A checklist for completing reports of research

When the author is ready to draft the final sections, it is useful to carefully evaluate the research before submitting it for review. Next, we provide a list of questions to consider when finalizing quantitative research.

About the research problem and questions

When reporting research, the problem and questions need to be clearly stated and presented as part of a theoretical framework. Helpful questions to ask include the following:

·Are the research questions motivated by the literature review /your discussion of the literature?

·Are the research questions clearly formulated and unambiguously worded?

·Are the research questions appropriate for the theoretical framework?

·Why is the central research problem worth investigating? Is the argument for why the study is interesting clearly presented? For example:

·Does the study fill a gap in the literature by addressing a relatively underresearched area or an unresolved problem?

·Does the study address a methodological concern observed in previous research?

·Does the study replicate previous research? If it is a partial replication, is the new element clear and well motivated (e.g., a replication with a different population of learners, in a new context, or with different measures of learning)?

·In general, how does addressing these research questions make an original contribution to the field?

·How have practical constraints that the researcher has faced— such as time, money, availability, and energy limits—impacted the investigation?

·Has the investigation of the research question avoided placing the participants in any physical or psychological danger? That is, are there ethical issues that should be considered/ discussed?

About the research hypotheses

The research hypotheses (if any) also need to be clearly stated and presented as part of a theoretical framework in the research report. It is important to note that not all quantitatively oriented papers specify hypotheses or predictions. If they are included, however, helpful questions to ask include the following:

·Are the hypotheses clearly stated?

·Do the hypotheses clearly specify the variables that might be related?

·Are the hypotheses appropriate for the theoretical framework?

·Are the hypotheses testable given the methods adopted for the research?

·Will the results lead to the generation of additional hypotheses to be tested in subsequent research?

About data gathering

Questions addressing how the data were gathered should also be considered. Some helpful questions include:

·Is it clear that the choice of sample (e.g., random, nonrandom, stratified random) was appropriate given the purpose of the study?

·Is it clear that the means for gathering data was appropriate for the research question?

·Was evidence of the validity and reliability of the instruments provided in the writeup?

·Is sufficient and detailed information provided about how, when, and where the data were gathered?

·Was the status of the researcher made explicit in the data-gathering process? (Was the researcher an observer? A participant? What, if any, was the relationship of the researcher to the participants?)

About data organization

When organizing and describing the data it can be useful to ask:

·Do all important constructs in the research have clear theoretical definitions? Are all variables operationally defined?

·Is it clear that the constructs and variables were appropriate for the research?

·Is information provided clarifying the research variables and the scales that represent them?

·Is enough information provided for readers to determine what kinds of scales have been used for each variable?

Language Focus

Study the report of a survey carried out on a university campus. Complete the report by supplying suitable words from the box given below into the blanks (more words than gaps).

sample conducted method respondents random questions

majority questioned mentioned interviewees common

questionnaire unusual generally minority slightly

Student experience of part-time work

Introduction

With the introduction of course fees and the related increase in student debt, more students are finding it necessary to work part-time. The survey was

(a)___________________ to find out how this work affects student life and study.

Method

The research was done by asking students selected at (b) _________________ on the campus to complete a (c) ___________________ (see Appendix 1). 50 students were (d) ___________________ on Saturday 23 April, with approximately equal numbers of male and female students.

Table 1 Do you have or have you had a part-time job?

Findings

Of the (e) ___________________ , 30 per cent currently had part-time jobs, 20 per cent had had part-time jobs, but half had never done any work during university semesters (see Table 1). (f) ___________________ who were working or who had worked were next asked about their reasons for taking the jobs. The most common reason was lack of money (56 per cent), but many students said that they found the work useful experience (32 per cent) and others (g) ___________________ social benefits (12 per cent).

The 25 students with work experience were next asked about the effects of the work on their studies. A significant (h) ___________________ (64 per cent) claimed that there were no negative effects at all. However, 24 per cent said that their academic work suffered (i) ___________________, while a small(j) ___________________ (12 per cent) reported serious adverse results, such as tiredness in lectures and falling marks.

Further (k) ___________________ examined the nature of the work that the students did. The variety of jobs was surprising from van driver to busker, but the most (l) __________________ areas were catering and bar work (44 per cent) and secretarial work (32 per cent). Most students worked between 10 and 15 hours per week, though two (8 per cent) worked over 25 hours. Rates of pay were(m) ___________________ near the national minimum wage, and averaged ￡6.20 per hour.

The final question invited students to comment on their experience of part-time work. Many (44 per cent) made the point that students should be given larger grants so that they could concentrate on their studies full-time, but others felt that they gained something from the experience, such as meeting new people and getting insights into various work environments. One student said that she had met her current boyfriend while working in a city centre restaurant.

Conclusions

It is clear that part-time work is now a common aspect of student life. Many students find jobs at some point in their studies, but an overwhelming majority (88 per cent) of those deny that it has a damaging effect on their studies. Most students work for only 2-3 hours per day on average, and a significant number claim some positive results from their employment. Obviously, our survey was limited to a relatively small (n) ___________________ by time constraints, and a fuller study might modify our findings in various ways.

Assignment

1.Look at your most recent written work, for example, the term paper of a course you took last semester. Reread it and ask yourself the questions listed in the checklist mentioned above.

2.You are going to prepare a survey on one of the following subject or you can consult your teachers to choose a topic to your taste.

(1) Patterns of students

(2) Student satisfaction with teaching methods

(3) Customer attitudes to Telecommunication companies