Choosing an area and topic for research. 1. Identify a research area based on your interest and need.

Your need and interest should match. E.g. Do you need the research to help you improve your work? Are you interested in conducting such a research? E.g. you are interested in finding out why your students cannot write a composition in English correctly. You want to analyse the errors they make in their compositions. You need this research so that you can help your students realize the errors they make and why they make such errors. You can help them improve their compositions. 2. You need to have some knowledge of the area of study or experience in that area. Have you any experience in this area? Have you read enough about it? Do not choose an area which you know nothing about. You may have problems in providing support for your study. E.g. The perceptions of Form One students towards the learning of literature in English. If you are not teaching literature, then you may not have enough knowledge to ask the proper questions and to provide explanation. 3. Narrow the area sufficiently so that it is not too broad nor to narrow. If it is too broad you may not have enough time to conduct it or the results can become very unwieldy. If it is too narrow, it may not yield any benefit to anyone. It may not solve the problems that you want to solve. E.g. Factors that affect the teaching and learning of English in Malaysia. The area is too broad. There are several factors which affect teaching and there are also several factors that affect learning. Furthermore, there are various cultural and ethnic groups in Malaysia. The factors affecting each group are different. 4. Identify an area in which you can get help easily i.e. from your supervisor or reference materials. Getting your supervisor who has an interest in the area you want to study will be a great help. Apart from that, you must make sure that there are enough reading materials for you to access. Sufficient reading should be done before you embark on your research to ensure that you have enough content for your research. 5. Identify an area that is practical that research can be conducted efficiently and effectively. Can the research be carried out without any obstacles? Do you need equipment that is not available in your place or is the required equipment very expensive that it is not possible to get it? Is the physical setting suitable for the research to be carried out? 6. Ensure that there are enough subjects or respondents for the area selected. Are there enough people who are willing to be your subjects or who are suitable candidates for your research? 7. Ensure that the area is not a sensitive one to any individual or group. It should not touch on personal matters, religion, culture or beliefs in a biased way.

Examples of research topics 1. Moral values in Form Four ESL Textbooks 2. The practice of reading strategies among 7th semester TESL students in UPSI 3. A study of problems in reading comprehension in English among Form One students in a rural school 4. Factors that cause students to have problems in understanding literary texts. 5. The use of English newspapers to improve students reading comprehension. 6. UPSI undergraduates reluctance to give feedback in ESL classroom. 7. The perceptions of Science and Mathematics teachers in using English to teach Science and Mathematics. 8. The interference of the first language on the syntax structure of ESL learners essay writing. 9. The perceptions of tertiary level ESL students toward active participation in classroom interaction and the factors affecting students participation. 10. Perception about using English language to communicate among 4th semester UPSI undergraduates. 11. Anxiety among UPSI 3rd semester students (Economics course) in learning English as a second language through speaking skills. 12. Vocabulary comprehension among Form Four students of SMK Bandar T6. 13. The importance of having different communication skills in English on peer and non-peer relationships among non-TESL students in UPSI. 14. A comparative study of the different language learning strategies of learners with different proficiency levels 15. Factors that motivate UPSI students to read English materials. 16. Enhancing the students understanding in learning English Language: A case study on the usage of ICT among the Communicative English II students of UPSI. 17. SMAP, Labu ESL teachers perceptions on the usage of CD Courseware provided by the Ministry of Education for teaching literature component. 18. English reading habits among 3rd semester TESL students in UPSI. 19. Why students have problems in reading English texts. 20. The non-TESL UPSI undergraduates perception on English as a medium of instruction in their lectures. 21. Factors causing writers block among ESL learners in UPSI . 22. Perceptions of students towards language tests. 23. Teachers teaching strategies and students learning strategies: Do they match? 24. Analysis of grammatical errors made by ESL students. 25. Relationship between students beliefs about learning English and their performance.