1. Educational research can be divided into the interpretive ( qualitative ) research and the positivist (quantitative ) research based on their respective approach to research.

(a) What are the two basic important characteristics of a scientific educational research?

systematic ________________________________________________

inquiry ___________________________________________________

(b) Which one of the two types of research has an exploratory and understanding orientation towards identifying a research problem?

Interpretive or qualitative research_____________________________ _

(c) What is the data analysis method of the qualitative research approach?

Inductive data analysis ( from specific to general ) ________________

(d) What is the main difference between basic research and applied research?

i. Basic research:

Advances scientific knowledge that does not have practical________

application______________________________________________

ii. Applied research:

Is to develop knowledge that is directly useful for practical_________

application ___________________________________________

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(e) How is quasi-experimental research different from true experimental research?

In quasi-experimental research there is no randomization of both treatment and

control group ____________________________________________________ randomization and both groups are mentioned

(f) Define correlational research?

It is a quantitative research to study the relationship between two variables____

2. (a) An educational research requires the researcher to build good research questions that can lead to the conduct of a systematic and meaningful

study.(i) List two characteristics of a good research question.

feasible__________________________________________________

clear_____________________________________________________ ( answers can also be worth investigating, ethical )

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(b) The following alternative hypothesis was constructed for a research:“There is a statistically significant difference in achievement between students who attended science tuition classes and those students who did not attend science tuition classes.”

(i) Is the above hypothesis a directional or a non-directional hypothesis?

Non-Directional hypothesis ______________________________________

(ii) Give the reason for your answer.

Because the hypothesis did not specify which particular group is_________

comparatively better___________________________________________

(c) “Action research designs are systematic procedures done by teachers to gather information about, and subsequently improve the ways their particular educational setting operates, their teaching and their student learning ”

Mills (2000)

(i) Give three characteristics of an action research. i . It has a practical focus ______________________________________

ii. It is the educator-researcher’s own experience____________________

iii. It is a dynamic process___ ___________________________________(ii) Unlike quantitative research, action research is not for the purpose of producing generalizable knowledge.

Give two reasons.

Because the problem studied is very specific that it cannot be___

generalized to the population.____________________________

The sampling is purposeful sampling / not random sampling____

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3. You want to conduct an action research on the problem of students not completing their science homework. Initial investigation indicated that it’s because the homework was too much to be completed in time.

(a) A possible title for this study is:“A study to improve the successful completion of science homework

among Year 5 students at the SK Tmn Jaya, Gemas.”Analyse the title above and identify the following:

(i) Action word :

_ to improve_________________________________________________

(ii) Area of focus:

successful completion of science homework ________________________

(iii) Target group:

Year 5 students_from SK Tmn Jaya, Gemas________________________

(b) Give an example of an activity for each of the following phases for the above mentioned research.

i. Planning phase:

I shall prepare science homework that carefully matches work load with__

the time needed for students to complete them._____________________(or any other corret example )

ii. Action phase :

To prepare and give science homework that can be completed in time at__

home._____________________________________________________

(or any other corret example )

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iii. Observation phase :

To talk to the students about the time taken for them to finish their_______

science homework.___________________________________________(or any other corret example )

(c) What is the final phase that is needed to complete the action research cycle.

_Reflection_________________________________________________

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4. A teacher wants to interview her students to find out about their studying habits at home due to their unsatisfactory science results.

(a) Construct a structured and a semi-structured question that the teacher can use in the interview.

i. Structured:

Example : Do you study your science lessons at home everyday?(_closed

ended question )_____________________________________________ (or any other suitable closed ended question )

ii. Semi-structured:

Example :How do you study your science lessons at home? (open ended

question)__________________________________________________(or any other suitable open ended question )

(b) The teacher conducted the interview in the following manner. How can the teacher improve each step to increase the validity.

Step I :The teacher constructed all the structured and semi-structured questions she could think of for the purpose of the interview only by herself.

The teacher should have checked the questions with other teachers /____

researchers_________________________________________________

II She then asked these prepared questions and as the students were giving their response to the prepared, the teacher jotted down their response as quickly as she could.

The students’ response should have been audio taped________________

___________________________________________________________

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Step III : After she had coded their response herself she analysed them and wrote her findings.

The coding should have been done with others (peer-coding)___ ________

___________________________________________________________)

Step IV: The teacher only used the interview method to collect her data.

The teacher should triangulate her data using other methods_______

___________________________________________________________

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1. (a) Nominal data – the two types of school because it represents categories.

Ordinal data – The Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 students because they can be ranked according to their age/maturity. Interval data – The IQ scores because it is continuous but doesn’t have an absolute zero/form ratios. Ratio data – The science achievement marks because it is continuous and has an absolute zero/forms ratios. Correlational research because it investigates relationship.

(b) Example:Problem area – Evaluation of teaching effectiveness.

(or any other suitable problem areas)(i) Dependent variable – students’ achievement in science;

Independent variable – feedback techniques.

(ii) Null hypothesis – Science teachers who use specific feedback during science lessons and comparable science teachers who use general feedback do not obtain statistically different student achievement in science ( or any null hypothesis suitable to the problem area selected )

(iii) Directional hypothesis - Science teachers who use specific feedback during science lessons obtained statistically significantly higher student achievement in science compared to science teachers who use general feedback( or any other directional hypothesis suitable to the problem area selected )

(iii) Research objective – The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a difference in student achievement for science teachers who use specific feedback as compared with those who use general feedback.(or any other research objectives suitable to the problem area selected)

2. (a) 1. In qualitative research, hypothesis is not stated. The research questions guide the study.

2. Random sampling is not suitable, should be purposeful sampling. 3. Structured sampling limits the observation. Better to use continuous

recording torecord as much as possible what goes on in the class. 4. One week is too short to collect sufficient data, enough time must be

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given until the required data is sufficiently collected. 5. Just depending on observation data may limit the validity, triangulation

is necessary by using other methods such as interview.(weakness 1 mark, solution 1 mark)

(b) (i) - Having facial expression - Varying voice tone- Moving about the classroom- Presence of hand/arm gestures- Positive verbal statements of personal interest/appreciation( any other suitable behaviors )

ii) Example: For facial expression

Indicator Frequency1. Smiling2. Laughter3. Raised eyebrow4. Eye contact5. any other suitable features

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3. (a) (i)

(5 factors correctly written x 1 mark = 5 marks; table = 1 mark)

(ii) Mean = Σ fx = 1113 = 55.65 n 20

(calculation = 1 mark, correct answer = 1 mark)

(iii) The data does not show a normal distribution curve because it is spread evenly.

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x f fx31 1 3133 1 3336 1 3638 1 3840 1 4042 1 4244 1 4453 1 5354 1 5455 1 5556 1 5658 2 11666 1 6672 3 21676 1 7677 1 7780 1 80

Σ f = 20 Σ fx = 1113

b (i)

x (x – x), (x – x)2

85 31 96180 26 67670 16 25660 6 3655 1 150 -4 1645 -9 8140 -14 19630 -24 57615 -39 1521

Σ (x – x)2 = 4320

( 4 factors x 1 mark = 4 marks, table 1 mark)

(ii) SD = √4320/10 = 20.7 (calculation = 2 mark, correct answer = 1 mark)

(iii) The SD shows that it is not a normal distribution curve because ±3 SD + mean should include 99 percent of the marks and so must lie between 0 – 100, but in this case it is going beyond 0 and 100.

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