INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH SELECTING AND DEFINING A RESEACH TOPIC

1
INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHSELECTING
AND DEFINING A RESEACH TOPIC

• Damla Öztelli
• Nazmiye Özdemir
• Saliha Ilhan

Bogaziçi University Summer 2009
2
Outline

• Scientific Method
• Quantitative Research Approach
• Qualitative Approaches
• Steps of Reseach By Comparing Qualitative
  Quantitative
• Basic Applied Research
• The Ethics of Educational Research
• Sources of topics
• Narrowing topic
• Characteristics of good topic
• Types of Hypothesis

3
RESEARCH
4
know
5
Limitations

• Personal philosophy, values, ethics
• Reaching full richness is impossible.
• Error

6
Scientific Method
7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13

14
  (the two
quotes are from Miles Huberman (1994, p. 40).
Qualitative Data Analysis)
15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18

• Quantitative Research Approach
• Survey Research
• Corelation Research
• Causal-Comperative Research
• Experimental Research
• Single Subject Research

19
Survey Research

• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Observations

20
Correlation Research

• Aim is to established relations or use
  existing relation to make predictions
• Variable
• Correlation coefficient
• Not cause- effect relations
• Example
• What is the relation between intelligence and
  self esteem?

21

• Causal-ComparativeResearch
• The effect of independent variable on
  dependent
• variable for subjects, with the
• understanding that the independent
• variable is not under experimental
• control.
• Classroom behavior of good and poor readers.
• Dependent variable classroom behavior
• Independent variable good readers versus
• poor readers

22
Experimental Research

• Independent variable Dependent variable
• Is personalized instruction from a teacher
  more effective for increasing students
  computational skills than computer instruction?
• Control Applied Groups

23
Single Subject Research

• The behavior change that an individual or group
  exhibits as a result of some intervention or
  treatment.
• Example
• The effects of instructions focused on
  assignment completion on the homework performance
  of student with learning disabilities

24

• Qualitative Approaches
• Narrative Research
• Ethnographic Research
• Case Study Research

25
Narrative Research

• Trusting and respectful relationship between
  researcher and participant.

26
Ethnographic Research

• Cultural patterns and perspectives
• What is the Hispanic students culture in an
  urban community college?

27

• Case Study Research
• Design
• Data collection techniques
• Specific approaches to data analysis

28
Qualitative QuantitativeResearch Approach

• Identifying a research topic
• Reviewing the literature
• Selecting participants
• Collecting data
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Reporting and evaluating the research

29
Quantitative versus Qualitative
30
Basic Applied Research

• Basic Research
  
• The purpose of developing or refining a theory
• Produces the concept for solving educational
  problems
• Applied Research
• The purpose of applying or testing a theory
• Provides data that can help support, guide and
  revise the development of theory

31
Evaluation Research

• Some typical evaluation research questions
• Is this special science program worth its
  costs?
• Is the new reading curriculum better than
  the old one?
• Did students reach the objectives of
  diversity sensitivity program?

32

• Research and Development (RD)
• Researching consumer
• needs and then developing
• products to fulfill those
• needs

33
Action Research

• Solution of a given problem, not contribution to
  science
• Provides immediate answers to problems that
  cannot wait theoretical solutions.

34
(No Transcript)
35
The Ethics of Educational Research

• General Ethical Principles
• Beneficence and nonmaleficence
• Fidelity and responsibility
• Integrity
• Justice
• Respect for peoples rights and dignity

36
The Ethics of Educational Research

• Ethical Standards
• Resolving ethical issues
• Competence
• Human relations
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Advertising and other public statement

• Record keeping and fees
• Education and training
• Research and publication
• Assessment
• Therapy

37
Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research

• Ethical issues in qualitative research differs
  from quantitative research
• Qualitative research plans typically evolve and
  change as the researchers immersion in and
  understanding of the research setting grow
• Qualitative researchers typically are personally
  engages in the research context

38

• SELECTING AND DEFINING A RESEARCH TOPIC

39
Sources of Research Topics
There are 5 main sources of research topic
Library Searches
Electronic Mailing List
Studies That Can Be Replicated
Personal Experiences
Theories
40
Narrowing the Topic

• Math ?
• Rational Numbers ?
• Operations?
• Addition Subtraction ?
• Addition in Rational Numbers at 6th grade

41
Characteristic of Good Topics

• Being interesting
• Researchable
• Theoretical or practical significance
• Manageable
• Ethical

42
Stating the Research Topic

• Stating Quantitative Research Topic
• the variables of interest, the specific
  relations among those variables and important
  characteristic of the participant
• Ex The topic to be investigated in this
  study is secondary teachers attitudes toward
  required after school activities
• Stating Qualitative Research Topic
• Ex The purpose of this research is to study
  the social integration of children with
  disabilities in a general education third grade
  class.

43
Formulating and Stating a Hypothesis

• A hypothesis is a researchers' prediction of
  the research findings, a statement of
  researchers expectations about the relations
  among the variables in research topic.

44
Definition and Purpose of Hypotheses in
Quantitative Studies

• Before conducting the study
• Derived from theory
• A good research hypothesis should
• be based on a sound rationale
• provide a reasonable explanation for the
  predicted outcome
• state as clearly and concisely as possible the
  expected relation between variables and defines
  those variables in operational, measurable terms.
• be testable

45
Types of Hypotheses
Null Hypothesis
Directional Hypothesis
Nondirectional Hypothesis
Deductive Hypothesis
Inductive Hypothesis
46
Stating the Hypothesis
47

• In the model,
• P the participants
• X the treatment, the causal or independent
  variable
• Y the study outcome, the effect or dependent
  variable

48

• The purpose of this study is to investigate
  the effectiveness of 12th-grade mentors on the
  absenteeism of low-achieving 10th graders.
• In this example,
• P low achieving 10th grade
• X presence or absence of a 12th grade mentor
• Y absenteeism, measured as days absent or,
  stated positevely, days present

49
SUMMARY

• 1. Scientific Method
• 2. Quantitative Research Approach
• Survey Research
• Corelation Research
• Causal-Comperative Research
• Experimental Research
• Single Subject Research
• 3. Qualitative Approaches
• Narrative Research
• Ethnographic Research
• Case Study Research

50
4.Steps of Reseach By Comparing Qualitative
Quantitative Identifying a research
topic Reviewing the literature Selecting
participants Collecting data Analyzing and
interpreting data Reporting and evaluating the
research 5.Basic Applied Research Evaluation
Research Research Development Action
Research 6.The Ethics of Educational
Research 7.Sources of topics Theories Personal
Experiences Studies can be replicated Electronic
Mailing list Library Researches
51

• 8.Narrowing topic
• 9.Characteristics of good topic
• 10.Types of Hypothesis
• Inductive Hypothesis
• Deductive Hypothesis
• Nondirectional Hypothesis
• Direcitional Hypothesis
• Null Hypothesis

52

• THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION