1 | Research in Mathematics

UNIT 1: REVISITING FORMAT OF A RESEARCH

PROPOSAL AND A COMPLETED RESEARCH PAPER

1.0 Intended Learning Outcomes

With this module, the students will be able to attain the following intended
learning outcomes:

a. Identify components of a research proposal and a completed research

paper.
b. Familiarize format of an applied or action research paper.

1.1 Introduction

The goal of a research proposal is to present and justify a

research idea you have and to present the practical ways in which
you think this research should be conducted. The forms and
procedures for such research are defined by the field of study, so
guidelines for research proposals are generally more exacting and
less formal than a project proposal.

Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews

and must provide persuasive evidence that there is a need for the
research study being proposed. In addition to providing rationale
for the proposed research, a proposal describes detailed
methodology for conducting the research consistent with
requirements of the professional or academic field and a
statement on anticipated outcomes and/or benefits derived from
the study.

On the other hand, a completed research paper contains

not only the background of the study, literature reviews, and
methodology, it has additional components such as results and
discussion, conclusions, and recommendations.

Many students feel writing takes too long. Writing is very

laborious task because there are so many sub-components which
need to be pulled together (Richards, 2020). The reason why this
module is made to make research writing easier and clearer.
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1.2 Topics/Discussion

1.2.1 Format of a Research Proposal and a Completed Research

Paper

What are the components of a research proposal and a completed

research paper? The outlines are presented in the table, these are the
common outline based from the work of Bueno (2016) and Boston College
Library (2020):

Components of a Research Proposal Components of a Completed Research

Paper
PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTS PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTS
Title Page Abstract
Table of Contents Title Page
Approval Sheet
1.0 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING Acknowledgment
1.1 Introduction Dedication
1.2 Research Objectives Table of Contents
1.3 Hypothesis List of Tables
(Only for quantitative research List of Figure
approach)
1.4 Theoretical Framework 1.0 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
1.5 Conceptual Framework 1.1 Introduction
1.2 Research Objectives
2.0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 1.3 Hypothesis
(Only for quantitative research
3.0 METHODOLOGY approach)
3.1 Research Design 1.4 Theoretical Framework
3.2 Instrumentation 1.5 Conceptual Framework
3.3 Validation of Instrument
3.4 Sampling Procedure 2.0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
3.5 Data Gathering Procedure
3.6 Data Analysis 3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.7 Ethical Consideration 3.1 Research Design
3.2 Instrumentation
REFERENCES 3.3 Validation of Instrument
APPENDICES (Copy of the research instrument, 3.4 Sampling Procedure
copy of consent letter and other communication 3.5 Data Gathering Procedure
letters) 3.6 Data Analysis
3.7 Ethical Consideration

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES
APPENDICES (Copy of the research
instrument, copy of consent letter and other
communication letters)
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Research in Education is a continuation of the course Research Methods. Since

you have already identified your working research titles, and have already
prepared your research proposal, perhaps you are now ready to explore the
completion of your research paper.

To further familiarize the above-cited main components. Here are some few
reviews that you need to be acquainted to, this will serve as guide for neophyte in
research field.

The Problem and Its Setting

In this section, the introduction must present the rationale of why the study
is conducted. Start with a general description of the subject being given emphasis,
and establish the gap that requires to be addressed in the paper. Ten to 15 percent
(%) of your paper is introduction usually include general statement of the problem,
context or background of the problem rationale and hypothesis or claim,
significance of the study and research gap (Bueno, 2016). According to Squirrel
(2018) five common mistakes in introduction writing is making it too fluffy, poor
proofreading, trying to copy others academic language, not making argumentative
discussions of the stand of the author and trying to claim too much.

Another component is the Research Objectives, according to Hughes (2017)

are set at the very start of a project to guide the research. Their main role is to ensure
you gain insights that are relevant and useful. This summarizes the main aim of the
research – what you want to find out. It should be a neutral statement, led by an
infinitive verb such as ‘to explore’, ‘to understand’, or ‘to identify’, and the like.

For your hypothesis, this is usually included in the paper if the research
method use is quantitative, but for qualitative researches, this portion is
disregarded. There are six common forms of hypotheses, to wit: the simple, the
complex, empirical, null, alternative, logical, and statistical. For this matter,
common type of hypothesis used for educational researches are the null and
alternative hypotheses. Null hypothesis exists when a research believes that there is
no relationship between the two variables, or there is a lack of information to state
a scientific hypothesis. This is something to attempt to disprove or discredit,
usually starts with a statement “there is no”. On the contrary, an attempt to disprove
a null hypothesis, researchers will seek to discover an alternative hypothesis, usually
starts with a statement “there is a” (Chiang et al., 2015).

For the frameworks, both theoretical and conceptual framework of the study
gives vivid explanations regarding the relationship of the variables. The theoretical
framework uses abstract concepts, facts or laws, variables, and relations that explain
and predict how observed phenomena exist and operate in the investigation. It is
the anchorage of the variables in the research objectives. The conceptual framework
presents the researcher’s own way of understanding and concepts based up the
previous readings and experiences relative to the field or focus of the investigation
(Bueno, 2016).
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Review of Related Literature

Reviews of Related Literature is one of the essential components of research.

A research study without the reviews of other people's works is like talking
nothing with so many things, discussing nonsense with insubstantial support, and
claiming so much without anchorage.

A researcher can verify claims of what came before and what has not been
found yet from other researchers' works through literature review. As such, once
the researcher has undergone a literature review, it increases understanding and
critically evaluates the research at hand (American University, 2020).

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research topic.

The review should enumerate describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify
this previous research. (Harvey A. Andruss Library, 2020). The sources of literature
reviews are peer-reviewed articles, books, dissertations and conference papers from print
and electronic sources.

There are so many reasons why there is a need to review literature especially
for those students who are neophyte or beginner in research. Some of the reasons
where enumerated by the Upstate University of South Carolina (2020), as follow:

 Provide foundation of knowledge on topic;

 Identify areas of prior scholarly (literature) works to prevent
duplication and give credit to other researchers.
 Identify inconstancies: gaps in research, conflicts in previous studies, open
questions left from other research.
 Identify need for additional research (justifying your research).
 Identify the relationship of works in context of its contribution to the
topic and to other works.
 Place your own research within the context of existing literature
making a case for why further study is needed.

Methodology

The methodology section may be presented in sub sections depending on the

paper. It shall contain the research design, research samples, data collection method,
and data analysis. The approach of how the methodology is presented will depend
on the research undertaken.

In the research design, the approach used in the study can be optionally
included. Design under specific research must be discussed specifically as to the
appropriateness of the design, and how it is applied to the study (McCombes,
2020).
In the research samples, state first the population inclusion, the sampling
technique used, and if the study is in qualitative research method, criteria of
selection are also required.
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For data collection tool/instrument and the scale when necessary, instrument
validation, and data gathering procedure are to describe for this portion. Along
with data analysis, for this portion, the author necessarily includes the kind of
collected data, the type of data analysis tool used, and the data analysis process.

For ethical considerations, these things are not entirely compulsory.

However, descriptions should include the conformity of ethical research
standards, specifically on the conflict of interest, data privacy, anonymity, and
confidentiality. Also, how the informed consent process and incentives or
compensation were delivered.

Results and Discussion

This portion will be complied or completed after having successfully

collected the data from the research participants or respondents. The results shall
be presented in a manner that facilitates easier understanding. The manner of
presentation shall follow the sequence provided in the objectives.

Preferably the presentation of tables and illustrations are found in this

component in which most are preceded with the discussion of the message inside
the table or illustrations. Never discuss what is inside the table as your reader
knows how to read it. Instead get the meat of the table and elaborate on the
meaning. Use literature evidences to back-up your discussions.

