Early Grade Reading Capacity Development Training

Program

Educational Research Course

Module 2: Research Conceptualization

Date:
Presenter:

1
Module Outline
• Session 1: Review of Module 1 Assignment
• Session 2: What is Literature Review
• Session 3: Avoiding Plagiarism
• Session 4: APA Formatting, Citation and Reference Style
• Session 5: Online Search of Literature
• Session 6: Research Purpose(s)/Question(s)

2
Session 1: Review of Module 1 Assignment
• The assignment of Module I was to choose three research problems and explain
each one.
• The feedback on the assignments were generally:
– The topics are very general and broad.
– The research is not feasible.
• How are you going to measure the variables of the research (such as effect
of A on B.)
• The problems are not researchable problems.
• The research does not add to the literature.
• The description in “problem statement” does not relate to the “research
problem”. It is general.
• In some cases, recommendations have been provided in the research problem
before the actual implementation of the study.

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Criteria for Selecting a Research Problem?
“Do-Ability” – Feasibility
– Access participants and research sites
– Have time
– Locate resources
– Have required expertise
“Should-Do-Ability” – Significance and Ethics
– Contribution to literature
– Usefulness of the research to other researchers, policymakers, practitioners
– Ethical pitfalls consideration
“Want-to-Do-Ability” – Sustained and Sustaining Interest
– Commitment and sustainability of researcher’s energy/interest

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 Elements of a Problem Statement

Flow of Ideas
Topic Research Justification Deficiencies Relating the
Problem for the in the Discussion to
Research Literature Audiences
Problem

Subject area A concern, or Evidence Evidence that Audiences

issue, a from the is missing that will
“problem” literature or profit from
practical the study
experiences

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Activity: Buzz Group
1. Divide in small groups in accordance to your departments.
2. Exchange assignments (research topic and problem) with each other
and review based on the slides/handout.
3. Revise your assignments based on the feedback from groupmates.
4. Each group choose two best topics for literature review.
5. Share the chosen topic and research problems with the entire group.

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Session 2: What is Literature Review
• Session Outline:
• Definition, Purpose and Types
• Literature Review Process
• Literature Map
• Literature Review Conclusions

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 Literature Review
• A written summary of journal articles, books, and other documents
that describes the past and current state of information on the topic of
your research study.
• Focuses on describing, summarizing, and critiquing issues, results, and
explanations in the literature on the topic under investigation.
• Documents a need for the proposed study.

‫کورس تحقیق در تعلیم و تربیه‬

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 Purpose of Literature Review
• To document the importance of the research problem at the beginning of
the study
• To demonstrate your knowledge of the subject.
• To help ensure all relevant variables are identified.
• To identify gaps in the literature
• To focus the research questions.
• To develop hypotheses.
• To critically review methods that have been used in similar studies in the
past.
• To allow a comparison of your findings with those of others
• To develop an conceptual/analytical framework for the research.

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Types of Review
1. Context Review
– The author links a specific study to a larger body of knowledge.
– Introduces the study by situating it within a broader framework
and showing how it continues or builds on a developing line of
thought or study.
2. Theoretical Review
– The author presents several theories or concepts focused on the
same topic and compares them on the basis of assumptions, logical
consistency, and scope of explanation.
3. Methodological Review
– The author compares and evaluates the relative methodological
strength of various studies and shows how different methodologies
(e.g., research designs, measures, samples) account for different
results.

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Types of Review - Continued
4. Historical Review
– The author traces an issue over time.
– Can be merged with a theoretical or methodological review
to show how a concept, theory, or research method
developed over time.
5. Integrative Review
– The author presents and summarizes the current state of
knowledge on a topic, highlighting agreements and
disagreements within it.

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 Literature Review Process

Write a
review
Organize
the
Critically literature
evaluate and
Locate select the
literature literature
Identify key
terms

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1. Identify Key Terms
• Begin by narrowing topic to a few key terms.
• To identify these terms, the following two strategies can be used:
1. Writing preliminary “working title”, and select 2 or 3 words in
the title that capture the central idea of study
2. Pose a short, general research question, and select 2 or 3 words
in the question that best summarize the primary study
direction.
Example
• Analysis of the role that moral and political factors have on
satisfactory living through classic Farsi poetry [Key terms: Farsi
classic poems; satisfaction/happiness; morality; politics.]

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Activity: Identifying Key Terms

In your groups identify at least five key

terms for your proposed research topics.

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2. Locate Literature
• Use Academic Libraries
• Use Both Primary and Secondary Sources
1. Primary source literature consists of literature reported by the
individual(s) who actually conducted the research or who
originated the ideas.
2. Secondary source literature summarizes primary source and
does not represent material published by the original
researcher or the creator of the idea.
• Search Different Types of Literature (Summaries, Encyclopedias,
Handbooks, Journals, Indexed Publications, and Electronic Sources,
Books, etc.)

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3. Critically Evaluate and Select the Literature
• Is It a Good, Accurate Source?
• Rely as much as possible on journal articles published in peer-
reviewed journals
• Look for “research” studies
• Include both quantitative and qualitative research studies
• Is It Relevant?
• Topic Relevance
• Individual and Site Relevance
• Problem and Question Relevance

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4. Organize the Literature
• Reproducing, Downloading, and Filing
• Taking Notes and Abstracting Studies
• Constructing a Literature Map

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 Literature Map of the Research
• A visual summary of the research that has been conducted by others,
and is typically represented in a figure (Creswell, 2014)
• Used to organize the literature
• Helps see overlaps in information or major topic in literature
• Determines how a proposed study adds to or extends the existing
literature rather than duplicates pas studies.

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 Literature Map of the Research

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5. Write a Literature Review
• Using a Style Manual
• End of Text References
• Within-Text References
• Levels of Headings
• Writing Strategies
• Chronological: Provide an overview, history or chronology of
the literature that you have selected for inclusion in your
review.
• Thematic: Identify patterns of research and to group the studies
according to these patterns or themes.

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 Literature Review Conclusions
• The literature review ends with either
• a research hypothesis (experimental, causal -comparative, and
correlational studies)
• operational definitions of variables (quantitative research)
• refined research questions and a set of sub-questions
(qualitative research and in descriptive survey), or
• a conceptual/analytical framework

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 Questions to ask while reviewing literature
• What do we know about the research problem?
• What theories relate to your research?
• Which research methods have been used in similar studies, in the past?
• Are there any opposing opinions among the experts in the area of the
research problem?
• Are there any unanswered questions related to the research problem?

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 Taking Notes
• Read the material critically (critical reading skills).
• Be sure you have understood the author’s purpose.
• Take notes when reading.
• Paraphrase the important points as much as you can.
• Write the source at the end of the note.
• Organize your notes properly.
• Re-read your notes and write down your understanding in your own
words.
• Make use of note-taking applications, such as, Evernote and OneNote.

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 Evaluation Criteria for Quality of Literature Review
• The number of sources used
• The quality of sources used (original, empirical and theoretical
researches/studies)
• Recentness of sources
• Relevancy of sources
• Structure of the content in literature review
• Logical consistency
• Conclusion of the literature review
• Quality of writing (academic but simple)
• Use of academic writing style, such as APA

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 General Tips
• Learning English language
• Research as learning
• Avoid downloading too many resources
• Regular writing of your understanding of the source
• Avoid plagiarism
• Use of critical and creative thinking; spirit of inquiry.
• Literature review is a continuous activity.
• The Literature Review Chapter might be re-written and edited many
times.

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Session 3: Methods of Using Resources and
Avoiding Plagiarism
• Session Outline:
• Main Methods of Using Resources
• Avoiding Plagiarism

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 Three Main Methods of Using Resources
Summarizing
– Rephrases the main ideas of a piece of work; is brief but detailed, does not
include the researcher’s opinion.
Paraphrasing
– Restating an author’s ideas in one’s own words
– It is necessary to first understand the content properly.
– Give proper credit to the original source (author, year, and page or paragraph
number).
Direct Quoting
– It is used when the sentence (s) in the source is crucial to the study and it is
difficult to rewrite it.
– Give proper credit to the original source by mentioned source name, year, and
page.

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Summarizing
• Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas.
• Keep the most important and supporting ideas.
• Remove the ideas that are not very important.
• Use your own words to write the summary.
• Make the summary as concise as possible.

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 Summarizing (Example)
Among the three teachers in the highest achievement group, the following cluster of
beliefs and practices were found to distinguish their instruction from their more typical
peers:
• (a) instructional balance of skills and high-quality reading and writing experiences,
• (b) a high density of instruction,
• (c) extensive use of scaffolding,
• (d) encouragement of student self-regulation,
• (e) a thorough integration of reading and writing activities,
• (f) high expectations for all students,
• (g) masterful classroom management, and
• (h) an awareness of purpose.
(McDonald, Pressley, & Hampton, 2012)

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 Paraphrasing (Example)
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
“Excellent primary-level literacy instruction is balanced with respect to
whole language practices and skills instruction” (McDonald, Pressley, &
Hampton, 2012, p.30).
PARAPHRASE:
Effective teaching of early grade literacy integrates both whole language
and literacy skills-based approaches (McDonald, Pressley, & Hampton,
2012, p.30).

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Activity: Short Writing Exercise
Paraphrase the following text:
Group 1 and 4:
“Critical literacies… involve people using language to exercise power, to enhance
everyday life in schools and communities, and to question practices of privilege and
injustice, and that critical literacies are negotiated within the more mundane and ordinary
aspects of daily life” (Comber, 2007, p. 16).
Group 2 and 5:
“The reason why all educational planners should be prepared to undertake research is that
it is important to be sure of the facts before making suggestions for changes in educational
policies and practices” (Postlethwaite, 2005, p. 11).
Group 3 and 6:
“An effective literature review is not merely a summary of research studies and their
findings. Rather, it represents a ‘distillation’ of the essential issues and inter-relationships
associated with the knowledge, arguments, and themes that have been explored in the area”
(Postlethwaite, 2005, p. 16).

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 Direct Quoting
• Reproduce word for word material directly quoted from another
author’s word or from your own previously published work, material
replicated from a test item, and verbatim instructions to participants.
• Use direct quotations when the author you are quoting has coined a
term unique to her or his research and relevant within your own paper.
• Less than 40 words  Incorporated in text; enclosed with “”
• 40 words or longer  Displayed in freestanding block of text; no “”

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 Direct Quoting (Examples)
• Zone of proximal development is defined as “the distance between the
actual developmental level as determined by independent problem-
solving and the level of potential development as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more
capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1934, p. 86).
• There is “always a human mediating between the linguistic symbol
and its referent” (Rosenblatt, 1978, p. 42).

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34
Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s work without giving them
credit for the information.
• Researchers should not claim that others’ words and ideas they use are
their own; credit needs to be given using quotation marks and proper
citations.
• A related idea, self-plagiarism, is when researchers present their own
previously published work as new scholarship.

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Three Acts Considered Plagiarism
• Failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas
• Failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks,
• Failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words.

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Note
• To avoid plagiarizing an author’s language, don’t look at the source
while you are summarizing or paraphrasing. After you’ve restated the
author’s ideas in your own words, return to the source and check that
you haven’t used the author’s language or sentence structure or
misrepresented the author’s ideas.

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Activity: Debate
Briefly debate methods of avoiding plagiarism in the education and
higher education systems of Afghanistan.

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 Session 4: APA Formatting, Citation and
Referencing Style
• Session Outline:
• A Brief Overview to APA Writing Style
• Formatting Guidelines
• Citation
• Reference List

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 What’s APA?
• American Psychological Association (APA) Writing
Style
• Sixth Edition of APA Publication Manual
• A set of rules intended to encourage and maintain clear,
concise writing (voice, word choice, tone...)
• Provides guidelines for formatting papers
• Used to create citations for resources
• Primarily used by the social sciences, but other sciences
use it as well (like nursing, for example)
• Like any style format, it is intended to establish and
maintain consistency and quality in research, and
facilitate scholarly communication.

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 APA Formatting Guidelines
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Times New Roman, 12 point font
• Double-spaced throughout the manuscript
– Never use single-spacing or one-and-a-
half spacing except in tables or figures.
• Do not justify lines
• Indent the first line of every paragraph and
the first line of every footnote.

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 Running Head
• An abbreviated version of the title that makes sense
• Must not exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spaces
• Left-aligned
• On Title page, will include the words “Running head”, On subsequent
pages, will only include the title

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 Title
• The title part of the page should be located in the upper half of the
page, in upper and lower case letters
• Ideally the title should be no more than 12 words long and contain no
abbreviations; it can take up two lines
• The title should be double-spaced as well
• Capitalize major words

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 Title Page: Author(s) and Affiliation
• Type your name(s) on the first line below the title
• Center your institutional affiliation (Kennesaw State University) on
the next line

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 Abstract
• The abstract will start on a new page
• Center the word “Abstract”
• Do not indent the paragraph
• Should be between 150-250 words
• Below the abstract, indented, you may include a keywords section;
italicize “Keyword,” insert a colon, and list the keywords

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 The Body (Text) of the Paper
• Center the title on the first line of the page

• Begin your introduction on the following line, but do NOT include the word
“Introduction”

• Indent all paragraphs

• Use Bold font for headings within the Text (p. 62), but labels (e.g., Abstract,
References) are not headings

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 Headings Formatting

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Activity: APA Formatting Exercise
Please format your research papers in your groups (15 minutes).
 Margins
 Font style and size
 Space size
 Indent
 Headings
 Running head
 Title and title page
 Abstract
 Body
 Quotes

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APA Citation
• Cite, give credit when borrowing words and ideas from other writers .
• You must cite anything you borrow from a source, including direct
quotations; statistics and other specific facts; visuals such as cartoons,
graphs, and diagrams; and any ideas you present in a summary or a
paraphrase.
• There are two parts to citation:
• In-Text Citation
• List of References

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Example: Citation
• IN-TEXT CITATION
As researchers Yanovski and Yanovski (2002) have explained,
obesity was once considered “either a moral failing or evidence of
underlying psychopathology” (p. 592).

• ENTRY IN THE LIST OF REFERENCES

Yanovski, S. Z., & Yanovski, J. A. (2002). Drug Therapy: Obesity.
The New England Journal of Medicine, 346, 591-602

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Direct Quotation
• To show that you are using a source’s exact phrases or sentences, you must
enclose them in quotation marks.
• To omit the quotation marks is to claim — falsely — that the language is your
own. Such an omission is plagiarism even if you have cited the source.
• In short quotes (less than 40 words) insert quotation marks and citation before
period at the end of sentence.
• Long (40 or more words) quotations should be set apart (that is, not within the
text, like a block quotation)
• Omit quotation marks
• Indent five spaces from margin
• Maintain double spacing
• Same rules apply for in-text citation, EXCEPT that the quotation will
end with its punctuation, then followed by the citation

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 Sample Quotations

- Direct Quotation

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2004), “experts have pointed to a range of

important potential contributors to the rise in childhood obesity that are unrelated to media” (p. 1).

