Research methods in education and psychology

Research methods in education and psychology Dar Al-Masirah Sami Muhammad Malham 512 pages, white paper Educational research is a basic requirement in all training courses and school work. And research, in its entirety, is an applied study conducted by researchers working in the field of school work to verify their acquisition of one of the essential competencies necessary to perform their work proficiently. This authoring, which is in your hands, was prepared to be the educational material for students in various university specializations and for researchers in various fields of humanities in general, and those working in the field of school education in particular, in order to provide learners enrolled in these fields with a theoretical and practical background on a number of concepts, principles, and objectives related to scientific research. This book addresses the concept of successful scientific research and its main manifestations, represented in its four main dimensions: inputs, processes, outputs, and evaluation controls. It considers the information contained in specialized scientific research and the successive chapters it includes. The researcher would like to point out that these are not final steps for a scientific research plan, but rather proposed steps for building a scientific research plan, in which the researcher has provided practical examples for each step of this book without providing extensive explanations of many of these steps, leaving room for students of research methodology to offer sound opinions and efforts until the picture becomes clear and complete before participants in this program, and so that the benefit extends to all. The subject of this book is one of the most important topics in psychology, and it is the pillar upon which psychology as a science is based. Psychology only became a branch of human sciences when researchers adopted the scientific method; that method which relies primarily on precise scientific observation. Presenting any science is measured by the degree of accuracy achieved in measurement. However, the process of measurement and evaluation in education and psychology is much more complex than in any other science because the subject of measurement here is the human being as a living creature: he loves, feels, perceives, reacts, remembers, imagines, learns, and thinks, and in all these he is influenced by internal and external factors. External factors include the society in which he lives and relies upon, and his surrounding environment, and he takes from these both social and material aspects as material for his thinking and measurement; all of which are subject to control and experimentation. This book aims to provide the reader, student, researcher, and those engaged in scientific research and its various methods with answers to many questions: Are we seeking to adopt a systematic scientific approach to acquire knowledge, solve our problems, and organize our thinking? Do we scrutinize what we observe in the field of study, examine all aspects of our work, and understand it comprehensively and in detail to identify all nuances and relationships, and uncover weaknesses or flaws that research can address, and then find solutions to avoid deficiencies or flaws? Do we seek to learn methods of data collection, verify their validity, analyze, and benefit from them? Do we try to conduct experiments to verify a more useful educational method or approach compared to other traditional methods? Do we aim to improve our usual practice by reorganizing and optimally utilizing the available facilities in the field of work? Do we try to analyze the results of our research scientifically and objectively, interpret them in the best way to achieve the advertised benefit from the results, and benefit practically from them? Do we use research as a method of treatment for problems we may face in our work and in various aspects of our lives? All these questions and many others find clear answers within the pages of this book. In his keenness to make this book a new educational event, the author committed in its preparation and writing to the following principles: Dividing the book into seven main units, each of which is an integrated unit that discusses a specific topic related to scientific research, following the organizational structure outlined below. The first unit of the book includes basic concepts related to science, scientific research, the researcher, and variables of scientific research. The second unit covers preparing a research plan, considered the foundation in the process of conducting scientific research as a system with its inputs, processes, outputs, and evaluation controls. The third unit includes basic concepts in statistics related to the relationship between statistics, measurement, evaluation, and tests, methods of presenting statistical data, analyzing, interpreting, and using various statistical methods to interpret and analyze data. The fourth unit covers scientific research tools related to observation, questionnaires, interviews, tests, and scales. The fifth unit discusses how to use the library, cite references from Arabic and foreign sources in various forms, and how to document this within the research and in the reference list. The sixth unit is dedicated to discussing various research methods used by researchers in organizing research and preparing its chapters and sections. The seventh unit explains how to write a research report and the criteria for its evaluation through a practical example embodying scientific research as a system with inputs, processes, outputs, and controls, so that the student of this book’s units can apply the practical exercise, look at the evaluation criteria, and conduct self-assessment to develop and improve their work as a researcher. Each unit of this book begins with a number of behavioral objectives that clarify to the reader, student, researcher, and worker the questions and exercises addressed. It aims to present new and useful research methods in education and psychology, their applications, and strategies clearly and accurately. The style used involves dialogue and concise language focusing on practical application, making this science close to the minds of readers and facilitating its practical application in various educational and learning situations. 1. Introduction to science and scientific research Objectives: - Introduction - Science and its objectives - Definition of science - Goals of science - Scientific assumptions - Types of knowledge - Methods of acquiring knowledge - Scientific thinking and its characteristics - Scientific research - Definition of scientific research - Importance and benefits of scientific research - Characteristics of scientific research - Factors affecting the validity of scientific research - Ethics of scientific research - Scientific research institutions - Elements of scientific research - Scientific research methods - The role of scientific research in change and reform - Obstacles to scientific research - The researcher: definition, competencies, scientific attitudes, difficulties faced, common mistakes in scientific research, variables in scientific research, definition, types, operational definition, controlling extraneous variables, summary, additional readings. 2. Preparing a research plan Objectives: - Introduction - Research problem - Definition of research problem - Sources of research problem - Choosing a scientific research problem - Defining the research problem - Elements of a research plan - Research title - Research introduction - Defining the research problem - Research objectives - Research questions - Importance of research - Scope and limits of research - Research assumptions and premises - Research hypotheses - Concepts and terminology of research - Research sources and background - Previous studies and research - Summary, additional readings. 3. Documenting research data Objectives: - Introduction - Using the library - Classification in the library - Modern classification systems - Characteristics of a good classification system - Dewey Decimal Classification - Library of Congress Classification - Using indexes and cards - Searching for information sources via computer - Computer networks and the Internet - Information services - Documentation in psychological and educational research - Types of documentation in psychological and educational research - Documentation within the main body of the report or research - Documenting Qur'anic verses - Documenting Hadiths - Documenting heritage books - Documenting sources - Documenting scientific and educational studies - Documenting theses - Documenting personal communication - Documentation at the end of the report - Documentation methods at the end of the report - Technical terms used in data documentation - Summary, additional readings. 4. Analyzing research data (basic statistical concepts) Objectives: - Introduction - Statistics, measurement, evaluation, and tests - Definition of statistics and its necessity - Relationship between statistics, measurement, evaluation, and tests - Procedures for classifying raw data - Tabular presentation of statistical data - Frequency distributions - Frequency classes - Graphical representation of frequency distributions - Bar chart method - Line chart method (frequency polygon) - Curved line method (frequency curve) - Pie chart method - Image representation method - Measures of central tendency: mean, median, mode - Relationship between measures of central tendency - How to choose measures of central tendency when analyzing data - Measures of dispersion: range, variance - How to select appropriate dispersion measures when analyzing data - Measures of relative position: percentiles, percentile rank, standard scores - Properties of standard scores - Correlation analysis: scatter plot, linear and nonlinear correlation, correlation coefficient - Inferential statistics: standard error, null hypothesis, significance tests, significance levels, one-tailed or two-tailed tests, degrees of freedom, standard normal curve and its properties, variance analysis, chi-square, factor analysis - Introduction to factor analysis, its characteristics, uses, different patterns, basic concepts and principles, choosing the appropriate factor analysis method, designing and conducting factor studies, selecting the suitable statistical method, using computers for data analysis, data analysis with statistical software, summary, additional readings. 5. Scientific research tools Objectives: - Introduction - Samples - Research population - Choosing a research sample - Types of samples - Sample size - Observation: definition, types, organized scientific observation, participatory observation, recording observation, interview: definition, importance, characteristics, types, preparation, success factors, recording, advantages, disadvantages - Questionnaires: definition, conditions of a good questionnaire, types, procedures for designing questionnaires, distribution, rules for wording and constructing questionnaires, advantages, disadvantages - Tests: definition, purposes, disadvantages and harms, types, specifications of a good test, constructing the test - Summary, additional readings. 6. Scientific research methods (theoretical and practical foundations) Objectives: - Introduction - Classification of scientific research - Descriptive and inductive research - Basic or pure research and applied research - Academic and professional research - Quantitative and qualitative (or narrative) research - Educational research and research in education - Developmental research - Scientific research related to time standards - Historical method: definition, importance, steps, common errors, evaluation, and analysis of the historical method - Descriptive method: definition, objectives, characteristics, steps, types of descriptive studies, survey studies, school surveys, social surveys, public opinion studies, work analysis studies, content analysis, correlation studies, comparative studies, developmental studies, definition, steps, types, advantages - Experimental method: definition, characteristics, validity, types of experiments, evaluation, and analysis - Systems approach: definition, relationship with other systems, system analysis concept, systems approach and scientific research, elements, types, procedural research, principles of procedural research, characteristics, and standards, steps, summary, additional readings. 7. Research report and evaluation Objectives: - Introduction - Contents of the research report - Preliminary pages - Research introduction - Research plan - Research results - Research recommendations - Evaluation of the research - Evaluation criteria - Summary, additional readings - Appendices list - Glossary of research methodology terms