Steps in Historical Research

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Steps Involved in

Historical Research

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Four Essential Steps

Defning the problem

Locating relevant sources

Summarizing inormationobtained rom historical sources

Evaluation o historical sources

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Step 1 Defning !he"roblem

 !he purpose o a historical stud# is todescribe clearl# and accuratel# some

aspect o the past as it related toeducation and$or schooling% Historicalresearch aim more than to &ust describe'the# (ant to go be#ond description to

clari# and e)plain* and sometimes tocorrect%

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Step 1 Defning !he"roblem

1% !he# should be clearl# and concisel#stated* manageable* have adeensible rationale* and +i possible,investigate a h#pothesizedrelationship among variables

-% . problem ma# be selected or stud#

(hich insu/cient data are available

a% 0ten important data o interest+certain inds o documents* such as

diaries or maps* rom a particular period,

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Step 1 Defning !he"roblem

2% It is better to stud# a (ell3defnedproblem in depth that is perhaps more

narro(4% Rather than a more broadl# statedproblem that cannot be sharpl# defned*or ull# resolved

5% !he nature o the problem orh#pothesis guides the stud#

6% I it is (ell defned* the investigator is

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Step - LocatingRelevant Sources

0nce a researcher has decided on the problemor the 8uestion he or she (ishes to investigate*the search or sources begins% In general*ho(ever* historical source material can begrouped into our basic categories

1% Documents

-% 9umerical Records

2% 0ral Statements

4% Relics

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Documents

.re (ritten or printed materials thathave been produced in some orm or

another%

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E)amples

.nnual Reports

:oos

;ourt records

Diaries

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E)amples

Diplomas

9e(spapers

<agazines

 =earboos

<emos

 !ests

E!;%

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9umerical Records

9umerical or 8uantitative records can beconsidered either as a separate t#pe o

source in and o themselves or as asubcategor# o documents

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E)amples

 !est scores

.ttendance fgures

;ensus reports

School budgets

E!;%

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0ral Statements

3 Stories* m#ths* tales* legends* chants*songs* and other orm o oral e)pression

have been used b# people do(n throughthe ages to leave a record or uturegenerations

3 Historians also conduct oral intervie(s(ith people (ho (ere a part o or(itnessed past events

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Relics

.n# ob&ect (hose ph#sical or visualcharacteristics can provide some

inormation about the past%

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E)amples

urniture

art(or

clothing

buildings

monuments

e8uipment

E!;%

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"rimar# vs% Secondar#Sources

"rimar# source 3 Is one prepared b# anindividual (ho (as a participant in or a direct(itness to the event being described

Secondar# source 3 . document prepared b#an individual (ho (as not a direct (itness toan event* but obtained his or her description

o the event rom someone else

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"rimar# vs% Secondar#Sources

>henever possible* historians +lie otherresearchers, (ant to use primar# rather thansecondar# sources

?nortunatel#* primar# sources areadmittedl# more di/cult to ac8uire*especiall# the urther bac in time the

researcher searches

Secondar# sources are o necessit#*thereore* used 8uite e)tensivel# in historicalresearch