1. Introduction to Educational Research
Based on Chapter 1 of Johnson Christensen
EDU 710
Steve Gibbs
Touro University

2. Forget the word Proof. Replace it with evidence.
Will the sun come up tomorrow?
Will 1+1=2 the next time I add it up?

3. Basic vs Applied Research
Basic research is about fundamental processes, like salivating, thinking of fruit. It’s usually experimental and done in controlled lab
Applied research is about practical questions in the real world, driven by current problems
Action research focuses on solving practitioner’s local problems. It cyclical because problems are rarely solved through one research study.
Evaluation research determines the worth, merit, or quality of an evaluation object. i.e. Is the new teaching method working?

4. Action Research – solving local problems
Brainstorm…
What local problems could be researched?
What problems could your projects solve?

5. Does teaching to the test improve learning?
My 2 Cents
Does teaching to the test improve learning?
Is all learning observable? Should all learning be observable?
Are PLCs good or evil? Are they always practical?
Does administrative performance have a statistically significant impact on classroom learning?
Do students do better on silent activities when they listen to music on their iPods?
Does familiarity with CA Content Standards make one a better teacher?

6. Hypothesis vs Theory
A hypothesis attempts to answer questions by putting forth a plausible explanation that has yet to be rigorously tested.
A theory, on the other hand, has already undergone extensive testing by various scientists and is generally accepted as being an accurate explanation of an observation. This doesn’t mean the theory is correct; only that current testing has not yet been able to disprove it, and the evidence as it is understood, appears to support it.

7. Hypothesis vs Theory
A theory will often start out as a hypothesis -- an educated guess to explain observable phenomenon. The scientist will attempt to poke holes in his or her hypothesis.
If it survives the applied methodologies of science, it begins to take on the significance of a theory to the scientist.
The next step is to present the findings to the scientific community for further, independent testing. The more a hypothesis is tested and holds up, the better accepted it becomes as a theory

8. Null Hypothesis A hypothesis set to be nullified by your research
When your expected hypothesis is not proven by statistically significant correlation either positive or negative, then the Null hypothesis IS proven.
Hypothesis: Students with cars have lower grades
Null hypothesis: Owning a car has no negligible effect on students’ grades

9. Grounded Theory
When one does the research and experimenting without first reading any literature on the subject, without studying previous findings, and without having a clear hypothesis to prove.
Grounded theory research is done to give researchers uncontaminated perspectives of the data collected.

10. Hypothesis & Theory Brainstorm…
If you fail a student, you fail a student
Some people can’t spell and spelling cannot be taught
The direct teaching of grammar is a waste of time
Technology in elementary classrooms can be damaging to learning
Brainstorm…
What educational theories can be thrown into question?
Why hypotheses do you hold to be true but have never formally tested?

11. Teaching grammar is a waste of time
My 2 Cents
Teaching grammar is a waste of time
Technology in the elementary classroom can be detrimental to growth and learning
Never assign writing as punishment | 2 | 3
Do not attach grades to behavior

12. Criterion of falsifiability = the property of a statement or theory that is capable of being refuted by experience (Karl Popper ‘02-’94)

13. Rule of parsimony = the simplest answer is often the best
Where we ended last session

14. Continuation
For Thur Sept 25

15. Expectation theory – the Pygmalion effect - Limited expectations bring limited results, high expectations lead to exceptional results. Any classroom examples?

