Written by Ari Julianto
Sometimes students of FKIP or teacher training and education get confused to identify between research method and research methodology. This time, I would like to discuss about these two terms in educational research.
While preparing the design of the study, it is necessary to think of research method. It is simply the method for conducting research. Generally, such methods are divided into quantitative and qualitative methods. Such quantitative methods include descriptive research, evaluation research and assessment research. Assessment type of studies include surveys, public opinion polls, assessment of educational achievement.
Evaluation studies include school surveys, follow up studies. Descriptive research studies are concerned with analysis of the relationships between non manipulated variables. Apart from these quantitative methods, educational research also includes experimental and quasi experimented research, survey research and causal-comparative research.
Qualitative research methods include ethnography, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, narrative research, grounded theory, symbolic interaction and case study. Thus, the researcher should mention about methods of research used in his research with proper justification for its use.
The term methodology seems to be broader, in the sense it includes nature of population, selection of sample, selection/preparation of tools, collection of data and how data will be analysed. Here the method of research is also included.
Thus, when we talk of research methodology we not only talk of the research methods but also consider the logic behind the methods we use in the context of our research study and explain why we are using a particular method or technique and why we are not using others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others.
(Taken from various sources)
Ok, I guess you all guys understood clearly the difference between these two terms.
