Conducting Educational
Research
Contents
Importance of Research...........................................................1-2 Importance of Research (Testimonial)..................................3 6 Steps in the Research Process............................................4 6 Steps as they relate to Quantitative and Qualitative Research.............................5-6 Research Designs..........................................................................7-8 Ethical Issues While Researching.........................................9-10 Researcher Skills........................................................................11-12 References.........................................................................................13
This document was prepared for AEP803 Educational Research. Travis Landers is pursuing a graduate degree in education with a focus on ESOL learners. This document was part of that process. September 2014
NOTE: A large portion of this material comes from John W. Creswell’s Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.) See the reference page at the end of this doc
The Importance of Educational Research Educational research has a few roles but ultimately most seem to be an offshoot of its most important duty, to improve the environment where teachers and students need to get the most out of their time.
Roles of Research:
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Add to existing knowledge Better the world Collect data to answer a question Better our ability to teach Use to make policy
Research could be improving how we see our students, how we deliver content to them, or some other idea which helps improve the educational environment. First and foremost it is easy to see how research could help teachers deliver lessons to students better but there is so much more going on in classrooms these days than that. Because of the varied social, political, and economical aspects each student brings to the table, a complex web of interaction is laid out. This requires us to take into account several points in order to give a quality educational experience to all fairly.
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Example of a NEED for Research: A Call to Action!
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hus, there is much more to research than helping with lessons. As one side example, consider the situation of ESL learners, who for many years seemed to be ignored in the US by institutions. Being that their needs for language and support are more extreme than native speakers it became easier to classify these students as LD or special education students than address those needs. By and large this was probably done because of a severe misunderstanding of what those students were going through and a lack of staff to meet their needs. However, by classifying students as special needs, schools were no longer held accountable for state scores. A few landmark courtcases have helped bring these injustices to light but still there is much to be done. Studies like that of Thomas and Collier(1997) showed that although it is the least effective, ESL pullout courses were by far the most popular approach for helping ESL students!1 Why would we use the least effective approach? Therefore, in some instances, research is desparately needed in order to call action to the wrongs and give every student a fair chance at education. Since policy is largely reactionary, research can serve as the call to action.
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(Ochoa, Ortiz, Rhodes, 2005, p. 66)
The 6 Steps in the Research Process 1. Identify the Problem - This helps limit and focus your research but also establishes why research is even needed at all. This serves as a means to “sell” your audience on why the research should be done. 2. Review the Literature - It is important to look for sources so you can build on previous knowledge instead of just producing more of the same. In this phase you locate, select, and summarize resources so that you can see what has been done in the past and possibly refine how you will go about tackling your problem. 3. Specify your Purpose - This is perhaps the most important statement in the study. It serves to narrow what may be a broad topic(your problem). By being focused you have a greater chance at conducting a successful study. 4. Collect Data - This is when you will select people for the study and get permissions to work with them. Then you may gather information from them about their thoughts and behaviors. A thoughtful means of collecting this data is vital to the validity of the research! 5. Analyze / Interpret Data - After data collection, the numbers need to be broken down. Representations of the data such as charts and graphs will be produced so that conclusions/assumptions can be generated. 6. Report and Evaluate Research - Of dire importance in reporting is determining who will be reading the reports. The audience of the report should be kept in mind when drafting the report and in this way they can find the most utility out of the research.
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How do these 6 steps re qualitative research? There are two major forms of research: quantitative and qualitative research. Each has its own specific use and should be chosen to fit your research problem. 1: Identify the Problem Problems are chosen
+ - based on trends in the
2: Review the Literature 3: Specify Your Purpose Literature plays a major
+ - role. It is used to justify
The goal here is to study
+ - only a few variables
field or the need to answer a question. You know the variables and want to test a hypothesis. The goal is to predict an outcome based on certain variables. The problem is used to direct the types of questions and hypothesis that will be used in the study.
the need for the study. This literature foreshadows what the new research will focus on. Thus, building upon the past seems to be vital in this type of study.
and their effects. In this way the purpose is very narrow and focused.
This is more exploratory and you might not know all the variables. There is a central theme but little may be known about it.
Literature is less important here. Where as quantitative research uses literature to guide its direction, qualitative uses the views of the participants to do so. Keeping with its exploratory nature, qualitative studies may use literature to justify the study but this is not mandatory.
Qualitative is somewhat the opposite. In this research, you may not know the variables at all. Therefore, you need to explore and seek out what is surrounding your central theme.
