DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

A. Definition of Educational Research

Educational research is a spectrum involving different areas of knowledge
covering different problems of learning systems and providing different
perspectives for solving problems and improving in general.
B. Educational Research Problems
1. The experience of a person or group.
2. Work field.
3. Research report
4. Sources that come from the knowledge of others.
C. Educational Research Objectives
1. As input material, in order to further improve the quality of learning. So that it
can produce better learning.
2. To assist teachers in overcoming existing educational problems.
3. Thus being able to create good learning inside and outside the school
environment.
4. To develop and foster an academic culture within the school environment.
Where, schools can improve the quality of learning and education effectively
and sustainably.
5. Increasing professionalism in the world of education and the educators
themselves.
6. Creating good cooperation between educators and education staff.
D. Characteristics of Educational Research
1. Objectivity
2. Accuracy
3. Verification
4. Brief Explanation
5. Empirical
6. Logical Reasoning
E. Types of Educational Research
 1) Basic research
Basic research aims to broaden the depth of knowledge which aims to
develop theory (theoretical significance).
2) Applied research
Applied research aims to apply, test, and evaluate theoretical models,
approaches, techniques, or strategies used to solve problems in education so
that they can be utilized by the community.
3) Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is research that involves numerical data and
statistical analysis (deductive) conducted to test certain theories by examining
the relationships between variables.
4) Qualitative research
Qualitative research is research that collects verbal data to be analyzed
inductively in the form of narratives, schemes and pictures.
5) Classroom Action Research (CAR)
Classroom Action Research (CAR) is reflective research on the learning
process that takes place by making improvements in learning with the aim of
overcoming the problems that are happening and are found in the classroom in
the learning process.
F. Scope of Educational Research
Room scope and study of education, including: components of the educational
process and education research. The components of the educational process
include: educational interaction, educational goals, educational environment, and
educational association. While research in the fields of education, among others
includes: research in the field of science and educational practice.
1. Research in the field of education is directed on the develoment of theories and
concepts classified as basic research. Such research can be carried out
quatitatively, experimentally or non-experimental. If the research is still
directed at testing concepts, assumptions, and propositions then this research
is still categorized as basic research.
 2. Research in the Field of Science, Curriculum Practice and Learning Research
using a qualitative approach is focused on reinforcement of existing
propositions and assumptions, or generate assumptions, new propositions and
hypotheses. Research on curriculum science and teaching/learning can also be
done quantitatively, experimentally or non-experimental, and if it is still
directed at testing concepts, assumptions and proposition, the research is basic
research.
3. Scope of Curriculum and Learning research
Theoretical curriculum and practical curriculum consist of:
Theoretical Curriculum (basic research)
a. Theories of curriculum design and engineering
b. Teaching/learning theories
c. Learning theories
d. Evaluation theorie
Practical Curriculum (applied research and evaluation)
a. Curriculum as a plan (curriculum design)
b. Curriculum Development
c. Curriculum Implementation
d. Evaluation and refinement of the curriculum
e. Curriculum management
4. Research in the Field of Guidance and Counseling Science and Practice
5. Research in the Field of Education Management Science and Practice In
addition to the guidance and counseling field, educational research is included
the field of education management science and practice, covering the scope of
theoretical management and practical theoretical.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH PROCESS

A. Basic Conceppts of Research Education
Research is an attempt to find scientific knowledge. The research method is a
scientific way used to obtain data with a specific purpose. The scientific way
means that the activity is based on the scientific method. In a scientific way it is
expected that the data to be obtained is objective, valid and reliable data.
Objective means that everyone will give the same interpretation. Valid means
that there is accuracy between the data collected by the researcher and data that
occurs in real objects and reliable means that there is a certainty of data obtained
from time to time.
Research activities are carried out with a specific purpose, and in general
these objectives can be grouped into three main things, namely to find, prove and
develop specific knowledge. With these three things, the implications of the
research results will be used to understand, solve, and anticipate problems. Scope
of educational research; there are three main requirements to be able to become
researchers in general and researchers in the field of education in particular.
The first requirement is to master the material, ideas, concepts and ideas to be
studied, namely regarding education.
The second requirement is mastering the research methodology and the third
requirement is mastering the solving and analysis techniques. Without fulfilling
these three conditions, the research will not run and be completed. Of course
mastery of educational material and theories is the main study material with an
educational system that is instrumental and environmental input.
B. Educational research objectives and functions
1. Objective
The objectives of educational research are as follows:
1. As input material, in order to further improve the quality of learning.
2. To assist teachers in overcoming existing educational problems.
3. To develop and foster an academic culture within the school environment.
 4. Increasing professionalism in the world of education and the educators
themselves.
5. The aim of further education research is to create good cooperation between
educators and education staff.
2. Fungtion
In general, the function of educational research can devided into:
1. Development of educational science
2. Educational problem solving
3. Education policy research
4. Supportive educational research development.
3. Elements in Educational Research
a. Problem
b.Concept
c. Theory
d.Variable
e. Hypothesis
4. Step of the Educational Research Process
Like other types of research, it involves steps that must be followed to make the
information gathered from it valuable and useful.
a. Identify the problem.
b. Formulate goals and hypotheses
c. Decide on research methods.
d. Collecting data.
e. Analyze and interpret data.
f. Write reports.