16. Formative vs. summative Evaluation
Formative = focused on improving the evaluation object
EX: A new reading program designed to help struggling readers is being trialed. Formative evaluations are mid-stream observations and actions designed to tweak, modify, augment the program to make it better
Summative = focused on overall effectiveness of evaluation object
EX: End of year evaluation of the reading program

17. 4 Key Questions to Pose in Evaluation Research:
1. Did the evaluation object have its intended impact? Did it work?
2. How does the evaluation object operate?
3. Is the evaluation object cost effective? Is there a cheaper alternative?
4. How can the evaluation object be improved?
Use PLCs as an example. Or others

18. Sources of Knowledge
Experience = empiricism – experiments, tests, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations, secondary data
Expert Opinion = interviews, reading research articles and books (vested interest?)
Reasoning = Rationalism Descartes – researchers’ evaluative skills – common sense, logic, inductive-deductive reasoning

19. Reasoning – deductive and inductive
Deductive = general to specific
Inductive = specific to general – it’s probabilistic
Problem of Induction: the past doesn’t always repeat
Back to the issue of proof. Will the sun come up?
Deductive – Pygmalion has merit, let me try it on Johnny.
Inductive – Johnny gave me a problem and I gave him detention and he behaved. I will now give all misbehaving students detention.
Deductive – Pygmalion has merit, let me try it on Johnny.
Inductive – Johnny gave me a problem and I gave him detention and he behaved. I will now give all misbehaving students detention.

20. Deductive and inductive methods of science
Inductive = create new hypotheses or theories (“Will detention correct behavior?”)
Researcher makes observations
Studies the observations searching for a pattern
Makes tentative conclusion about how some aspect of the world operates – he makes a generalization

21. Deductive and inductive methods of science
Deductive= test hypotheses or theories
Researcher states a hypothesis (usually based on existing theory)
Researcher collects data
(“I will give detention to the next ten misbehaving students and measure their resultant behavior.”)
Researcher makes the decision to tentatively accept or reject the hypothesis

22. Share examples of inductive reasoning
Share examples of deductive reasoning

23. Scientific Method Empirical observations
Generation and testing hypotheses
“Students who own cars have lower grades.”
“Students who admit to playing +5 hours a week computer games have lower/higher grades.”
How could we account for contaminating variables?
Building and testing theories
Attempting to predict and influence the world positively

24. The “Don’t go
There” section

25. Topics that can’t be adequately researched
Value, morality – right and wrong, religion
Issues of school prayer
Abortion
Capital punishment
Abstract art
NOTE: Research can be performed to gather data, such as incidence of abortions based on cultural settings, frequency of school prayer, tendencies for capital punishment to deter crime; research CANNOT prove any of these issues to be right or wrong.
Pg 64

26. Other subjects that cannot be adequately researched?

27. Textbook Glossary online PDF
Quantitative Vs
Qualitative
Research
Textbook Glossary online PDF

28. Quantitative and Qualitative Research
numbers
mathematical
laboratory
statistical
narrow-angle lens
deductive
cause & effect - determinism
tool perform data collection
Reality is objective
Statistical report
words
humanistic
natural settings
holistic
wide-angle lens
inductive
behavior is fluid
Research is the data collector
Reality is socially constructed
Narrative report

29. Quantitative Methods Follows Scientific Theory
The generation of models, theories and hypotheses
The development of instruments and methods for measurement
Experimental control and manipulation of variables
Collection of empirical data
Modeling and analysis of data
Evaluation of results

30. Qualitative Methods
Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern human behavior.
Qualitative research investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, and when.
Uses smaller but focused samples rather than large random samples
Categorizes data into narrative patterns for reporting:
(1) participation in the setting,
(2) direct observation,
(3) in depth interviews, and
(4) analysis of documents and materials

31. Quantitative Elements
Variables – a condition or characteristic that can take on different values
Age, Intelligence, Gender, Temperature
Constants – a single value or category of a variable
Male, Female, 12-years-old, 49-years, old, IQ 130, 98.6 degrees

32. Quantitative vs Categorical Variables
Quantitative Variable – varies in degree or amount, usually involving numbers
Categorical Variable – varies in kind or type, usually involves groups

33. Examples Quantitative Variables Categorical Variables Height Weight
Temperature
Annual Income
Aptitude Tests
School size
Class size
GPA
Anxiety level
Gender
Religion
Ethnicity
College major
Political affiliation
Native language
Teaching methods
Personality types
Problem solving strategies

34. Variables vs. Constants
Independent Variable – that which influences the dependent variable
Dependent Variable – that which is influenced by Independent Variable – usually the focus of the research
Independent = owning car; Dependent = grades
Independent = praise; Dependent = performance
Independent = standardized test; Dependent = real learning
Independent = educational technology; Dependent = real learning

35. Share other examples of independent and dependent variables

36. Extraneous Variable
Extraneous Variable = research pollution = may compete with independent variable’s influence on dependent variable. Can result in alternative explanations or rival hypotheses. An issue in experimental research.

