Types of Research EDUC 500
Is this research? Consider these examples
During an informal discussion with a group of students, Ms. Chan heard someone say, Teachers always ask the same people to answer the hard questions. She began to wonder if that were really true. She videotaped her class then reviewed the video and wrote down each question asked and the student to whom the question was directed.
Dr. Gordon was interested in the ways school counsellors thought students learned about career options. He developed some tasks that he thought would help counsellors to talk about their ideas regarding student career choices. He used the tasks to interview school counsellors.
Mr. Ramirez was a beginning nurse. He kept hearing about Ms. Blaine who was the best nurse in the clinic. In order to find out what Ms. Blaine did that earned her that reputation, Mr. Ramirez arranged to shadow her at work three times each week. He also asked patients and other staff about their reasons for thinking Ms. Blaine was a good nurse.
Ms. Berliner had a new computer for her classroom. She was curious to find out if students would learn multiplication facts better using the computer instead of regular workbook assignments and class drills. She arranged for every other student in her class to use software designed to teach multiplication, while the other students used the workbook and participated in class drills. She gave all the students a pretest and a posttest to see how well they learned multiplication facts. She presented the findings at the local math teacher association s meeting.
Many kinds of research LOGICAL (mathema.cs, philosophy) Empirical research is based on direct EVALUATION (judging, appraising) and indirect observation, experience, INVESTIGATIVE (law, government hearings, journalism) and/or experimentation. DEMOGRAPHIC (economics, census, polling) MODUS OPERANDI (forensics, medical diagnosis) EMPIRICAL/SCIENTIFIC (social science, educa.on, physical science)
What is research?! RE- SEARCH! Func,on: noun, verb transi.ve Etymology: Middle French recerche, from recerchier to inves.gate thoroughly, from Old French, from re- + cerchier to search Date: 1577! 1. to search or inves.gate exhaus.vely 2. studious inquiry or examina.on; especially : inves.ga.on or experimenta.on aimed at the discovery and interpreta.on of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or prac.cal applica.on of such new or revised theories or laws 3. the collec.ng of informa.on about a par.cular subject Merriam- Webster Collegiate Dic3onary, Tenth Edi.on
Mixed Methods Quan.ta.ve Qualita.ve Empirical Research Post- positivism Constructionism
Experimental Quasi- experimental Correla.onal Quan.ta.ve Single subject Descrip.ve Meta- analysis
Phenomenological Interpre.ve Understanding a situa.on from the par.cipant perspec.ve Ethnographic Qualita.ve Grounded Theory Cri.cal Understanding and cri.quing power within society Ac.on Research Dialec.cs
Types of Empirical Research! Drake investigated a hypothesized relationship between student melancholia and grades received.! Mathers conducted an in- depth study of the culture of a religious school in southern Saskatchewan.! Minaj conducts interviews and observations in a school aimed at understanding how and why working class kids get working class jobs.! Descriptive! Correlational! Ethnographic! Experimental! Action Research! Dialectics
Types of Empirical Research! Timberlake set out to determine the number of teachers in Vancouver who planned to retire in the next five years, their ages, and their main reasons for considering retirement.! Knowles set up a study in Winnipeg schools to determine the effectiveness of using computer simulations to teach science versus hands- on labs.! Kool Kids Elementary teachers created strategies for increasing the use of higher order questioning after collecting data about their classroom questioning practices.! Descriptive! Correlational! Ethnographic! Experimental! Action Research! Dialectics
QUAL- quant Mixed Methods QUANT- qual QUAL- QUANT
Concurrent Time order decision Sequential Paradigm emphasis Dominant Equal QUAL + QUAN QUAL QUAN QUAN QUAL QUAL + quan QUAL quan Qual QUAN QUAN + qual QUAN qual Quan QUAL
Mixed Methods Quan.ta.ve Qualita.ve VALIDITY Replicability Reliability Probabilistic Method & instruments Credibility Verisimilitude Confirmability Researcher
Mixed Methods Quan.ta.ve Qualita.ve GENERALIZABILITY Nomothetic statements Similarity Sample to population Justifiability through standard techniques Researcher makes explicit claim about generalizability Idiographic statements Similarity & difference Thick description Researcher as instrument Readers judge the transferability
Wri.ng a problem statement TOPIC: the use of graphing calculators in teaching algebra As a question: As a hypothesis: As a null hypothesis: How does the use of graphing calculators facilitate teaching grade nine algebra? The achievement of grade nine students taught algebra with graphing calculators will equal or exceed that of grade nine students taught without graphing calculators. There are no differences in achievement in algebra for grade nine students taught with graphing calculators as compared to those taught without graphing calculators.