- Block Quotation

Jones's (1998) study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style in writing academic papers, especially when it

was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many

students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)

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One Work by One Author
• The author-date method of citation requires that the surname of the author (do
not include suffixes such as Jr.) and the year of publication be inserted in the
text at the appropriate point:
• Kessler (2003) found that among epidemiological samples
• If the name of the author appears as part of the narrative, as in the first example,
cite only the year of publication in parentheses, Otherwise, place both the name
and the year, separated by a comma, in parentheses (as in the second example).
Even if the reference includes month and year, include only the year in the text
citation.
• Early onset results in a more persistent and severe course (Kessler, 2003).
• In the rare case in which both the year and the author are given as part of the
textual discussion, do not add parenthetical information:
• In 2003, Kessler's study of epidemiological samples showed that

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One Work by Multiple Authors
• Cite both names every time the reference occurs in text. When a work
has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the
reference Occurs; in subsequent citations, include only the surname of
the first author followed by et aI (not Italicized and with a period after
al and the year if it is the first citation of the reference within a
paragraph,
• Kisangau, Lyaruu, Hosea, and Joseph (2007) found [Use as first
citation in text.]
• Kisangau et al. (2007) found [Use as subsequent first citation per
paragraph thereafter.]
• Kisangau et al found [Omit year from subsequent citations after first
non parenthetical citation" within a paragraph . Include the year in
subsequent citations if first citation within a paragraph is parenthetical.

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Groups as Authors
• The names of groups that serve as authors (e.g., corporations,
associations, government agencies, and study groups) are usually
spelled out each time they appear in a text citation.
• The names of some group authors are spelled out in the first citation
and abbreviated thereafter.
• If the name is long and cumbersome and if the abbreviation is familiar
or readily understandable, you may abbreviate the name in the second
and subsequent citations.
• If the name is short or if the abbreviation would not be readily
understandable, write out the name each time it occurs.

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Two or More Works Within the Same Parentheses
• Identify works by the same author (or by the same two or more
authors in the order) with the same publication date by the suffixes a,
b, c, and so forth ,after the year, repeat the year. The suffixes are
assigned m the reference list, where these kind of references are
ordered alphabetically by title (of the article, chapter, or complete
work).
• Several studies (Derryberry & Reed, 2005a, 2005b, in press-a;
Rothbart, 2003a, 2003b)
• List two or more works by different authors who are cited within the
same citations with semicolons.
• Several studies (Miller, 1999; Shafranske & Mahoney, 1998)

56
Secondary Sources
• Use secondary sources sparingly, for instance, when the original work
is out of print, unavailable through usual sources, or not unavailable in
English, give the secondary source in the reference list .
• In text, name the original work and give a citation for the secondary
source.
• Example: If All port’ s work is cited in Nicholson and you did not read
Allport’ s work, list the Nicholson reference in the reference list, in the
text, use the following citation:
Allport's diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003).

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Personal Communications
Personal communications may be private letters, memos, some electronic
communications (e.g., e-mail or messages from non-archived discussion
groups or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, telephone
conversations, and the like. Because they do not provide recoverable data,
personal communications are not included in the reference list. Cite
personal communications in text only.
Give the initials as well as the surname of the communicator, and provide
as exact a date as possible:
• T. K. Lutes (Personal Communication, April 18, 2001)
• (V.-G. Nguyen, Personal Communication, September 28, 1998)

58
APA Reference List
• Reference list, not bibliography.
• Provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve source.
• Listed alphabetically in the reference list.
• Each reference cited in text must appear in the reference list, and each
entry in the reference list must be cited in text.
• Make certain that each source referenced appears in both places and
that the text citation and reference list entry are identical in spelling of
author names and year.

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Reference Components
• Author and Editor Information
• Publication Date
• Title
• Publication Information
• Electronic Sources and Locator Information

60
Publication Date
 Give in parentheses the year the work was published (for unpublished
or informally published works, give the year the work was produced)
 For magazines, newsletters, and newspapers, give the year and the
exact date of the publication (month or month and day), separated by a
comma and enclosed in parentheses.
 For papers and posters presented at meetings, give the year and month
of the meeting, separated by a comma and enclosed in parentheses.
 If no date is available, write n. d. in parentheses.

