Assumptions

Assumptions

1. Assumptions are what the researcher takes for granted or accepts for purposes of conducting the study. To the extent that the assumptions are open to questions, the results of the study are subject to challenge. Thus, the student should ensure that he/she understands the assumptions basic to the proposed research. 2. Many assumptions are self-evident (e.g., where a questionnaire is used in a survey it is assumed the respondents can read it), or dealt with elsewhere in the proposal (e.g., if in the definitions section an "outstanding teacher" is operationally defined as one who is nominated for teacher-of-the-year, it is being assumed that the nomination process results in outstanding teachers). If the basic assumptions being made are not self-evident or made clear in some other part of the proposal, they should be stated in the assumptions section. 3. Some assumptions made in educational research are value-laden (e.g., lay citizens should have a major voice in decisions about public education) and not subject to validation by the research process; however, many assumptions are subject to such validation. If appropriate, evidence in support of the assumptions being made should be offered. For example, if a standardized achievement test score is being used as the dependent variable in an experiment involving teaching methods, validity and reliability data should be cited. (Such support is often presented in the procedures and methods section and/or the review of literature.) 4. Use of an introductory sentence and a listing is often appropriate or, in some instances, paragraph form may improve readability.