EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

E

DUCATIONAL RESEARCH IS THE OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS IN SEARCHING FOR TRUTH ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. IT IS AN INTEREST/CURIOSITY-SATISFYING OR PROBLEM-SOLVING EXERCISES WHICH. AS A SCIENTIFIC PROCESS, IT IS A SYSTEMATIC, OBJECTIVE AND CRITICAL IN SEARCHING FOR TRUTH ABOUT THAT WHICH IRKS US OR WHICH POSES ONE PROBLEM OR THE OTHER DURING THE PROCESSES OF ENSURING DESIRABLE CHANGES IN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH INVOLVES EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EXTENT TO WHICH BEHAVIOURS OF INTEREST EXIST, ARE EXHIBITED, AND ARE INTERRELATE GIVEN MEMBERS OF A WELL-DEFINED POPULATION. THE INTENTION OF SEARCHING FOR TRUTH ABOUT THAT WHICH UNDERLIES AN IDENTIFIED PROBLEM IS TANTAMOUNT TO CONTRIBUTING A SOLUTION TO SUCH PROBLEM. A PROBLEM EXISTS IF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OR AMONG VARIABLES OR BEHAVIOURS INVOLVED IN A SITUATION YIELDS UNDESIRABLE RESULTS. TO CONTRIBUTE SOLUTION TO SUCH PROBLEM, RESEARCH MUST, FIRST OF ALL, IDENTIFY THE VARIABLES UNDERLYING A VALIDATED PROBLEM AND THEN DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG SUCH VARIABLES. VALID SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM DEPENDS ON HOW WELL THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE IDENTIFIED, EXPLAINED AND THE RELATIONSHIP OR CONNECTIONS AMONG THEM ESTABLISHED. TO PROVIDE SOME FOUNDATION TO ONE’S THINKING, THE PROCESS INVOLVES CONSULTATION WITH EXISTING RELATED KNOWLEDGE IN THE AREA OF THE PROBLEM BASED ON WHICH SPECULATIONS AS TO THE POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM ARE MADE. GUIDED BY SUCH SPECULATIONS, CONSULTATIONS WITH THE EMPIRICAL EXPERIENCES OF PREVIOUS RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE TRIED TO CONTRIBUTE SOLUTION TO A SIMILAR OR RELATED PROBLEMS ARE MADE.  JUSTIFIED SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES ARE PUT IN PLACE TO GUIDE DATA GENERATION AND ANALYSIS. THE RESULTS OF SUCH ANALYSES ARE INTERPRETED AND THE FINDINGS DISCUSSED AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM ARE MADE.