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Title (Book or Article)
• Capitalize only the first word of the title and of the subtitle, if any, and
any proper nouns; do not italicize the title or place quotation marks
around it, Finish the element with a period.
• Italicize the book or journal titles
• Do not italicize the specific article title

62
Publication Information (Periodicals)
• Give the volume number after the periodical title; italicize it. Do not
use Vol. before the number.
• Include the journal issue number (if available) along with the volume
number if the journal is paginated separately by issue, give the issue
number in parentheses immediately after the volume number.
• Do not italicize it, Give inclusive page numbers on which the cited
material appears.
• Finish the element with a period.

– Social Science Quarterly, 84, 508-525.

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Publication Information (Books and Reports)
• Give the location, where the publisher is located as note down the title
page for books, reports, brochures and other separate non- periodical
publication.
• If the publisher is a university and the name of the state or province is
included in the name of the university, do not repeat the name in the
publisher location.
• Use a colon after the location
• If two or more publisher locations are given in the book, give the
location listed first or, if specified, the location of the publisher's home
office.

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 Reference
• On the References page: center the title “References” at the top of the
page
• References are double-spaced, too
• All lines following the first line of the citation will be indented a one
half-inch from the margin (also known as a hanging indent)
• Italicize titles of long works, like books or journal titles
• Do not put quotation marks around the titles of short works, like essays
or articles

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Reference

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Activity : APA Citation and Reference Style
1. Divide in groups of five.
2. Prepare the intext citation for the sources
3. Prepare the reference list of all the sources provided to you for in-text
citation exercise.

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Session 5: Online Search for Literature
• Session Outline:
• Online Search of Literature
• Sample Resources and Educational Journals

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 Online Literature Search
• Majority of academic literature is online now!
• Online literature search skills are essential to conducting research.
• Online searching is an incremental and iterative process.

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 General Points
• Don’t keep downloading without reading!
• Always remain open to modifying the keywords you use based on the
results of your search
• Too many results? Narrow your search by Year, Audience, Content,
Format, and Language.

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 Reference Chasing
• You know relevant books and papers already so follow the references.
• There are two reference chasing methods, one looking backward and
the other looking forward;
• Looking backward uses the list of references included in an article.
• Looking forward looks at the citing articles published subsequently.
• The forward reference chasing method could be more important than
backward chasing, as it directs the search to more recently published
articles that might contain more novel ideas.

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Activity: Simulation of Reference Chasing
1. Open Google Scholar
2. Search for topic of your study
3. Choose a relevant article

Backward Reference Checking

4. Find relevant articles from the reference list
5. Find the article on the internet for review and use.

Forward Reference Checking

6. Find articles on Google Scholar that have cited the article you found before by clicking
on “Cited by x#”.
7. Choose relevant article from the list that appears.

Note: For finding more resources, you can also use the “Related articles” tab on Google Scholar.

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 Search Operator

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 Search Operator

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Activity: Simulation of Using Search Operators
1. “” [example: “Early Grade Reading”]
2. */? [example: Early * Reading]
3. -, NOT [example: Early Grade Reading NOT Adult Literacy]
4. OR [example: Early Grade Reading OR Early Literacy]
5. +, AND [example: instructional time +/AND early grades]
6. () [example: (early grade reading) OR early literacy]
7. …

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 75

 Reference Manager Software

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 Searching Resources for Reviewing Literature
• Identify key terms
• Search in
– University Libraries
– WorldCat.org: The World's Largest Library Catalog

– Google Scholar
– ERIC - Education Resources Information Center
– Taylor & Francis Online
– JSTOR
– Academic Search Premier | Scholarly Research Database | EBSCO
– Microsoft Academic Search
– ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
– https://www.sciencedirect.com/
– Etc.

