HOW TO DESIGN & EVALUATE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION

PART 1 – Introduction to Research Chapter 1 - “The Nature of Educational Research”

Importance of Educational Research  Counselors – What problems hinder or prevent students from learning, and how can counselors help students with the problem?  Teachers – What kinds of materials, strategies, and activities best help students learn?

Importance of Educational Research  Administrators – How can I provide an environment for happy and productive learning?  Parents – How can I help my child (children) succeed in school?  Students – How can I study so that I learn as much as I can?

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH The scientific research methodology provides us with a way of obtaining information that is as accurate and reliable as we can get.

OTHER METHODS OF OBTAINING INFORMATION  Sensory experience  Agreement with others  Expert opinion  Logic

SCIENTIFIC METHOD  Identification of a problem or question  Clarification of the problem  Determination of the information needed and of how to obtain it  Organization of information  Interpretation of results

HYPOTHESES HYPOTHESES Explanations for a problem or phenomenon; hypotheses may occur at any stage of an investigation.

TYPES OF RESEARCH INTERVENTION  Experimental ASSOCIATIONAL  Correlational  Causal-Comparative DESCRIPTIVE  Survey  Content Analysis  Qualitative  Historical

GENERAL RESEARCH CATEGORIES  Intervention – when a particular method or treatment is expected to influence one or more outcomes  Associational – investigates relationships  Descriptive – describes a given state of affairs as fully and carefully as possible

ISSUES IN CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH Questions about:  Reality  Communication  Values  Unstated Assumptions  Societal consequences

CHAPTER 2 “The Research Problem”

Essential Characteristics of a Researchable Question  There is some sort of information that can be collected in an attempt to answer the question.  Good research questions often suggest a relationship to be investigated.

Characteristics of Good Research Questions  Feasible  Clear  Significant  Ethical

FEASIBLE  A feasible question is a question that can be investigated with available resources.  Some questions require a great deal of time and money; others require much less.  Most research done in schools or other educational institutions is likely to be done by university professors or students and usually is funded by temporary grants; therefore, lack of feasibility often limits research efforts.

CLEAR Clarify terms and phrases. Clarify terms and phrases. Eliminate ambiguous language. (Ambiguous words lend themselves to two or more interpretations.) Eliminate ambiguous language. (Ambiguous words lend themselves to two or more interpretations.) 3 types of clarification: 1) Constitutive definition 2) Clarify by example 3) Operational definitions

SIGNIFICANT The investment of oneself and others in a research project should contribute some knowledge of value to the field of education. The investment of oneself and others in a research project should contribute some knowledge of value to the field of education. ?s to consider: How might answers to this question advance knowledge in my field? How might answers to this question improve educational practice? How might answers to this question improve the human condition? ?s to consider: How might answers to this question advance knowledge in my field? How might answers to this question improve educational practice? How might answers to this question improve the human condition?

ETHICAL Will the question involve physical or psychological harm or damage to human beings? Will the question involve physical or psychological harm or damage to human beings? Is there the threat of danger to the natural or social environment? Is there the threat of danger to the natural or social environment?

TERMS  Empirical – observable  Metaphysical – transcendental (beyond the physical)  Constitutive definition – dictionary approach  Operational definitions – require researchers to specify the actions or operations necessary to measure or identify the term

CHAPTER 3 “Ethics and Research”

A STATEMENT OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES Ethical behavior is behavior which conforms to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group.

A RESEARCHER’S ETHICAL ISSUES  The protection of participants from harm  The ensuring of confidentiality of research data  The question of deception of subjects