3.6  Data Collection
3.7  Data Analysis
3.8  Research Time Frame

SAMPLING?

Learning Research methodology can be very confusing.  A chapter on a simple subject like sampling can challenge your mind because there are just so many types of it.  So, today I would like to share a little bit of knowledge on this matter.

Population   -   The large group to which one hopes to apply the                                results. 

Sample        -   The group on which information is obtained.

Target population - actual population to which a researcher would really like to generalize is rarely available.

Accessible population - The population to which a researcher is is able to generalize.

Simple random sample - each and every member of the population has an equal and independent chance of being selected.

Nonrandom sample - a sample in which a complete list of respondents is not available, so the respondents are selected based on other characteristics.

Stratified random sampling - a population sample that requires the population to be divided into smaller group, called strata.

Cluster random sampling - researcher divides the population into separate group, called clusters.  Then, a simple random sample of clusters is selected from the population

Two stage random sampling - combination of cluster random sampling with individual random sampling.

another review...

Well, in the process of doing my research, I have gained a lot of insights especially on the subject of literature because that is another focus of my research.  I was staring in front of my monitor, day and night, in the hope to find the best articles for my literature review.  I have to say it was not easy but the experience was worthwhile.  Not only I could discover numerous research conducted by previous prof and scholars, I got the chance to upgrade myself in terms of enhancing my surfing skill which was not so significant as before I started my master class.

However, this article was not from my long hours of surfing the net. I attained this from my literature lecturer, the super adorable Dr. Shireena, for the class material.  This piece of writing that was written by Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam helped me abundantly in understanding literature.  His paper "Promoting the Prevalence of Literature In the Practice of Foreign and Second Language Education:  Issues and Insights" argues for the inclusion of literature in mainstream EFL and ESL.  He also includes the issues and insights of teaching literature for EFL and ESL classroom that facilitate my understanding of the role of literature.  I am grateful that I came across his views as it significantly feeds a hungry mind like mine! 

Why mind map?

People asked me why did I choose mind map as the focus of my research.

I read these two books.  In fact I have another 3 books on mind map.  

Personally, I think mind map enhances thinking skill as it enables students to make the most of their studies. It facilitates students to organise their thoughts in a systematic way.  Students will able to broaden their critical thinking skill and enhance their understanding of the text that they read.  In addition, it aids students to associate ideas, think creatively and make connection of ideas.  Thus, it truly release the true potential  of one's amazing mind.

As I believe that this is a beneficial thinking tool, I would like to share my ideas with other educators through my research.

First Task

Hi it's me again,

On 22 March, we were instructed by Dr. Teoh to send our task 1 via the iLearn.  I have submitted my assignment earlier but during the last week's meeting, I met Dr Teoh and showed her my work.  She was really helpful in assisting me in my task.

This was what my first task look like:

Topic Area:
Literature Component in English SPM

Research Problem:
The effectiveness of using mind map in helping upper secondary students to write good literary essays.

Research Questions:
1.  Will mind map help students to effectively write literary essays?
2.  How does the use of mind map aid students to give their own personal respond to the text?
3.  Does the use of mind map broaden the student's outlook?

However, after discussing above matters, I realized that my research problem is not a 'problem'.  You have to ask yourself, why is it important to do the research?  The problem explored should be important to the field that you want to look into.

Searching for research questions is also a daunting task- it is not easy to write the correct questions.  I constantly ask myself whether I am asking the right questions.  From my lecturer, I learnt that a clear and appropriate research question is the foundation of a good research.  A research question identifies what we as the researcher want to know. Without a research question, we do not know what are we going to do.

So, when I came back that night, I tried to redo my work and the next day, on Sunday, I resubmitted my task 1.  It was the last day of sending the assignment and I was relieved that I could do it on time. So, this is the new edition of my task 1.

Quantitative vs Qualitative

At a glance, these two words look similar.

But, nay...

Apart from having a different spelling (obviously), these two terms have distinguishable meanings.

Lets look at the differences:

The advantages and disadvantages:

This video will really help you to understand the differences of quantitative and qualitative research.

So, bear in mind that :

QUANTITATIVE always relates with NUMBERS and

QUALITATIVE always relates with WORDS

Book to Read

Hi..I'm back..I know it's been a while since I last updated my blog..Well, life is quite hectic now.  I really have to delegate my time wisely.  However, the good news is, throughout these few months, I have learnt a lot of invaluable things especially related to research methodology .  I was not aware that there are numerous important details to be explored until.........

Luckily, my dear friends managed to purchase this book for me.   I was informed by other coursemates that it was really difficult to get a copy of this as it was sold like hot cakes.  

I must say that 'How to Design and Evaluate Research In Education' by Jack R. Fraenkel, Norman E Wallen and Helen H Hyun is a well-written and a very informative reference book.  It is a must have and must read by others who would like to conduct a research.  This thorough and step by step text provides a comprehensive introduction to educational research.


For those who are still in the dark on the issues pertaining to methodology, research and other related topics, grab this paperback as it will surely aid you.  From my own personal view, this book is really a godsend, especially for a person like myself who are still struggling in writing her research proposal!