TT60104:

Quantitative
Research Method in
Education
Associate Professor Dr. Lay Yoon Fah
Faculty of Psychology and Education
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
layyoonfah@yahoo.com.my
 Preparing a
Research Report
Guidelines for Writing a Research Report
1. All research reports contain a description of the topic or
problem, a review of literature, a description of procedures, and
a description of results, but qualitative and quantitative studies
address these topics in somewhat different ways and give them
different emphasis.
2. Make writing part of your professional life and responsibility.
3. Begin with an outline that identifies and orders major topics
and then differentiates each major heading into logical
subheadings.
4. Write, edit, and rewrite with an eye toward progress, not
perfection.
5. Relate aspects of the study in a manner that accurately reflects
what you did and what you found.
6. Use clear, simple, straightforward language. Correct spelling,
grammar, and punctuation are expected
7. Proofread the final report at least twice, or ask a friend to
Format and Style
1. Format refers to the general pattern of organization and
arrangement of the report. Style refers to the rules of grammar,
spelling, capitalization, and punctuation followed in preparing the
report.
2. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association, also called the APA manual, specifies the style and
format used by most educational researchers.
Formatting Theses and Dissertations
1. The title of the report should describe the purpose of the study
as clearly as possible.
2. The acknowledgements page allows the writer to express
appreciation to persons who have contributed significantly to the
study.
3. The table of contents is an outline of the report that indicates
the page on which each major section (or chapter) and subsection
begins. A list of tables and figures is presented on a separate
page.
4. Most colleges and universities require an abstract or summary
of the study. The number of pages for each will be specified and
will usually range from 100 to 500 words. The abstract should
describe the most important aspects of the study, including the
topic, the type of participants and instruments, the design, the
procedures, and the major results and conclusions.
Formatting Theses and Dissertations
5. The introduction is the first section of the main body of the
report and includes a well-written description of the problem, a
review of related literature, a statement of the hypothesis, and
definition of terms.
6. The method section includes a description of participants,
instruments, design, procedure, assumptions, and limitations.
7. The description of participants in a quantitative study includes
a definition and description of the population from which the
sample was selected and may describe the method used in
selecting the participants. The description of participants in a
qualitative study will include descriptions of the way participants
were selected, why there were selected, and a detailed
description of the context in which they function.
8. The description of each instrument should indicate the purpose
of the instrument, its application, and the validity and reliability
of any instrument.
Formatting Theses and Dissertations
9. The procedure section should describe the steps that the
researcher(s) followed in conducting the study, in chronological
order, in sufficient detail to permit the study to be replicated by
another researcher.
10. The results section describes the statistical techniques or
qualitative interpretations that were applied to the data an the
results of these analyses.
11. Tables and figures are used to present findings in summary or
graph form and add clarity to the presentation. Good tables and
figures are uncluttered and self-explanatory.
Formatting Theses and Dissertations
12. Each research finding or result should be discussed in terms of
its relation to the original research question and its agreement or
disagreement with previous results obtained in other studies. A
result is the outcome of a test of significance or a qualitative
analysis; the corresponding conclusion is that the original
hypothesis or topic was or was not supported by the data.
13. Overgeneralization occurs when researchers state conclusions
that are not warranted by the results.
14. The researcher should discuss the theoretical and practical
implications of the findings and make recommendations for future
research or future action.
15. The reference section of the report lists all the sources that
were cited in the report. The required style manual will guide the
format of various types of references.
16. Appendixes include information and data that are pertinent to
the study but are either too lengthy or not important enough to
be included in the main body of the report.
Writing for Journal Publication
1. Journal articles are typically shorter than theses and
dissertations, although how much shorter depends on factors such
as the scope of the study and the kind of research that was
conducted.
2. Selecting the appropriate journal is the first step. Follow the
format and style required by that journal.
3. The standards for good scientific writing apply for any journal
you may select. Craft a narrative that guides your audience to
understand your goal, your procedures, your findings, and the
implications. Let your data speak for themselves. Take your time.
4. The final step is to write a cover letter to send with your
manuscript. In the cover letter, briefly explain why your
contribution is a good fit with the journal.