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 Research Resources in Farsi Language
‫پایگاه اطالع_ات علمی‬
http://sid.ir/fa/index.asp
‫فصلنامه علمی و پژوهشی تعلیم و تربیت‬
http://www.rie.ir/index.aspx?siteid=75&pageid=366
‫فصلنامه کودکان استثنایی‬
http://www.rie.ir/index.aspx?siteid=75&pageid=1091
‫فصلنامه رهبری و مدیریت آموزشی‬
http://journals.iau-garmsar.ac.ir/edu/
‫مقاالت فصلنامه پژوهش در برنامه ریزی درسی‬
http://mis.epage.ir/fa/module.content_Page.80-14.html
‫فهرست سایت ها‬
http://iribu.ac.ir/persian/modulespage.aspx?modulename=viewpage&pageid=1518&port
alID=118
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 Education Journals
The Reading Teacher International Journal of Bilingual
Education and Bilingualism
Reading Research Quarterly
Independent Journal of Education
Learning and Instruction Development
Reading and Writing Reading research: Advances in theory
and practice
Educational Psychology
Journal of Educational Psychology
Learning and Individual
Educational Evaluation and Policy
Differences
Analysis
International Journal of Bilingual Research Journal
Educational Development
Journal of Learning Disabilities
Review of Educational Research
Journal of Experimental Child
Rethinking reading comprehension Psychology

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 Session 6: Research Purpose and Questions
• Session Outline:
• Research Purpose
• Purpose Statement
• Guidelines for Developing Qualitative and Quantitative
Research Purpose
• Characteristics of Effective Purpose Statement
• Research Question (s)
• Features of Research Question(s)

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Research Purpose
• One or more succinctly formed sentences that describe the purpose of
the research.
• Is determined to fill an identified gap in the literature.
• Is a focused restatement of the problem statement
• Usually starts with key identifier, such as “The purpose of this study
is...”
• Should tell the reader if you will be doing a qualitative, quantitative or
mixed methods study.
Purpose Statement in Qualitative & Quantitative Research

• Has different functions in qualitative and quantitative studies:

• In qualitative research, indicates the intent to explore or
understand the central phenomenon with specific individuals at
a certain research site.
• In quantitative research, identifies the variables, their
relationship, and the participants and site for research.

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 82

Guidelines for Developing Qualitative Research
Purpose
• State the central phenomenon under study.
• Use words that convey intent about the exploration, such as explore,
discover, understand, describe, etc.
• Mention the target population in the study.
• Refer to the research site where you will study the participants.
• Use the following template:
• The purpose of this qualitative study is to
(explore/discover/understand/ describe) ( the central
phenomenon ) for (participants) at ( research site).
Examples of Qualitative Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to understand first-grade literacy instruction
from the two approaches of skill-based and whole-language perspectives
of the researchers and the nine teachers at four schools (McDonald et al.,
1997).
The purpose of this qualitative research project is to provide an in-depth
understanding of the experiences of children of Uzbeki linguistic
minorities in early grades; how teachers deal with children who are not
fluent in the language of instruction (Dari), how their parents support the
children’s education; and how the Uzbeki subject affects children’s
literacy acquisition in Dari and Uzbeki languages.

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 84

Guidelines for Developing Quantitative Research Purpose

• If you plan to use a theory, introduce it in this statement by stating that

you plan to “test a theory.”
• Three options exist for using variables in this statement:
• Relate two or more variables,
• Compare a variable composed of two or more groups in terms of
the dependent variable,
• Describe one variable.
• Use the following template:
• The purpose of this study is to test ( the theory ) by relating ( the
independent variable) to ( the dependent variable ) for
( participants) at ( the research site ).
Examples of Quantitative Purpose Statement
The purpose of this quantitative research is to examine the relationship
between mosque schooling and educational outcomes (Burde, 2015).

In the present study, we examined whether specific characteristics of the

Persian orthographic system would affect the acquisition of reading and
spelling in Persian, a language that has received little attention to date
(Rahbari & Sénéchal, 2010).

