Research in Education

A. Understanding Education
In the Dictionary of Education stated that education is a) as a process whereby a person develops abilities, attitudes and forms of behavior in the community where he lived, b) as a social process where people are faced with environmental influences are selected and supervised (eg school ), so that he can acquire or develop social skills and emotional abilities are optimum.
B. Characteristics of Education Sciences
Science education is a science that systematically and systemically study the socio-cultural interaction between students as subjects and education in order to achieve the desired goals of education that emphasizes the formation of self-reliance within the framework of lifelong learning.
Ditunjau of nature, science education is itself an autonomous scientific discipline. This means assessing their own science education and produce the concept / theory of education such as: learning by doing (learning by doing), independent learning, lifelong learning. Besides, science education to apply the concept or theory developed in other sciences such as: philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, administration / management and economics are needed both to enrich the concept of education as well as to improve engineering education itself.
Science education more appropriately classified into the family of behavioral sciences and social sciences and cultural sciences are descriptive and reflective. What is the object of study in science education?
The object of study of science education is to various aspects of socio-cultural interaction between learners and educators in order to achieve educational goals. Based on the philosophical, psychological and cultural factors that describe the object of study in science education, then there are (5) five core components that make up science education batah body of science education. The five components are:
1. Curriculum; the component that is pleasing to the purposes and reference material interaction. Concept developed in this curriculum theory among other theories about the purpose of education, curriculum organization, curriculum content and curriculum development models.
2. Learning, ie the component related to the implementation process from the point of interaction that learners. The theory developed in this component include: the type and way of learning, hierarchical learning and learning conditions.
3. Educate / teach, ie components with respect to pelaksnaan interaction from the point of educators. Theory developed, among others, how the model of educating / teaching methods / techniques to educate and classroom management system.
4. Environmental Education; namely components with respect to how the situation of educational interactions take place along with its supporting elements. Theory developed include: planning and management of education, guidance counseling, educational media.
5. Assessment, ie components with regard to how to know how / how far the desired goal is achieved through the interaction of learning it happen. Theory developed include: assessment models, methods / techniques to assess and assessment instruments.
Areas of specialization of the torso can be developed according to science education:
1. The core components, namely curriculum, learning, teaching, counseling, educational management and assessment.
2. Environment (settings), the school education and special education school.
3. Levels and types include: primary, secondary, higher and vocational education teachers.
4. Field of study, among other things, Social Science and Language arts.
5. Category of learners.
6. Education Personnel among others: Power of structural, functional staff and technical personnel.
C. Research in Education
In order to assess and develop theories in the various components of science education, used a variety of approaches both deductive and inductive / empirical. Deductive approach applied in the determination of the concepts and educational methods that are general and basic. While the inductive approach is applied in the framework of the assessment and development of concepts and ways of education that is specific and technical.
Application of inductive approach / empirical hypothesis testing can be a (positivistic), grounded or naturalistic research and development studies.
What about the working methods that can be applied in the development of educational science, can be used various methods like content analysis, phenomenology, ex-post facto, experiment, problem analysis, case studies and field testing.

