Three Types of Research

Reference research
Research involving a search for individual facts or data.
 e.g.) a number of native speaker instructors in Korean elementary schools

Secondary research
Research for searching articles on a topic, integrating them by summarizing, and turning into papers addressing important issues with correct referencing
 e.g.) a rationale for importance of motivation in second language learning

Primary research
Gathering and analyzing a body of information / data and extracting new meaning from it or developing unique solutions to problems or cases. This is "real" research and requires an open-ended question for which there is no ready answer.
 e.g.) How is intrinsic motivation developed in Korean secondary English classrooms?

Research at IGSE involves all three types mentioned above, yet it is ultimately considered as the primary research which requires high level thinking and advanced research skills.

Research Process

Reference research

Research is a process that takes time and effort. The following chart below shows the steps.

Research Topic & Question

Reference research
 The most important step in researching is to identify your interested topic and develop a valid question. The diagram below shows the sources of research topic and question.

Initiating a Topic
 - which you feel passionate about
 - arises from your experiences & beliefs (practical problems)
 - from the class assignments
 - exposure to the materials of your interests
 - exchanging ideas with colleagues
 - which is being actively discussed or controversial

Questions to be Asked
 - most attention grabbing topic/subject from the lectures at IGSE?
 - any challenges during learning or teaching?
 - any “A-ha moments” during learning or teaching?
 - your philosophy or belief in language learning or teaching?
 - any specific group of interests?

How to form a Research Question
 - Connect the keywords of your interest to form a sentence/question
 ☆ Examples: flipped classroom, motivation, Korean secondary students, English learning
 - Is there a change in Korean secondary students’ motivation when a flipped classroom is employed in an English class?

*This content is extracted from the IGSE Academic Information Center