37. Extraneous Variables Independent = owning car; Dependent = grades
Extraneous = Parenting, intelligence, attitude, car, laws
Independent = praise; Dependent = performance
Extraneous = false or easy praise; amount of praise; attitude

38. Extraneous Variables
Independent = standardized test; Dependent = real learning
Extraneous = quality of test; faculty – student attitudes, subject matter
Independent = educational technology; Dependent = real learning
Extraneous = appropriate use; teacher skill; selection of application

39. Share extraneous variables to your previous independent-dependent variables

40. Intervening Variables
Another form of possible pollution
A variable that comes between indep/depend in their causal chain X  Y; X  I  Y
X = test, I = familiarity with test, Y = retest
X = test, I = growth of participant, Y = retest
X = text, I = researcher change, Y = retest

41. Experimental and nonexperimental research (both quant, & qual.)
Experimental = manipulates independent variable; uses random assignment to control group & controlled setting
Quasi-Experimental = does not provide full control of confounding variables because it does not randomly assign participants
Non-experimental = no manipulation of independent variable. Simply observes what transpires (quan or qual)
Causal-comparative research = type of non-experimental research where the primary independent variable is categorical – gender, religion, ethnicity

42. Experimental and nonexperimental research (both quant, & qual.)
Correlational research = non-experimental method that studies relationships between two or more quantitative variables such as class size and reading scores.
Correlation coefficient = Do the two objects increase together (positive correlation) like GPA and SAT scores, or do they push in opposite directions (negative correlation) such as malnutrition and performance level.

43. Qualitative Research
Ethnography = Writing about People
Shared attitudes, values, norms, practices, language and material things of a group of people.

44. Qualitative Research
Holistic = how members make a group. The group is more than the sum of the parts.
Does not dissect the frog to learn about frogs; it observes frogs in their ponds

45. Qualitative Research
Historical – examines the trends in education over the years; examines the changes in culture and careers; examines impacts of various reform policies
Ex: How has technology integration changed in BUSD schools since the inception of the PC in the 1980s and the Internet in 1992

46. Quantitative Research
Experimental
Quasi-experimental
Non-Experimental
Causal-Comparative
Correlational

47. Qualitative Research
Ethnography
Historical

48. Multi-method research
Recommended that serious topics are approached in a variety of ways. This allows for full coverage and future meta-analysis.

49. Other Forms of Research
Individual case-study
Group case study
Developmental over time
Descriptive
Action – direct application of hypothesis, theory in the classroom
Gonzo – You make it happen. You are the Independent Variable (Hunter S. Thompson)

50. References
Johnson, B, & Christensen, L. (2000). Educational Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Needham Heights, MA: Pearson Education Company.
Isaac, S., & Michael, W. (1987). Handbook in Research and Evaluation.San Diego, CA: EdITS Publishers.

51. end

52. Custom Shows

53. Pygmalion Effect
The Pygmalion effect, Rosenthal effect, or more commonly known as the "teacher-expectancy effect" refers to situations in which students perform better than other students simply because they are expected to do so. The Pygmalion effect requires a student to internalise the expectations of their superiors.

54. Pygmalion Effect
It is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, and in this respect, students with poor expectations internalise their negative label, and those with positive labels succeed accordingly. Within sociology, the effect is often cited with regards to education and social class.

55. Literary Origins
The effect is named after George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, (My Fair Lady) in which a professor makes a bet that he can teach a poor flower girl to speak and act like an upper-class lady, and is successful.