The research object can be people or things. In preschool education and scientific research, people are generally the research objects.

To choose the research object, we must first determine whether to conduct general research, sample research or case study.

The whole study is the study of the individual object. Population refers to all the research objects, which is the sum of the research objects within a certain time and space. For example, "Survey on the Literacy of Six-year-old Children in Shanghai". The whole research object is all 6-year-old children in Shanghai, excluding 6-year-old children in suburban counties and children of other age groups in urban areas. When the number and range of people are small, general research can be carried out, but when the number and range of people are large, sampling research is needed.

Sampling research is a research with some research objects as research samples. Some research objects drawn from the crowd are called "samples". The purpose of sampling research is to infer the overall situation according to the research results of the sampled books. The premise of sampling research is that the sample must be representative. Therefore, in order to make the inference accurate, we should follow the principle of randomness when sampling, that is, try to make every individual within a certain quota have an equal opportunity to be extracted.

Case study is a study of an educational phenomenon or problem with one person or several people as samples or a group as a unit. It is especially suitable for studying people and things with typical significance. Although case studies lack strict representativeness, universality always exists among individuals.

2. Study the definition of variables

Research variables refer to the factors that researchers are interested in, need to study and measure, and change with the changes of conditions and situations. Variables are changing and different factors. Variables are relative to constants. Constant means that all individuals have the same characteristics or conditions in a study, while variable means that different individuals have different characteristics or conditions in a study.

In educational research, constants are not the content to be studied, but only the relationship between variables. A study usually involves multiple variables and their relationships. For example, in the study of teaching methods, as far as the subjects are concerned, there will be qualitative and quantitative changes in academic performance, intelligence, motivation, interest, ability and other factors, and there are differences, and the relationship between these variables is intertwined. It is impossible to study all the variables, so researchers must decide the main variables in advance and make clear the relationship between them.

Independent variable, dependent variable and non-dependent variable are the most important and widely used variables in educational research.

Independent variable, also known as stimulus variable, is the cause of change and the hypothetical cause variable manipulated by researchers.

Dependent variable, also known as response variable, is the effect of independent variables on subjects and the hypothetical result variable to be measured by researchers.

Irrelevant variables, sometimes called control variables, refer to non-research variables that have nothing to do with specific research objectives, that is, all variables except independent variables manipulated by researchers and dependent variables that need to be measured. They are variables that researchers do not want to study but will affect the research process and need to be controlled.

Usually, the research is to explore the corresponding relationship between independent variables and dependent variables. Independent variables are the factors that researchers should manipulate and the causes of changes, while dependent variables are the results of factors and changes that researchers should measure. The change of independent variable can cause or affect the change of dependent variable, which depends on or depends on the change of independent variable. For example, in the study of children's intelligence and language development level, the independent variable is "children's IQ" and the dependent variable is "language development level test score"; In the "Comparative Study on Physical Fitness Indicators of Boys and Girls in Kindergarten", the independent variable is "Children's Sex-Male and Female" and the dependent variable is "Physical Fitness Test Results".

In a study, besides independent variables and dependent variables, many variables may participate in the research process and interfere with the corresponding relationship between independent variables and dependent variables. These variables are collectively referred to as irrelevant variables. Irrelevant variables are the factors that researchers should control, because it is difficult to explain the corresponding relationship between independent variables and dependent variables without excluding the interference of these irrelevant factors. The purpose of controlling independent variables is to eliminate the influence of these factors on the research results and to "purify" the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables.

3. Determination of research methods

The research method should be determined in the design scheme. The research method depends on the research topic, especially the research purpose.

General methods include literature review, observation, investigation, experiment, case study and action research. Of course, every … method has its advantages and limitations. A single method can only get some information, leaving out many other useful information, so it is difficult to make a comprehensive and accurate conclusion. Therefore, the comprehensive method is advocated, or several methods are used together, or one method is the main method, supplemented by other methods.

4. Put forward research hypothesis

Research hypothesis refers to one or several possible conclusions that the researcher imagines on the research topic according to the facts and existing data before carrying out the research.

Assume the following characteristics:

(1) Imagine the expected relationship between two or more variables.

Generally speaking, a hypothesis can only involve two variables. If the relationship between multiple variables is involved, the variables can be combined into several groups of hypotheses in one-to-one correspondence. For example, in the study of complaining behavior of children aged 4-5; Gender, activity type and other variables are involved. The relationship among complaint behavior, gender and activity type can be divided into two groups for verification:

① The complaining behavior of children aged 4-5 is related to gender.

② The complaining behavior of 4-5-year-old children is positively correlated with the types of activities.

(2) Hypothesis should be described concisely and clearly in the form of declarative sentences.

Because the hypothesis is the researcher's answer to the research question in advance, instead of turning the question to others, that is, don't use the form of asking questions. When the hypothesis cannot be described in the form of absolute affirmation or absolute negation, it can be described in the form of nihilistic hypothesis or conditional affirmation or conditional negation. For example, the complaining behavior of children aged 4-5 has nothing to do with gender. In addition, the expression of assumptions should be as simple and clear as possible, and the assumptions should be straightforward and not implied in the text description. Generally, one sentence expresses a hypothesis. Use as few or no vague adjectives as possible in assumptions.

(3) Hypothesis should be testable.

Hypothesis that can't be tested can only be regarded as speculation, and generally can't be used as research hypothesis. Because its validity cannot be verified. If the main variables in the hypothesis are re-expressed in quantitative or operational form, the hypothesis can be tested. For example, children aged 4-5 complain about the differences between different types of activities, which can be divided into teaching activities, game activities, free activities, life activities and so on. When the variables in the hypothesis are reflected to this extent, the hypothesis has the possibility of being tested.

A good hypothesis should meet the following criteria: First, it is scientific. Assumption should have certain facts and theoretical basis, be logical and have sufficient reasons; Second, predictability. Assumption should be predictive, whether it is correct or not needs to be tested by facts, and the explanation of causality is uncertain, that is, the relationship between two variables is either true or false, whether it is accepted or rejected, and there is no middle way; Third, novelty. Assumption is a bold assumption about the relationship between variables, which has innovative significance; Fourth, feasibility. Assume that the concepts and variables involved can be manipulated and measured, and have the possibility of being confirmed or perjured; Fifth, simplicity. Assumptions should be concise and easy to understand in expression.