Opportunities for Research in Instruction

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Opportunities for Research in Instruction

• Additional Components
• Ginger Holmes Rowell, Ph.D.
• Department of Mathematical Sciences

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Additional Components

• Using Existing Evaluation Instruments
• Involving Students in Instructional Research
• Disseminating Your Results

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Using Existing Evaluation Instruments

• Benefits
• Saves time and trouble
• Already tested for reliability and validity
• Appropriate analysis methods for using instrument
  and scoring results already exist
• Can make comparisons with national norms or with
  others who have used the instrument.
• Disadvantages
• It may not ask exactly what you would like

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Example of Existing Instruments

• The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS),
  Candace Schau (cschau_at_unm.edu)
• 28 questions, takes 10 minutes, free, validated
• Assesses 4 components of student attitudes
  (Affect, Cognitive Competence, Value, Difficulty)
• Includes demographic questions (academic
  background, self-confidence, expected grade)
• Pre- and post-course versions available
• Provides instructions for scoring
• The author requests you share your data with her.
• http//www.unm.edu/7ecschau/infopage.htm

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Plenty of Other Examples Exist

• Source for Classroom Assessment Tools
• http//www.flaguide.org/index.php

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Another Source

• Online Evaluation Resource Library (OERL)
• http//oerl.sri.com/

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Other Sources

• ERIC/AE Test Locator
• The major printed indexes that identify and
  review educational and psychological measurement
  instruments
• ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
• Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI)
• Washington State University Assessment
  Evaluation Center

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Involving Students in Instructional Research

• A Win-Win Situation
• Students learning about research
• Faculty gaining insight from students
• Examples
• Internet Applet Assessment
• 2 students 1 Rubric, 1 website, led to Co-PI on
  a NSF Digital Library for Statistics Education
  (CAUSEweb)
• STEM Attitude Survey
• 2-semester Class Project (78 students), 1 student
  assistant, 1 paper so far, a 2nd in progress

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Involving Students in Instructional Research

• Help students understand the research/creative
  process (perhaps different in different
  disciplines)
• Start with a (SMALL) research question related to
  the Instructional Research that you are doing
• Conduct a literature review
• Carefully formulate hypothesis
• Decide how to assess hypothesis
• Collect data analyze data
• Report the conclusions
• Decide what should be done next

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Disseminating Your Results

• Three Dissemination Components
• Materials Developed
• Research on Effectiveness of Materials Developed
• Student Research (if included in your project)

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Disseminating Your Results

• Disseminate Materials Developed
• Traditional
• Textbooks, Workbooks, Software, Prints, CDs,
• Maybe less traditional For smaller items
  (individual modules)
• Peer-reviewed Journals (education and
  discipline/education) See next slide
• Peer-reviewed Digital Libraries
• MERLOT (www.merlot.ort)
• NSDL (www.nsdl.org)
• Eisenhower National Clearinghouse(http//www.goen
  c.com/)

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Disseminating Your Results

• Research on Effectiveness of Materials Developed
• Presentation at national conferences
• Peer-reviewed Journals
• Some Options
• See handout list
• For more details see website
• http//www.mtsu.edu/rowell/publish_teaching/index
  .htm
• Student Research Journals
• On Campus Scientia (www.mtsu.edu/scientia)