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Research Methods for English and Literary Studies

The researcher must be able to label the independent, and secondary variables appropriately. Not only that, the research procedure must be made clear. In addition, every term used in the research must be explained. Precision, related to operational definition of terms is used in research. The definition of operationism will suffice to drive home the point. Stanovich's (1989, p.39) defines it thus: "operationism is simply the idea that concepts in scientific theory must in some way be grounded in, or linked to, observable events that can be measured. Linking the concept to an observable event is an operational definition of the concept and makes the concept public. The operational definition removes the concept from the feelings and intuitions of a particular individual and allows it to be tested by anyone who can carry out the measurable operations.".
             Empirical Observation and Evidence: This is one of the most important qualities of a good research. This is because one of the basic characteristics of science is that that of relying on empirical observation but this must be done systematically. Mere observation as it were cannot get us anything in science. However, as scientists, our observation if structured should be able to reveal something about the underlying nature of the object we are studying and empirical observation leads to testability. Hence, one of the characteristics of research is that it must be based on empirical observation and evidence. .
             Testability: This means that every research must be testable for it to be regarded as a good research. .
             Parsimony: Parsimony and precision are two things that guide scientific research and make researches robust. Parsimony simply implies that ideas are not to be organised loosely. It means that the fewer the statement, the better the theory principle of occamism must be applied in research. Hence, the researcher should not make the research too wordy so that people will not miss the point.


Essays Related to Research Methods for English and Literary Studies

1. Literary Theory and Teaching Literature

The present paper evaluates both traditional approaches and poststructuralist literary theoretical approaches to the teaching and interpretation of literary texts in the light of research on twenty- first century education and teaching literature. ... Introduction The current study is concerned with evaluating the value of use of literary theory as a pedagogical tool to achieve the aims and objectives of twenty- first century education. ... They discard traditional approaches to teaching and studying literature and recommend approaches which are guided by the contemporary research. ... Rossl...

  • Word Count: 1829
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Graduate

2. Literary Genres

He summarizes his study on genre as follows: (1) Every theory is based on a hypothesis concerning the nature of literary works (2) A preliminary choice must be made as to the level on which to locate literary structures (3) The concept of genre must be qualified. ... Moreover, personal essays and researched articles are not literary works because they are not part of the literary genre. ... If literary genres pose so many problems, why not just scrap the whole concept of classification from the study of literature? ... I do not wish to propose that genres be removed from the stu...

  • Word Count: 1508
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The main focus is determined by analyzing the plot and the dialogues of the series to see Percy Jackson actions related to his hamartia in the series. 1.5 Theoretical Approach Since the present writer conducts a literary research on the plot of a novel, an approach which only focuses on intrincsi elements and stands free from any entrinsic elements. ... In other words, objective approach is an autonomy analysis, which focuses on the relationships of each element, which has unity, wholeness, coherence, and self regulation (2004:73). 1.6 Method of the Study In collecting data, the present writ...

  • Word Count: 1547
  • Approx Pages: 6

4. Readers' Theatre

Most English teachers consider drama to not be within their English Language Arts curriculum, drama is used more often as a teaching method in other disciplines. ... English teachers tend to leave drama to theater courses, isolating drama techniques from most English classrooms. Yet, the research on classroom drama suggests that there is considerable untapped potential for using drama as a teaching method. ... Other researchers and theorists also attribute many benefits to using Readers" Theatre. ... Students develop an understanding of and appreciation for literary genres and for particula...

  • Word Count: 1869
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography

5. Francis Bacon

Bacon's writings fall into three categories; philosophical, purely literary, and professional. He wrote and researched topics such as England's politics to scientific theory. ... A new method of scientific inquiry 3. ... Examples of the new method 5. ... According to Lelsie, Bacon himself believed that the study of ethics involved not only the general study of ethical principle but also the detailed study of human nature, which equips one to influence others. ...

  • Word Count: 968
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Textbooks for the ESL/EFL Classroom

A textbook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. ... Evidents Upon this, the role of the textbook in the English classroom is very important. Research indicates that EFL textbooks are used in many different ways depending on a wide spectrum of factors. ... Marc and Kees (2009) anlyze the content of textbooks as well as the preferences at the expence of selection made by literary experts. ... Recommendations According to Los Angeles Unified School District Textbook Evaluation (2002) research, the following model standards, current teaching strategies and methods are used to rate t...

  • Word Count: 1475
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Cultural Differences in Pedagogy

The study in progress has actually grown out of my personal observations and interactions with my students inside and outside the classrooms. ... Culture has become a vehemently significant issue in connection with teaching English in a country where English is not the mother tongue. ... The intended learning outcomes of the new teaching: A Study in Practice During Spring Semester 2009, I taught the course "English 303: Short Stories" designed to introduce students to the short fiction of pre-modern and modern periods through short stories of England, Europe and Americas. The ai...

  • Word Count: 2530
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Traditional vs Trendy

Critics revere Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as one of the literary classics. ... I chose to analysis Frankenstein as the novel for my analysis because I studies the novel in depth in a first year English (English 200) course. ... While for a hypertextual work this porosity forms an essential ingredient in the whole process, for a traditional piece of literature I found this method very unsettling. ... In fact, doing research for a "normal" work using hypertextual sources is one of the best ways to do research. Nonetheless, I still believe that the literary classics are best experience ...

  • Word Count: 1023
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Teaching English for Academic Purposes

In contrast, concrete language "identifies things perceived through the senses (touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste), such as soft, stench, red, loud, or bitter" ("Literary Terms", n.d.). ... Although it may seem as if technical language has only started being used after the modern era, technical language is not an invention in response to the advances in science and technology or increased study and exploration of the other academic areas. ... (Nida, 1992) To illustrate the difference between abstract and technical writing and everyday writing, Schwartz (1984) discusses a study she ...

  • Word Count: 3029
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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