March 3rd 2010
Research methodology
• Introduction
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Educational research
ü  How to define a research problem: which are the
specific objectives? How did you translate them in a
research questions? Which are the research
questions? Will you use qualitative or quantitative
tools? Which sort of sampling? Do documentary
sources exist on the subject? How will you distribute
tasks in the research group?
ü  Educational Research as basis to make
decisionsàbrano da Vertecchi
ü  Empirical research: observation and experiment
ü  On the field: mechanisms
ü 
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Empirical research: observation and experiment
L’uso improprio di sperimentale ha fatto perdere di vista
l’altra dimensione della ricerca empirica, quella
osservativa, accreditando la sineddoche per cui tutta la
ricerca sarebbe sperimentale. E’ bene invece
considerare separatamente i due modi della ricerca
empirica, perché ciascuno di essi presenta vantaggi e
svantaggi; inoltre la ricerca sperimentale è soggetta a
severe limitazioni di ordine morale,tanto da richiedere
l’osservanza di una deontologia da parte dei ricercatori.
(Vertecchi, 1999, p. 22)
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
On the field
Vertecchi identifies which elements characterize the experiment:
1. una conoscenza analitica del quadro entro cui si opera;
2. una ipotesi interpretativa delle relazioni di causa-effetto che
caratterizzano un fenomeno indipendentemente da interventi tesi
a modificarlo;
3. una ipotesi descrittiva di una diversa conformazione finale del
fenomeno che interessa studiare sperimentalmente, ivi compresa
la nuova interpretazione delle relazioni causali;
4. una strumentazione procedurale e tecnica capace di indurre
i mutamenti desiderati;
5. un apparato di controllo in grado di fornire tutti i dati relativi
alle varie fasi di esecuzione dell’esperimento e di consentire la
verifica finale. (Vertecchi, 2002)
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Problem statement
• When
is it used?
•  Why
is it used?
• Description
• Statistical
of the problem.
back ups and comparisons.
• Impact
of the problem.
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
The problem. When is it used?
Project
Solution
to a
problem
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
The problem. Why is it used?
Researcher
Funder
You both
want to
solve the
same
problem
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Key concepts
• A problem is the reason for a project
• Wellthought out and backed by statistics
• Logical and specific
• Provide comparative data
• Written clearly
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Describe the problem
Why establish a museum?
Why implement a senior information centre?
“we
need…
“what
problem are
you trying
to solve?
Only if you identify a legitimate
problem, you can match a funder and
acquire a grant
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Describe the problem
Why do people and organisations give away money?
Foundations have
a “philosophy”
behind them.
Government
programmes:
politics.
They will only fund solutions to problems
they have identified as being important.
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Describe the problem
Your problem – the problem for
which your project is a potential
solution – must match a critical
interest to the funder in order for
your proposal to be considered.
Examples:
• Playground equipment
• Technology to do research
• Swimming pool
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce
Describe the problem
• Problem: define it and clarify it before you
start to write.
• Do not cloud your issue with related
problems.
The example of the teenage pregnancy counseling
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
The example of the teenage pregnancy counseling
• The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all
developed countries. About 1 million teenagers become pregnant
each year ; 95% of those pregnancies are unintended, and almost
one third end in abortions. Public costs from teenage childbearing
totalled $ 120 billion from 1985-1990; $ 48 billion could have been
saved if each birth had been postponed until the mother was at
least 20 years old.
• Though birth rates for teenagers declined for all races and ethnic
groups in the United States in past years, the rates are growing in
our community (see table). They are growing in all social groups
and in all ethnic groups.
• In a survey of all youths age 14 – 19, there was an appalling lack
of understanding of how decisions made today affect one’s life in
the future. Moreover, there was a general feeling that someone
else would deal with the consequences of their decisions. Following
is a chart of questions and percentages of young people answering
each option as well as a chart of the most common comments by
those questioned.
Statistical back ups and comparisons
Data is only pertinent and has an impact if it
is comparative so that the reader can relate
the statistic to something.
examples
Wrong:too
localised to your
own community
Right:descriptive
with comparative
grounded data.
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Historical data
If there is a pertinent progression that
has caused the problem, then a
description of this will provide
background to contribute to the proposal
reader’s knowledge.
Example of the local river that has become
polluted whereas it was not in the past
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Impact of the problem
This would seem to go without saying,
but few proposal writers bother to
explain what will be the natural result, if
the problem is not solved.
Example of the polluted river.
Our river carries water to neighbouring
communities. The more time that goes by, the
more polluted our river becomes, and the
more dangerous… More over… impact for the
flora and fauna along its borders
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Checklist
1.  Describe the broad problem
2.  Describe causes of the broad problem
3.  A problem for each project
component
4.  Statistics and quotations
5.  Extensive numerical data
6.  Survey results
7.  Historical perspective
8.  Impact of the problem
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Examples of problem statement
1.  After school programme
2.  The senior citizen wellness centre
3.  Alcohol and drug abuse programme
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Last words
1.  You do not have problems. Your
target population has.
2.  Any benefit to your organisation
occurs only to help your target
population
3.  You exist to serve.
4.  Projects are solutions to problems.
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
How to write a grant proposal?
Theory and good practice
Thank you!
[email protected]
Dipartimento di Progettazione Educativa e Didattica
Antonella Poce