Results using graphs or diagrams must be discussed first before the

presentation. Please follow the generic example of a figure formatted in APA 7
style. If you use pictures and illustrations, make sure it is your own picture. If not,
permission/approval to use a copyrighted material must have been sought.
Proper citation must always be observed. Avoid using pixelated pictures (Cardiol,
2014).

Conclusions and Recommendations

The Conclusions and Recommendations may be combined or, in long

reports, presented in separate sections. For conclusion always remember not to
repeat the data presented in the results section. In this section, the mean message
of the paper is generalized. The Conclusions section sums up the key points of
your discussion, the essential features of your design, or the significant outcomes
of your investigation. While recommendations, always address limitations and
suggest how they might be overcome in future work (Monash University, 2020).
This section should preferably not be more than 300 words. What is the take-home
message of the paper? That’s should be made clear in this section.

It is always important to familiarize the components of a research paper for

it surely help reduce workloads and minimize confusion, and errors in the research
undertakings.
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TASK 1: Identify the component of a research paper that is

described in the statements. Write your answer on the space
provided before each item.

_______________1. It is where tables, graphs, and

illustrations are presented.

______________2. It includes all the readings from the published, unpublished

and online resources.

______________3. It is where the end goals of a research are stated.

______________4. It explains and predicts how observed phenomena exist and

operate in the investigation.

______________5. This main component of a research paper discussed the whole

research process.

TASK 2: Revisit your research proposal and ensure that it follows the components
presented in this module. If not, kindly revise your work before you
proceed to the next research phase. (No submission is required for this task but
ensure that your research proposal is ready for the next succeeding lessons).

You may send your inquiries and output through the email,
[email protected] or message via FB messenger Marife Lacaba.

1.3 References

American University. (2018). Literature Review Tutorial: Home.

https://subjectguides.library.american.edu/c.php?g=175218.

Boston College Library. (2020). Writing an Educational Research Paper: Research Paper
Sections. Libraries. https://libguides.bc.edu/edpaper/sections.

Bueno, D. C. (2016). Educational Research Writing Made Easy. Great Books Trading.

Bueno, D. C. (2016). Practical Qualitative Writing. Great Books Trading.

Cardiol, A. B. (2014, February). Detailing the writing of scientific manuscripts: 25-30

paragraphs. Arquivosbrasileiros de cardiologia. https://bit.ly/32x9V6G.

Chiang, I.-C. A., Jhangiani, R. S., & Price, P. C. (2015, October 13). Understanding
Null Hypothesis Testing. Research Methods in Psychology.
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https://opentextbc.ca/researchmethods/chapter/understanding-null-
hypothesis-testing/.

Harvey A. Andruss Library. (2020). Literature Review: What is a literature review?

LibGuides. https://guides.library.bloomu.edu/litreview.

Hughes, K. (2017, July 3). 4 reasons to clearly define your B2B research objectives.
https://bit.ly/2GX0wxO.

McCombes, S. (2020, July 10). Research Design: Types, Methods, and Examples.
Scribbr. https://bit.ly/3jajcYI.

Monash University. (2020, February 24). Conclusions and recommendations. Research

& Learning Online. https://www.monash.edu/rlo/assignment-
samples/engineering/eng-writing-technical-reports/conclusions-and-
recommendations.

Richards, R. G. (2020). Understanding Why Students Avoid Writing. Understanding

Why Students Avoid Writing | LD Topics | LD OnLine.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/5892.

University of South Carolina . (2020). LibGuides: Conducting a Literature Review:

Home. Home - Conducting a Literature Review - LibGuides at University of
North Florida. https://libguides.unf.edu/c.php?g=177129.

1.4 Acknowledgment

The author of this module acknowledge the help of the editors, evaluators,
and those who have contributed in the improvement of this scholarly output.

DISCLAIMER:

This module is not for commercial, and this is only for educational
purposes. Some technical terminologies and phrases were not changed, but the
author of this module ensures that all the in-text citations are in the reference
section. Even photos or figures are with in-text citations to abide by the intellectual
property law.