Research
Traditional Educational Research
Traditional educational research needs to have research questions that can be answer through the process of data collection through an empirical approach. Such research study’s evidence should be based on observations, measurements, or experiences, which should be replicable (McMillan, 2016, p.7). Traditional educational research is more related to the typical “scientific method” process (Mertler, 2017, p.6) Traditional research is typically conducted by researchers who are outside of the environment they are investigating (Mertler, 2017, p.7). Traditional research has an aim of explaining phenomena in an objective manner (Gay & Airasian, 2000, p.24 as referenced in Mertler, 2017, pg.7; McMillian, 2016, p.6).
Action Research
Action research is "systematic inquiry by teachers" and others working in a school setting, "with a vested interest in teaching and learning process or environment for the purpose of gathering information about how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how their students learn" (Mills, 2011, as referenced in Mertler, 2017, p.4)
"action research is characterized as research that is done by teachers for themselves" (Johnson, 2008, as reference in Mertler, 2017, p. 4)
Qualitative Research
According to Mertler (2017, p.31), qualitative research requires narrative data collection. Narrative data will be analyzed using an inductive approach. Qualitative data will be obtained from multiple sources and can include field notes, observations, and interviews (McMillan, 2016, p.13). The researcher collecting qualitative data might typically be close, involved, trusted, and his/her role will be evolving over time. The goals of qualitative research and data collection deals with developing understanding, explain multiple realities, and capture naturally occurring behaviors in the environment being studied (McMillan, 2016, p.13).
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research relies on numerical data and statistical analysis of the data collected (Mertler, 2017; McMillan, 2016). Quantitative data is analyzed following a deductive approach. Once quantitative data has been collected, the researcher will look at descriptive statistics and if there is statistical significance then the researcher will move on to an inferential analysis (McMillian, 2016). Quantitative research can follow an experimental or non-experimental research design. Quantitative research is conducted with an aim to test theories, show relationships, predict, and conduct a statistical description of the data collected. Data will be collected from a larger and if possible randomized sample. Data is collected in numerical form, from surveys, and structured interviews or observations (McMillian, 2016, p.13).
Mixed-Methods Research
Mixed-methods provides the researcher with the opportunity to use both qualitative and quantitative data for their research study. Mixed-methods research design combines both types of data (Mertler, 2017). The goal for a mixed-method research study would be to document data, but at the same time to understand relationships (McMillian, 2016).
Action Research 543 Mathematics Project
Our research team investigated what was the effect of digital assessments on student performance in their mathematics assessments (grades 3 & 5). Our second question was to explore students' perceptions on digital assessments and their performance. We chose a mixed-methods data collection, which means our plan was to design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Our team collected quantitative data in the form of mean scores on students' mathematics assessments. Students (research subjects) completed two assessments using both paper-pencil and digital platforms. Our team analyzed the quantitative data using measures of mean and standard deviation. Additionally students completed a likert scale survey with statements that could be answered from a scale of 1-5 (strongly disagree to strongly agree). The data was analyzed for mode and median measurements. Our research will continue to the second cycle where both team members will collect qualitative data and analyze it to find overarching trends. Our action research second cycle will be the collection of student interviews to further explore what is the effect of students' perceptions on digital assessment performance.
ETEC 543-Mathematics Action Research Project Report
643 Mobile App Spelling vs Paper Pencil Research Project
A quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach was taken in completing this second research project. Twenty-six fifth-grade students were randomly assigned to either using using the mobile app Spelling City or paper-pencil activities to acquire spelling and vocabulary words. Quantitative data was collected in the form of pre-test and post-tests for spelling and vocabulary over two weeks of instructional days (10 days). Additionally, a survey was generated to collect data using a Likert-scale of 1-4 on students’ perceptions regarding their preference of Spelling City mobile app or paper-pencil activities. Qualitative data was also collected to further explain students’ preferences on method to acquiring spelling and vocabulary words. Data analysis was conducted by running descriptive statistics and measures of central tendency (mean, standard deviation…) and data from a pre-test and post-test for both groups were used for a t-test to find whether the data yielded a statistical difference between Spelling City mobile app or paper-pencil. Qualitative data was analyzed through the identification on common themes in students’ responses to the interview questions.
ETEC 643-SpellingApp/Paper-Pencil Traditional Research Project Report
Action Research Reflection
In ETEC 543 I learned about “Action Research” and was able to apply my new learning into my classroom, which is something that I value as an educator. Action research calls for educators to engage in cycles of research with the ultimate goal of changing and improving their classroom, school, district, and community (Mertler, 2017). Action research is a cyclical approach to research because as the researcher completes the cycle of their research they will start planning their next action research cycle to further investigate their topic. While there are multiple models of spirals of action research stages, we can say that action research has four stages: the planning stage, the acting stage, the developing stage, and the reflecting stage.
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As an educator action research has become an important process for me to follow. As an educator it is important to be able to investigate issues that might arise in my classroom and through the use of data make more informed decisions. Being able to gather data will ensure that I reflect on my teaching practices and really measure the effectiveness of my practices.
Research Reflection
ETEC 643 provided a clearer definition of traditional research. I was able to run a quasi-experiment with my classroom and in the future I can see more research being done. It is important as an educator to be able to see if certain interventions are actually working for the students in my classroom. While the research process might take some time to complete, it is an important thing to be conducting in the classroom setting. Being able to run research that is meaningful and applicable to your population is an extremely valuable tool to have at your disposal. Additionally, getting a stronger understanding through this course will help further my understanding of others’ research when it comes to how they analyze and interpret their data. In the future I look forward to entering a doctoral program and obtaining this deeper understanding of research will also be valuable.
References:
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Gay, L.R. & Airasian, P. (2000). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
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Johnson, A.P. (2008). A short guide to action research (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
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Mertler, C. A. (2017). Action research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.
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Mills, G.E. (2011). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.