How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education



How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education

By

Jack R. Fraenkel and Norman E. Wallen

Chapter 1

The Nature of Research

Ways of knowing

Sensory experience (incomplete/undependable)

Agreement with others (common knowledge wrong)

Experts’ opinion (they can be mistaken)

Logic/reasoning things out (can be based on false premises)

Why research is of value

Scientific research (using scientific method) is more trustworthy than expert/colleague opinion, intuition, etc.

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Scientific Method (testing ideas in the public arena)

Put guesses (hypotheses) to tests and see how they hold up

All aspects of investigations are public and described in detail so anyone who questions results can repeat study for themselves

Replication is a key component of scientific method

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Scientific Method (requires freedom of thought and public procedures that can be replicated)

Identify the problem or question

Clarify the problem

Determine information needed and how to obtain it

Organize the information obtained

Interpret the results

All conclusions are tentative and subject to change as new evidence is uncovered (don’t PROVE things)

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Types of Research

Experimental (most conclusive of methods)

Researcher tries different treatments (independent variable) to see their effects (dependent variable)

In simple experiments compare 2 methods and try to control all extraneous variables that might affect outcome

Need control over assignment to treatment and control groups (to make sure they are equivalent)

Sometimes use single subject research (intensive study of single individual or group over time)

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

(Types of Research continued)

Correlational Research

Looks at existing relationships between 2 or more variables to make better predictions

Causal Comparative Research

Intended to establish cause and effect but cannot assign subjects to trtmt/control

Limited interpretations (could be common cause for both cause and effect…stress causes smoking and cancer)

Used for identifying possible causes; similar to correlation

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

(Types of Research continued)

Survey Research

Determine/describe characteristics of a group

Descriptive survey in writing or by interview

Provides lots of information from large samples

Three main problems: clarity of questions, honesty of respondents, return rates

Ethnographic research (qualitative)

In depth research to answer WHY questions

Some is historical (biography, phenomenology, case study, grounded theory)

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

(Types of Research continued)

Historical Research

Study past, often using existing documents, to reconstruct what happened

Establishing truth of documents is essential

Action Research (differs from above types)

Not concerned with generalizations to other settings

Focus on information to change conditions in a particular situation (may use all the above methods)

Each of these methods is valuable for a different purpose

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

General Research Types

Descriptive (describe state of affairs using surveys, ethnography, etc.)

Associational (goes beyond description to see how things are related so can better understand phenomena using correl/causal-comparative

Intervention (try intervening to see effects using experiments)

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Quantitative v. Qualitative

Quantitative (numbers)

Facts/feelings separate

World is single reality

Researcher removed

Established research design

Experiment prototype

Generalization emphasized

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Meta-Analysis

Locate all the studies on a topic and synthesize results using statistical techniques (average the results)

Critical Analysis of Research (some say all research is flawed)

Question of reality (are only individual perceptions of it)

Question of communication (words are subjective)

Question of values (no objectivity only social constructs)

Question of unstated assumptions (researchers don’t clarify assumptions that guide them)

Question of societal consequences (research serves political purposes that are conservative or oppressive; preserve status quo)

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Overview of the Research Process (Fig. 1.4)

Introduction chapter

Problem statement that includes some background info and justification for study

Exploratory question or hypothesis (relationship among variables clearly defined); goes last in Ch.

Definitions (in operational terms)

Review of related literature (other studies of the topic read and summarized to shed light on what is already known)

Chapter 1 - continued

The Nature of Research

Overview of the Research Process (Fig. 1.4)

Methods chapter

Subjects (sample, population, method to select sample)

Instruments (tests/measures described in detail and with rationale for their use)

Procedures (what, when, where, how, and with whom);

Give schedule/dates, describe materials used, design of study, and possible biases/threats to validity

4. Data analysis (how data will be analyzed to answer research questions or test hypothesis)

Chapter 2

The Research Problem

Statement of the Problem (identify a problem/area of concern to investigate)

Must be feasible, clear, significant, ethical

Research Questions (serve as focus of investigation, see p. 28 list)

Some info must be collected that answers them (must be researchable)

Cannot research “should” questions

See diagram, p. 29

Chapter 2 - Continued

The Research Problem

RQ should be feasible (can be investigated with available resources)

RQ should be clear (specifically define terms used…operational needed, but give both)

Constitutive definitions (dictionary meaning)

Operational definitions (specific actions/steps to measure term; IQ=time to solve puzzle, where ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download