Research is not just a part of science but also a way of thinking and doing things

Glen R. Mangali

Conducting and writing an Investigatory /Research Project

Mr. Glen R. Mangali

What is an Investigatory/research project?

It is a planned work in a particular field in Science ( Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics) or technology that involves a problem.
It calls for creativity, critical thinking and action.

It is a Scientific method in action. It applies certain principles or ideas.

 It employs research that would help develop the ability to identify and determine possible explanations of a particular phenomenon.

Purpose of an Investigatory Projects/ Research

1. Apply / demonstrate scientific principles or attempt to provide new knowledge.

2. Be a result of continuing or parallel scientific research and investigation & not a copy of any previous research.

3. Have socio-economic significance and relevance to livelihood development.

4. Contribute to the advancement of Science and Technology and the development of the community.

What is the first step in preparing a good investigatory project or research?

STEP 1: Select a topic that is interesting to you.

What is field of expertise?

Choosing a topic

home

community

If you only look around.

STEP 2 Immerse yourself in the literature

How to identify the right literature source?

The following are the TechnologyDriven Literature review:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. EBSCO ELSEVIER PROQUEST DOAJ EMERALD JSTOR

Step 3 Organize your literature

RESEARCHER MAJOR OBJECTIVES Ruggiero ( 2005) Explore the relationship and relative contributions of selected work, shift worker health, and demographic variables to job satisfaction DELINEATED FACTORS LOCUS METHOD Questionnaire Stress; NEW workload; shift JERSEY;.USA schedule; depression; age;sleep; family issue

Step 4 Identify research conceptual tags

KEY QUESTION: Which among the identified conceptual tags/parameters/variables/ are considered IMPORTANT and CONTROVERSIAL in the field where I belong?

Step 4 Identify research conceptual tags

COCEPTUAL TAGS (Key Concepts)
I- YES X- NO

LITERATURE SOURCE ( AUTHORS, YEAR)

IS IT CT STILL IMPORTANT?

IS THE CT ORDER OF STILL PRIORITY CONTROVERS IAL?

Research Problem Indicators: 1. When there is an absence of information resulting in a gap in our knowledge 2. When there are contradictory results 3. When a fact exists and your intend to make your study explain it

Defining research conceptual tags

CONCEPTUAL TAG LEXICAL DEFINITION ( According to Authoritative Sources) Operational Definition ( how the term is/will be used in the paper)

Step 5 Develop your research simulacrum ( research model)

Typologies of Simulacrum

Physical

Mathematical

Conceptual

Prerequisites:
A. Intellectual/Conceptual Binning B. Hypothesizing Graphically ( Relationship, Effect, Difference)

Step 6: Formulate the research problem or purpose

Your problem statement should explain what it is

you are trying to discover (or study) . The statement should be written in the form of a question.

Research Question Typologies

Sample Questions
CAUSAL RESEARCH Do children read better as a result of this program? Do children read better in this program as compared with other programs? NON CAUSAL What is the daily experience of the children participating in this program? Are the remedial centers located in the areas of primary need?

General form
Does X cause Y?

Does X cause more of Y than Z causes Y?

What is X? Is X located where Y is lowest?

Research Question Typologies

Sample Questions General form NONCAUSAL POLICY What do we mean by special What does Y mean? education children and remediation? Is this program receiving support from Why does S support X? the state and local officials for political rather than educational reasons? NONCAUSAL EVALUATION What are the characteristics of the best CAI materials being used? How do the various minority groups view this program and judge the quality?

What make W good?

Does T value X?

Research Question Typologies

Sample Questions General form NONCAUSAL-MANAGEMENT What is the cost-effectiveness of the Is X more cost-effecttive than Z? program compared wit other programs? How can we maximize the scheduling How are U maximized and V of classes at the centers with the minimized simultaneously? minimum expense?

Example:
Does red light affect the growth of a

mungbean plant?

Vigna radiata (L.)

Hypothesis
The hypothesis is a possible answer to your problem statement. The hypothesis is based on your background research that serves as your baseline data. It should be phrased in an If/Then format.

Step 7 Writing the research title

Basic Questions Asked: 1. Does the title describe what the study is all about? 2. Does the title contain high specificity level? 3. Is the title academically phrased and is not verbose? 4. Is the title within the 12 substantive word requirement of the American Psychological Association (APA)?

