INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH By Rameeza Aslam Lahore School of Economics

2  What is research?  Why do we do research?  How do we do research? Educational Research: Some Basic Questions

 Research means: A search for facts, answers to questions and solutions to the problem It includes not only factual research from a wide variety of sources, but also the writer’s interpretation of that research. It includes not only factual research from a wide variety of sources, but also the writer’s interpretation of that research.

PURPOSE The project will nurture your critical thinking abilities

CRITICAL THINKING CRITICAL THINKING  Critical thinking means : The process of gathering information and dissecting and analyzing and evaluating it to arrive at your own conclusions. The process of gathering information and dissecting and analyzing and evaluating it to arrive at your own conclusions.

6  Own observation  Deduction from theory  Own practice  Theory testing  Related literature  Evaluation of existing programme  Experts  Policies Sources of Selecting a Problem

7 It should be  of interest to you  significant  researchable  feasible  focused  clear  ethical  of practical value Considerations for Research Topic/ Problem/Question

8 Narrowing Down the Topic  Time  Geographical distribution  Classification

9  Hypothesis  Research Question

The Research Process  Defining the problem  Formulating hypothesis  Selecting/proposing a method  Collecting, organizing, and analyzing data  Making deductions and arriving at conclusions

 A Research paper is an in-depth study of a SPECIFIC and DISTINCT topic.  It includes not only factual research from a wide variety of sources, but also the writer’s interpretation of that research.

DEFINING THE PROBLEM  To know why something is wanted, you should first know what is wanted

NARROWING DOWN THE PROBLEM  WhatTo study the wages of women workers  WhyTo determine whether their wages are fair and uniform  WhenPresent  WhereIn TISCO, Lahore  WhoWomen Workers

Statement of the Problem  This study proposes to survey the wages of women workers in TISCO, Lahore, to determine whether the company wages are fair and uniform in the years

 It doesn’t just describe something. It compares, persuades, or analyzes.  Pick out key issues.  Rather than simply finding and presenting facts, you develop a fuller understanding of your topic and an informed opinion about the issues involved.  It includes your own thoughts, perceptions, and ideas about your topic. You make comparisons between your interpretations and the facts.

 Questions the facts, dissecting each and every piece of information to discern whether it is true and reliable.  Use many sources including personal observations  Think independently and communicate clearly  Maintain neutrality