Introduction to Educational Research

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Introduction to Educational Research

• Problem Analysis I

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Why Conduct Research?

• Fills in blanks in knowledge
• Expands understanding
• Reproduce knowledge
• Add other perspectives
• Improves Practice
• Learn about new practices
• Evaluate existing practices
• Informs about important policy issues

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Problems With Modern Research

• Conflicting results
• Vague findings
• Questionable data
• Inaccurate
• Small sample size
• Poorly constructed surveys
• Key Just because its published
  doesnt make it
• good research.

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How Research Was Conducted

• Scientific Method
• 4 Steps of Inquiry
• Identify a problem
• Defines goal of research
• Make a prediction
• If confirmed, resolves problem
• Gather Data
• Relevant to prediction
• Analyze Interpret Data
• Determine if it supports prediction

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What Is Research Today?

• Research is a cyclical process of steps that
  typically begins with identifying a research
  problem or issue of study. It then involves
  reviewing the literature, specifying a purpose
  for the study, collecting and analyzing data, and
  forming an interpretation of the information.
  This process culminates in a report, disseminated
  to audiences, that is evaluated and used in the
  educational community.
• (Cresswell, 2002)

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Research Process Cycle
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How Much Will We Cover This Semester?
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Lets Look at the Steps Individually

• Identify a problem or issue
• One that needs to be resolved

Step 1
Chapter One

• How?
• Specify the topic (more on this later)
• Justify why it needs to be studied
• Suggest the importance of this topic to
  a specific group
• Why Specify?
• Specifying limits broad topics makes them
  easier to research.
• Introduction also call the Statement of the
  Problem

Step 2
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Lets Look at the Steps Individually
Step 3
Literature Review Defined Locating summaries,
books, journals, and indexed publications on a
topic, selectively choosing which literature is
relevant, and then writing a report that
summarizes that literature. Both Faculty and
Students have fears about research Faculty the
research wont build on existing
knowledge. Student after planning and conducting
research that it will merely
replicate prior research.
Chapter Two
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Lets Look at the Steps Individually
Chapter Three
Step 4
Specifying A Purpose Key Chapter Introduces the
entire study, signals the procedures to be used
(methodologies), and points to the results to be
found. This chapter must be crafted carefully.
Your explanation of how you are going to go
about Collecting data so that others could
replicate your
study. Collecting Data identifying and selecting
individuals for a study
obtaining their permission
to be studied and gathering
information by administering instruments,
through asking people questions or
observing their behavior.
Step 5
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Lets Look at the Steps Individually
Chapter Four
Step 5
Analyzing and Interpreting the Data Analysis
Means taking the data apart to see individual
responses and putting it back together to
summarize it. Presentation of findings, no
explanation. Charts and Graphs Important to this
chapter. Reporting and Evaluating
Research Determining the audience and structuring
the report in a format
that is acceptable to this
audience. Explains what this research means
Chapter Five
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Research Ethics

• Respecting Participant Rights
• Participants have the right to be briefed about
  the study.
• They need to know the purpose, aims, the use of
  the results, and the likely social consequences
  the study will have on their lives.
• Right to refuse or withdraw from the study at any
  time.
• Their anonymity must be protected at all times.
• Right to gain something from the study
• Researchers need to find a way to give back to
  the participants who freely gave of their time.

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Research Ethics

• Honoring Research Sites
• Get permission first
• Dont overly disturb operation
• Remember you may be a guest
• Reporting Research Fully Honestly
• Make sure your reporting is accurate.
• Report what you find even if it does not support
  your hypothesis.

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Four Skills You Bring to this Process

• Solving Puzzles
• Research steps are like puzzle pieces. Your job
  is to put them together.
• Lengthening Your Attention Span
• You are going to need to focus on materials for
  longer periods of time.
• Your reading is for a different purpose so you
  will not be able to skim through articles.
• Using Libraries
• This process is going to require that you spend
  time in the library.
• Writing, Editing, and More Writing!

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Activity 1
After class today, choose a published journal
article from our library that relates to your
area of research interest. Find the research
problem, the literature review, the research
questions, the data collection, the data
analysis, and the interpretation of the study.
Copy the article and label the six key components
of the research process in the margins of the
article. Put this in the box outside of my
office.
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Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

• Description explanation oriented
• Literature Review plays a major role
• Purpose specific, and measurable
• Data Collection Predetermined instruments,
  numeric data
• Statistical analysis
• Reporting, standard and fixed

• Exploratory understanding oriented
• Literature review plays a minor role
• Purpose is general and broad,
• Data Collection Emerging protocols, text or image
  data
• Text analysis
• Reporting, flexible and emerging.

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When Should I Use Quantitative?

• When the research problem is a description of
  trends or an explanation of the relationship
  among variables.

When Should I Use Qualitative?

• When the research problem is an exploration and
  understanding of a central phenomenon.

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Identifying a Research Problem

• Research Problems educational issues or concerns
  studied by researchers
• To locate a research problem in a study-ask 4
  questions
• What was the issue or problem the researcher
  wanted to address?
• What was the concern being addressed behind the
  study?
• Why was the study undertaken in the first place?
• Why is this study important?

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Important Definitions

• Research Problem an educational issue or problem
  in a study.
• Research Topic broach subject matter being
  addressed in a study.
• Purpose major intent or objective of the study.
• Research questions questions the researcher
  would like answered or addressed in the study.

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Examples, please
General
Topic Research Problem Purpose Statement Researc
h Questions
Distance learning Lack of students in distance
ed. Classes To study why students do not attend
distance ed. classes at a community college Does
the use of Web site technology in the classroom
deter students from enrolling in a distance ed.
class?
Specific
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Should I Study this Topic?

• Contribute to Knowledge Practice?
• Access to the people sites necessary to the
  study?
• Time, resources, skills to study the topic?

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Statement of the Problem

• Includes the following 5 Elements
• Introduction of the Educational Topic
• Set the stage, provide context
• Stating the research problem
• Justifying the research problem
• Why must it be studied? Who Cares?
• Identifying Deficiencies in the Evidence
• Addressing it to the appropriate audience

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Flow of Ideas in a Statement of the Problem
Research Problem
Justification
Deficiencies
Relating to Audience
Topic
Subject Area

• A concern or issue
• A problem
• Something that needs a solution

• Evidence from the literature
• Evidence from practical experience

• Whats missing?
• What do we need to know more about?

• How will addressing this topic help others?