RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Week 1: Course Introduction & Foundations of Research Methodology
Dr. Thu Nguyen
13 September, 2025
• “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a
purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston
Welcome & Icebreaker
• 'What comes to mind when you hear the word research?’
• This course makes research practical, step-by-step
Course Objectives
• CLO1: Define research & types of research
• CLO2–3: Build research proposal step by step
• CLO4: Become responsible, independent researchers
• Relevance: Prepares for thesis writing & future MA studies
Why Learn Research? (Vietnamese Context)
• MOET & NFPL 2025 emphasize research-based education
• Employers value problem-solving graduates
• Research ≠ Google search: It is systematic and evidence-based
• What problem in English linguistics/ learning/teaching would you
research if you could?
Assessment
• Ongoing: 30% (attendance + group project)
• Midterm: 20% (theory + scenario-based questions)
• Final: 50% (research proposal, 2,000–2,500 words)
• Which stage do you find most challenging?
What is Research?
• Definition: Systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data to answer questions. (Kumar, 2019)
• Discussion: Which of these is research?
• 1. 'I think students are lazy.'
• 2. 'I surveyed 40 students and found 80% prefer pair work.'
What is Research?
• Key Features:
- Systematic & logical
- Evidence-based
- Replicable & ethical
What is Research?
• Key Features:
- Systematic & logical: Follows a clear step-by-step plan (problem → design
→ data → analysis). Skipping steps leads to errors.
- Evidence-based: Relies on data, not assumptions. Example: Using survey
results instead of opinions.
- Replicable: Another researcher should be able to repeat your study and
get similar results. Requires transparent documentation.
- Ethical: Protect participants' privacy, obtain consent, report data honestly,
and avoid plagiarism.
Discussion: With a partner, discuss which feature might be most challenging
for Vietnamese undergraduates and why.
Research vs Everyday Inquiry
• Everyday: opinion, informal, may be biased
• Research: data-driven, systematic, objective
• Classify examples: 'I think students are lazy.' vs 'I surveyed 50
students’.
Types of Research
• By Purpose: Basic vs Applied
• By Approach: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed
• By Design: Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental
• Group Activity: Match research questions with research type
Research in Linguistics & Education
• Quantitative: Correlation between motivation & scores
• Qualitative: Teacher interviews on TBLT challenges
• Mixed: Surveys + focus groups on AI tool use
Characteristics of Good Research
• Clear, focused, answerable
• Based on credible evidence
• Ethical, systematic, replicable
• Group Activity: Rank which is most important & why?
Research Process Overview
• Cycle:
1. Identify problem
2. Review literature
3. Formulate questions/hypotheses
4. Design methodology
5. Collect data
6. Analyze data
7. Interpret & report results
Identifying a Research Problem
• Bad: 'Students are bad at English.'
• Better: 'What factors reduce willingness to communicate in AE1
classes?’
• Pair Activity: Draft a problem & share for peer feedback
Research Skills & Tools
• Google Scholar, Zotero, Grammarly
• Evaluating peer-reviewed sources
• APA 7th referencing intro with examples
Challenges for Vietnamese Students
• Hesitation to speak → fear of being wrong
• Over-reliance on teacher instructions
• Weak paraphrasing & summarizing
• Overuse of online sources → plagiarism risk
Building a Research Mindset
• Be Curious: Turn classroom problems into research questions
• Be Organized: Keep research journal & references
• Be Ethical: Respect participants, avoid plagiarism
• Be Collaborative: Discuss ideas with peers
Summary
• Research = systematic investigation, not just 'finding info'
• This course takes you step-by-step to writing a full proposal
• You can be a researcher even as an undergraduate
Homework
• Read Kumar (2019) Ch. 1 (pp. 47–70)
• Write 150 words describing a learning/teaching problem you may
research
Closing Quote
• “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” – W.
Edwards Deming
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.). [Link]
000
Creswell, J. W. & Poth, C. N. (2024). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage
Publications.
Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies.
Oxford University Press.
Glasman-Deal, H. (2020). Science research writing for non-native speakers of English (2nd ed.). World Scientific.
Kumar, R. (2019). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners (5th ed.). Sage.
McCormack, J., & Slaught, J. (2009). Extended writing and research skills. Cambridge University Press.
Morley, J. (2016). Academic Phrasebank. University of Manchester.
Wallwork, A. (2011). English for Writing Research Papers.