Title
is a statement of the question or problem.
For example: If you are asking a question about the inheritance patterns of the gene for aldehyde oxidase production in Drosophila melanogaster

what possible title might be?

Possible title?
"Inheritance in Fruit Flies" ..too general.

"A Study of the Inheritance of the Enzyme Aldehyde Oxidase in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster"
..too wordy.

The words "A Study of the" are superfluous and Enzyme Aldehyde Oxidase and Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster" are redundant.

The suffix -ase indicates that aldehyde oxidase is an enzyme, and most scientists know that Drosophila melanogaster is the scientific name of a common fruit fly species.

Note: However, it is appropriate to include in the title both common and scientific names of lesser known species.

What is the best title for this example?

"Inheritance of the Gene for Aldehyde Oxidase in Drosophila melanogaster."

The best time to determine the title is after you have written the text, so that the title will reflect the paper's content.
brief but accurate grammatically correct

complete enough to stand alone

 two- or three-word title may be too vague,

but a 14- or 15-word title is unnecessarily long. Avoid phrases such as on the, a study of, research on, report on, regarding, and use of.
omit the at the beginning of the title

Step 8 Writing the Introduction Step 9 Preparing the research matrix

Research Objectives What is the inheritance pattern of Aldehyde Oxidase in Drosophila melanogaster?

Research Approach Quantitative

Research Technique Experimental

Data Analysis Genome marking and analysis

Step 10: Research Instrumentation (Materials and Methodology)

Scientists use the following terms:
Subject: What is being tested. Variables: Conditions that are changed.

Indepedent variable: The variable that is changed and controlled by you.

Dependent variable: The variable that changes and is not controlled by you. Controls: All the conditions that are not changed.

 This section describes your experiment. The information in this section comes from the Procedures of the experiment. In the paper, this information should not be a list of steps. The materials and methods should be in paragraph form and in past tense.

 Include levels of treatment, numbers replications, and control treatments.

of

If living organisms is used, include the species and the sex of the organism if that information is relevant to the experiment.

Do not try to justify your procedures in this section.

Write the procedures concisely, but in paragraph form.

Step 11 Results and Discussion

When you complete your experiments, examine and organize your findings. Explain what happen.

 This section is presentation of data. The authors report what happened in their experiments. The report is usually supplemented with: graphs

tables
photographs

 Number figures and tables consecutively throughout the paper. Refer to figures and tables within the paragraph as you describe your results, using the word Figure or Table, followed by its number. For example, "(Figure 1)."

 If possible, place each figure or table at the end of the paragraph in which it is cited. Include your statistical analysis in the Results section. Report your data as accurately as possible as it happens.

Do not report what you expected to happen in the experiment.

Do not discuss the meaning of your results in this section.

Answer the following questions:

1. Did your experiment give you expected results? Why or why not?

2. Was the experiment performed with the exact steps each time? 3. If possible, statistically analyze your data.

Discussion
This section is where you will analyze and interpret the results of your experiment.
The figures and tables in the Results section will be particularly important as you begin to think about your discussion.

 The tables allow you to present your results clearly to the reader.

The graphs allow you to visualize the effects that the independent variable has had on the dependent variables in your experiment.

 The purpose of the discussion is to interpret and compare the results. Be objective; point out the features and limitations of the work.

 Relate your results to current knowledge in the field and to your original purpose in undertaking the project:

1. Have you resolved the problem?

2. What exactly have you contributed? 3. Briefly state the logical implications of your results. 4. Suggest further study or applications if warranted.

Step 12: Conclusions and Generalization

The conclusion answers the title question or problem and should contain a full interpretation of the results you found throughout the experiment. Explain why it happened.

SUMMARY
STEP 1: Select a topic that is interesting to you. STEP 2 Immerse yourself in the literature Step 3 Organize your literature Step 4 Identify research conceptual tags Step 5 Develop your research simulacrum ( research model) Step 6: Formulate the research problem or purpose Step 7 Writing the research title Step 8 Writing the Introduction Step 9 Preparing the research matrix Step 10: Research Instrumentation (Materials and Methodology) Step 11: Results and Discussion Step 12: Conclusions and Generalization

Ask yourself?
Public school students who are less in opportunity join Intel Science Fair for Science Investigation. Knowing that you are more privilege students than them; can you do the same thing and represent the Philippines all over the world?

Thank you Very Much!