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elate to quantitative and + - = quantitative features = qualitative features 4: Collect Data Instruments like surveys
+ - and standardized tests
5: Analyze / Interpret Data 6: Report / Evaluate Research To restate, the use of
+ - statistics is heavily relied
These studies follow a
+ - very predictable pattern
are used to gather data. This is on to compare groups and relate where it gets its namesake. The scores in meaningful ways. The use of statistics is necessary numbers tell a story. because the data is mostly numerical. The questions are more close-ended in nature.
when it comes to their format. In this way it is easy to judge them by examining the core elements and whether or not the correct statistical procedures were applied. Good studies tend to have an extensive literature review section amongst other things.
In this style, general questions are posed to participants. The data collected is more about words than numbers. The questions are more open-ended in nature.
These studies can be a wide range of formats with the different sections in many different orders. They are very flexible in nature but likewise can be critiqued for quality based on certain criteria. (ExTypically contain extensive data collection)
Here words and/or pictures are reviewed. Therefore, the meaning of these words needs to interpretted and sorted. From these descriptions, a picture of the situation begins to emerge.
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Quantitative Research Designs
Experimental designs where the researcher determines if certain activities or materials make a difference in results is one area where quantitative studies are used. Since quantitative research is made to examine the effects of a few known variables it is perfect for this. In Correlational Designs, quantitative research is used to see if one variable has an impact on another. Therefore, a relationship between certain factors is explored. A third design, known as Survey designs, seeks to examine trends in a larger population.
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Qualitative
Research Designs Grounded theory designs are qualitative research used to explain a process, action, or interaction among people. It is termed “grounded” because a kind of profile is created based on the data of participants. It is grounded in what the participants say. Ethnographic designs are another form of qualitative research that examine people where they live and work. It is a kind of social interaction study of behaviors or ideas. Last, narrative research designs describe the lives of individuals through a story. There are some mixed research designs that are used when it is determined that the study needs both quantitative and qualitative research done to better examine the problem. These are used to tackle complex research problems but can also be used by teachers themselves to improve educational settings.
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Important Ethical Issues When Conducting Research Ethical guidelines were laid out by the 1978 National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects on Biomedical and Behavioral Research. This organization created the Belmont Report, which identifies the rules of conduct while researching. After some of the autrocities like the research Nazi Germany did and the Tuskegee experiments, there is no doubt guidelines are needed. Each campus has a review board and it is their job to protect the treatment of participants by ensuring the guidelines are followed. First and foremost, participants need to be made aware that they are in fact in a study. Therefore, they should be willing consenting participants. They also need to understand the aim of the study.
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Second, their anonymity should be protected.
Third, the researchers should not give too much for participation in the study but at the same time they need to try and find ways to “give back”. Most of the issues with ethics relate to the data collection and reporting portions of research. Proper guest-like manners should be maintained when on location at a research site. Also, the research should not impede the natural processes of the school by requiring too much time on behalf of the residing staff. While data reporting, it should go without saying, but the research team needs to be honest about their findings. Finally, ethics is a primary concern that extends not only through the data collection process but throughout the whole study up until and ending with the distribution of the final report.
Personal Experience with Ethics in Research:
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hile teaching at one facility in South Korea, a research study was introduced and the foreign staff(myself included) was unexpectedly told we would need to grade the results of an English exam. This is not out of the ordinary by Korean standards, in fact, quite the opposite. Korean employers often ask and expect employees to do whatever they say with due-diligence, even when it requires extra time with no benefit to employees. The foreign staff was not at all happy about this and openly expressed their disapproval. In the end, the researchers offered to compensate the teachers for our time but the offer was lower than our expectations. The result was the teacher still had to grade these exams but with prejudice against the process. Some of the exam had open-ended responses requiring teachers to subjectively give scores. No doubt the issue with compensation affected the grading. This is one example of how ethics can affect a study. It illustrates why ethics is so important when conducting research. Being upfront and honest about the situation is vital. Also, you must try to “give back” something.
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Researcher Skills
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1. Puzzle Solvers - Researchers need to engage in multiple roles and balance many different interests. It is a puzzle of sorts that requires great time management skills among others. 2. Must Maintain Focus - Studies can last 6 months or more. Researchers need to be able to focus throughout this long period to maintain the integrity of the study. 3. Research Skills - Researchers need to know how to find, summarize, and apply findings to the study. They may use the internet, library, and other resources. 4. Writing - Researchers must be ready and willing to write, write again, and then write some more because of the vast amount of writing involved in the process.
Personal Experience with Research:
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can personally relate to #2 Maintain focus. I have been in several longer projects and it is quite easy to get sidetracked and become a bit frazzled from the intense nature of them. For me, I find it helpful to try and take small breaks to refocus as often as possible so I don’t get burned out.
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References
Rhodes, R., Ochoa, S., & Ortiz, S. (2005). Assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students: A practical guide. New York: Guilford Press. Creswell, J. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
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This document was prepared for AEP803 Educational Research. Travis Landers is pursuing a graduate degree in education with a focus on ESOL learners. This document was part of that process. September 2014