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 86

Characteristics of Effective Purpose Statements
• Specific and precise: not general, broad or obscure
• Concise: preferably one or two sentences
• Clear: not vague, ambiguous or confusing
• Goal-oriented: stated in terms of desired outcomes

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 87

Research Question(s)
• Narrow the purpose statement to specific questions that researchers seek
to answer.
• Can be used in both quantitative and qualitative studies.
• Can be one or more than one question.
• Are typically developed before identifying the methods of the study.
• Are not the same as questions you could ask a research participant.
Types of Quantitative Research Questions
1. Descriptive questions: to identify participants’ responses to a single variable or
question.
– How many early grade students do study in a classroom with proper learning
infrastructure?
– What percentage of grade 3 students can read a level-appropriate texts with adequate
comprehension?
2. Correlational questions: to answer the degree and magnitude of the relationship
between two or more variables.
– Do students in poorer school buildings have lower achievement scores than those in better
buildings?
– Do male students perform better than female students in the math and science areas?

3. Causal questions: to find out how two or more groups on an independent variable
differ in terms of one or more outcome variables.
– All other factors being equal, do students with Textbook A achieve better than students with
Textbook B?
Guidelines for Developing Quantitative Research
Questions
• Specify the independent, dependent, and mediating or control variables
• Use the words describe, compare, or relate to indicate the action or connection
among the variables
• Indicate the participants and the research site for the study
Guidelines for Developing Qualitative Research
Questions
• Use action verbs such as generate, discover, understand, describe,
and explore instead of words conveying cause-and-effect relationships,
such as affect, relate, compare, determine, cause, and influence.
• Formulate in two types: the main question and sub-questions.

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 91

Characteristics of Qualitative Research Questions
• Are general and open-ended.
• Are typically to understand a process, event, or phenomenon what
happens, why or how something happens, how those involved
understand the experience, and what it means to them
• May change or emerge during a study to reflect the participants’ views
of the central phenomenon and your growing (and deeper)
understanding of it.
Examples of Qualitative Research Questions
What are the experiences of Pashai and Uzbek children, their parents and
teachers in early literacy in Afghanistan?
– What challenges do Uzbek and Pashai children face in learning to read
and write in Dari/Pashto languages? Any difference in their challenges
by gender, grade, and type of school?
– What strategies do teachers and parents use to support Uzbek and Pashai
children who do not speak Dari/Pashto to learn how to read and write?
– What are parents’ & teachers’ perception regarding the influence of
language challenges on their involvement with their student’s education?
– What are Uzbek and Pashai parents’ and teachers’ perceptions about
MTBBME?
– What are the experiences and challenges of Pashai and Uzbek parents
with their kids’ early literacy?

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 93

Activity
In your groups draft the research purpose and question for the two
identified research topics and critique and revise it based in the criteria
learned during this module.

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 94

Group Assignment: Research
Each group should prepare the following for the two selected topics until
the end of October:
• Problem Statement and Importance (2-3 pages)
• Literature Review (8-10 pages)
• Please use various educational, peer-reviewed, and academic
journals
• Use APA to guide your literature review
• Avoid plagiarism
• Research question(s) and purpose (1 page)
• The research question(s) and purpose should comply with the
criteria discussed in this module.

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 95

Individual Assignment: Research Summary
Each participant should carefully read one article related to the group
research and write a 3-page summary. The summary must include:
• Research Problem
• Research Purpose and Question(s)
• Research Participants and Sample
• Data Collection and Analysis Methods
• Findings and Results of the Research
• Conclusion of the Research.

New Approach to Early Grade Reading in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan 96

 References
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2008). The craft of research. University of
Chicago press.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative
and Qualitative Research. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill.
Creswell, John W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods
Approaches. 4th Ed. USA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Hantla, B. Reference Manager Software: What Is It and What Can It Do? American Journal
Experts. Retrieved from https://www.aje.com/en /arc/reference-manager-software-what-it-and-
what-can-it-do/
Latunde, Y. C. (2017). Research in Parental Involvement: Methods and Strategies for
Education and Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan. New York, NY: Springer Nature.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2016). Designing qualitative research. Sage publications.
Neuman, W. Lawrence. (2014). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative
Approaches. 7th Ed. Pearson USA: Pearson Education Limited.
Postlethwaite, T. N. (2005). Educational Research: Some Basic Concepts and Terminology.
UNESCO.

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