Historical research involves systematically collecting and analyzing past data and evidence to understand and explain events or actions. It has several purposes, including helping people learn from the past, understanding present practices, and testing hypotheses. The key steps are defining the research problem, locating primary and secondary sources, summarizing and evaluating the sources, and presenting interpretations of the information. Historical research allows investigation of topics not possible through other methods, but controlling for threats to validity is difficult given the use of past data.

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HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Presented By:
Hazlin Aisha Binti Zainal Abidin
Nor Syamimi
Mohd Khairi Asyraf Bin Mohd Zaki

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WHAT IS HISTORICAL RESEARCH?
•
The systematic collection of
data to describe, explain
and thereby understand
actions or events that
occured sometimes in the
past.
• No manipulation or control of
variables - differ with
experimental research.
•
Focuses primarily on the
PAST.

3. PURPOSES OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH
1. To make people aware of
what has happened in the
past so they may learn from
past failures and successes.
2. To learn how things were
done in the past to see if
they might be applicable to
present-day problems and
concerns.
3. To assist in prediction.
5. To understand present
educational practices and
policies more fully.
4. To test hypothesis
concerns relationships or
trends.
3

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STEPS INVOLVED IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
1. Defining the problem or
question to be investigated.
Researcher aim to describe, clarify,
explain or correct what has been
conducted before.
2. Locating relevant resources
of historical information.
Researcher searching for relevant source
materials.
3. Summarizing and evaluating
the information obtained
from these sources.
4. Presenting and interpreting
this information.
Researcher will summarize and evaluate
the sources that they able to locate.
Researcher interprate the evidence
obtained and then drawing the conclusions
about the problem or hypothesis.

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STEPS INVOLVED IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
1. Defining the problem or
question to be
investigated.
Researcher claim to describe, clarify, explain or correct what has been
conducted before.
Problems should be clearly and concisely stated, be manageable, have a defensiable rationale,
and investigate a hypotesized relationship among variables.
It is better to study in depth a well-defined problem that is perhaps more
narrow than one would like than to pursue a more broadly stated problem
that cannot be sharply defined or fully resolved.

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2. Locating relevant
resources of historical
information.
Categories of Sources:
a) Documents
# Written or printed materials that
have been produced in one form or
another sometime in the past.
# Examples: Annual Reports, Artwork,
Books, Diaries, Newspaper,
Notebook.
b) Numerical records
# Include any type of numerical data
in printed or handwritten form.
# Examples: Test Scores,
Attendance Figures, Census
Reports, School Budgets.
c) Oral statements
# Include any form of statement
spoken by someone.
# Examples: Stories, Myths, Tales,
Lagends, Songs.
d) Relics
# Any object whose physical or
visual characteristics can provide
some information about the past.
# Examples: Furniture, Artwork,
Clothing, Buildings, Monuments,
Equipment.

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Primary vs
Secondary Sources:
a) Primary Sources
# A sources prepared by an
individual who was participant in or
a direct witness to the event that is
being described.
b) Secondary Sources
# A document prepared by an
individual who want a direct witness
to an event but obtained description
of the event from someone else.
Examples of Primary Sources
# A photograph of convocation ceremony of 1984.
# Minutes of a school board meeting in 1980, taken by secretary of
the board.
# An essay written during World War 2 by students.
Examples of Secondary Sources
# A magazine article summarizing Aristotle's views on education.
# A book describing schooling in England during 1700s.
# A textbook on educational research.

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3. Summarizing and evaluating the information obtained from
these sources.
# Determining the relevancy of the
particular material to the question or
problem being investigated.
# Recording the full bibliographic data
of the source.
# Organizing the data collected under categories
related to the problem being studied.
# Summarizing pertinent information (important facts,
quotations, and questions).

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4. Presenting and interpreting this information.
Content Analysis
# Is a primary method of data analysis
in historical research.
External Criticism
# Refers to the genuiness of the
documents a researcher uses in a
historical study.
# Has to do with the authenticity of a
document
# Who wrote this document?
# For what purpose was the document written?
# When was the socument written?
# Is the date on the document accurate?
# Where was the document written?
# Do different forms or versions of the document
exist?
Internal Criticism
# Refer to the accuracy of the contents
of a document.
# Internal criticism has to do with what
the document says.
# Was the author present at the event he or she is
describing?
# Was the author a participant in or an observer of
the event?
# Was the author competent to describe the event?
# Does the language of the documet suggest a bias
of any sort?
# Do other version of the event exist?

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ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Advantages
# Permits the investigation of topics
that could be studies in no other way.
# The only research method that can
study evidence from the past.
Disadvantages
# Controlling for many of the threats to
internal validity is not possible in
historical research.
# Many of the treats to internal validity
are likely to exist in historicla studies.