C. Kinds of Research
The types of research can be grouped according to the type of research in terms
of objectives, approach, level of explanation and type of data.
1. Research in terms of its objectives
 This type of research is divided into twoparts, namely pure research (basic)
and applied research. Pure research is research that. The aim is to discover
new knowledge that was previously unknown. While applied research is
research that aims to use known scientific knowledge to solve practical life
problems.
2. Research according to its approach
Can be divided into survey research, ex post facto, experiments, policy
research, action research
3. Research According to the Level of Explanation
Based on research, it can be grouped into descriptive, comparative and
associative research.
4. Research by Data Type
The types of data in research can be grouped into two main things, namely
qualitative data and quantitative data
 AN OVERVIEW OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

A. Definition of Qualitative research

Qualitative research can be understood as a research method that uses
descriptive data in the form of written or spoken language from observable
people. Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse
non-numerical (descriptive) data. Qualitative research uses techniques including
structured and unstructured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation

B. Purpose of Qualitative Research

Some important points that need to be understood by a researcher in
conducting qualitative research are:
 Qualitative research does not focus too much on numbers or values in
measuring variables.
 Qualitative research does not carry out a test using statistical methods
 By nature of elaboration, researchers are allowed to dig deeper into the
information research object by not relying on numerical measurements.
 More unstructured than quantitative research.

C. Characteristics of Qualitative Research

1. Natural environment (natural setting). Qualitative researchers collect

field data at the locations where participants experience the problem or issue
to be studied. Qualitative researchers do not change the environmental settings
and activities of the participants.
2. Researcher as a key instrument (researcher as key instrument).
Qualitative researchers generally collect their own research data through
participant observation, documentation, or direct interviews with participants.
These researchers generally do not use instruments or questionnaires made by
other researchers, because they are the only key to the study.

3. Multiple sources of data. Qualitative researchers generally choose to

collect the required data from various sources such as interviews,
documentation, and observations, rather than relying only on one source data.

4. Inductive data analysis. Qualitative researchers build categories, patterns

and themes from the ground up (inductive) or from separate data into a
complete conclusion.

5. The meaning of the participants (participant’s meaning). In the entire

research process, the researcher must focus on studying the meaning obtained
from the participants about the issue or research problem, not the meaning
conveyed by other authors or researchers in certain literatures.

6. Design that develops (emergent design). Qualitative researchers argue

that qualitative research is always evolving and dynamic. This can mean that
the initial plan is not a standard that must be adhered to, all stages of research
may change after the researcher goes into the field and collects data.

7. Theoretical perspective (theoritical lens). Qualitative researchers often

use certain perspectives in conducting research such as ethnography, cultural
concepts, gender differences, race and others.

8. Interpretive. Qualitative researchers make an interpretation of what they

see, hear and what they understand. Usually there are differences in
interpretation between researchers and readers and participants, so it appears
that qualitative research offers different views on a content or problem.
 9. A holistic account. Qualitative researchers usually try to make a complex
picture of a research issue or problem. Researchers describe the perspectives
and factors associated with the problem as a whole.

D. Types of Qualitative Research

1. Ethnography
• Ethnography is a branch of anthropology to analyze the culture of a nation or
society in its natural environment over a long period of time in collecting
main data, observational data and interviews.
• The purpose of the analysis is to understand a view of life from the
perspective of the indigenous people.
• This research was conducted with observation, long enough observations of
a group, tribe / community, to find the meaning of each behavior, the language
of interaction / something related to the community itself.

2.Cases tudies
• Researchers carefully investigate a program, event, activity, process, or
group of individuals.
• Cases are limited by time and activity, and researchers collect complete
information using time-based procedures.

3. Phenomenology
• Researchers identify the nature of human experience about a particular
phenomenon.
• Understanding the experience of human life makes phenomenological
philosophy a research method whose procedures require the researcher to
study a number of subjects with a relatively long and direct involvement in it
to develop patterns and meaning relations.
 4.Grounded Theory
• Researchers produce a general and abstract theory of a particular action,
process, or interaction that comes from the views of participants.
• Researchers must go through a number of stages of data collection and
filtering categories for the information that has been obtained.
• It has main characteristics, namely: (1) constant comparison between data
and emerging categories and (2) theoretical sampling of different groups to
maximize information similarity and difference.

5. Narrative
• Researchers investigate the lives of individuals and ask a person or group of
individuals to tell their life.
• This information is retold by the researcher in a narrative chronology.
• In the final stage of the research, the researcher must combine with a
narrative style his views on the participant’s life with the views held by the
researcher himself.

E. Steps to do Qualitative Research

1. Gather your feedback.
2. Coding your comments.
3. Run your queries.
4. Reporting.