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Basic Concepts of Research

A. Understanding Research
Research can be defined as a set of activities that are systematic and targeted to problem solving, discovery and development of science batah body (the body of knowledge) is organized. Research can also be interpreted as a form of working methods or methods of solving problems in a planned and carefully conducted to obtain data, information (facts), and the conclusion (conclusion) that can increase the ability to understand, predict or control the situation (event).
B. Research Characteristics
Understanding Research in the above is very abstract, and therefore need to identify the characteristics of research that could explain how the principles and methodology of research undertaken. These characteristics are:
1. Research directed to solve problems or aim to answer the questions posed in the study or view the relationship of two or more variables.
2. Research emphasizes the development of generalizations, principles or theories useful in predicting future events.
3. Are empirical, meaning that based on experience that can be observed, the incidence of events (empirical evidence).
4. Systematic, That is a process that is structured, follow certain procedures in formulating the problem, identify variables, formulate hypotheses, collect data, and process and analyze data relevant to the problem formulated.
5. Demanded a careful observation and description in data collection and analysis of appropriate data. Therefore, researchers should be selective in choosing or developing instruments.
6. Demanding special expertise, it means mastering research methods, literature relevant to the problems examined, concepts and techniques necessary to understand and analyze the data.
7. Objective, subjective means to avoid the influence or force conclusions influenced by emotions.
8. Reductive, meaning not merely describe what happened but concluded into a particular concept.
9. Replicative, meaning memugkinkan can be tested again by other people in different occasions and places.
C. Usability Research
Benefits or utility derived from research, in general can be classified into two types of uses, ie uses theoretical and practical usefulness.
1. Facts and Theoretical Uses which are an invention of a concept that research can become information for science. In this connection, science is the purpose of research. Research conducted for the benefit of the development of this science is called the Basic Research (basic research). Problem and the variables studied, excavated and removed on the basis of existing theories in science. Testing a hypothesis formulated on the basis of scientific theory, are found in these studies to the development of science.
2. Practical Uses The findings in this study can also be used to see the possibility of what will happen (predict) and how to prepare ways to deal with or control it. Here is the first step to planning, training and development activities. In relation to research that helps in decision making and the ways or techniques face the problem of human life that ultimately function in an effort to improve the welfare of mankind. Such research is usually called applied research or research utilization.

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Determination of Samples in Research

A. Sample Definition
The sample is an example, a monster, representan or representative of a population that is large enough in number or one part of the overall selected and representative nature. Sample collection activity is called sampling.
While the population is totatlitas all cases, events, people or things. Can be either a number of human population, curriculum, management, teaching tools, teaching, events. Of all the population must be affirmed / found in the characteristics or attributes when the population will be the object of research.
The aim of researchers took samples are obtained information about the object of research by observing only a part of the population. This is done because of various factors to consider.
B. Sampling reason
Sampling was done because it is often not possible researchers looked at all the members of the population is relatively large in number (one by one observed). For example, researchers might not taste the fruit of rambutan as much as a truck that will be studied. However, the main requirement is a representative sampling of the population. Some of the reasons for withdrawal the sample is:
1. population size (some are very large even infinite)
2. Time, effort and cost.
A. Sampling Ways
1. Random Sampling Technique
a. Simple random sampling, where the free sample are random. Technique is used when the sample homogeneous.
b. Use of Random Numbers Table
1) Each member of the population be numbered.
2) Define the random numbers in the table (statistics).
3) Determine the criteria of the decimal.
4) Determine the beginning of the selection of random numbers.
5) Select the number indicated.
1. Non-Random Sampling Technique
In this technique, not all members of the population gets a chance to be sampled. There are three types of samples of these categories, namely:
a. Incidental samples (haphazard) example will be investigated in 100 students UPI. Researchers come to campus to find 100 students. Thus, students who studied were discovered by researchers on campus.
b. Sample quota (quota) This technique is similar to the incidental campus, just prior to the first sampling was made according to sample category strata, and each stratum was allotted.
c. Purposive sample (destination) technique is used based on the consideration of researchers tertetntu (subjective). For example, researchers want to know that students are learning how to regularly have high achievement. Then researchers took samples only students who regularly study and high achievement.
A. Determining sample size
In principle there is no standard rule how many percent of the sample should be taken from a population. But according to the research literature generally argues that the sample that exceeds better than the disadvantages. That means it would be better as much as possible of the population. For the population of 10-100 should be taken one hundred percent (100%). On top of 100-300 can be taken 70% and above 1000 is taken 20%.
If the sample is only 10 so to find the correlation between variables X with Y to risk the possibility of lost 5% and require a 0.632 correlation numbers (see the count statistics), whereas if 100, then the necessary number of correlation 0.195. to meredusir error should be given strict requirements, especially the small sample.
B. Factors to Consider In Sampling
1. Total population and its characteristics according to the variables studied.
2. Significance level in making estimates.
3. An upper limit of sampling error.
4. Research objectives, instruments and data analysis that will be used.
5. Available resources (cost, time, energy)

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