CHAPTER 1: Educational Research: Method Purpose and Ethics. ✏
The scientific method is an orderly process entailing a number of steps:
Recognition and definition of a problem
Formulation of hypotheses, collection of data
Analysis of data, and statement of conclusions regarding Confirmation or disconfirmation of the hypotheses. :
The steps in the scientific method
Application of the scientific method can never capture the full richness of the individuals and the environments under study.
Measuring instruments always have some degree of error. The variables we study are often proxies for the real behavior we seek to examine.
The scientific method cannot answer all questions.
Application of the scientific Method in Education
The steps of the scientific method used by educational researchers
Research is the formal, systematic application of the scientific method to the study of problems; educational research is the formal, systematic application of the scientific method to the study of educational problems
Execution of research procedures.
Analysis of data.
Selection and definition of a problem.
Drawing and stating conclusions.
DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is the collection, analysis, and interpretation of comprehensive narrative and visual data to gain insights into a particular phenomenon of interest
Mixed Methods Research
Mixed methods research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches by including both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is the collection and analysis of numerical data to describe, explain, predict, or control phenomena of interest. study.
The purpose of mixed methods research is to build on the synergy and strength that exists between quantitative and qualitative research approaches to understand a phenomenon more fully than is possible using either quantitative or qualitative approaches alone.
They also maintain control over contextual factors that may interfere with the data collection and identify a sample of participants large enough to provide statistically meaningful data.
An important belief that underlies qualitative research is that the world is not stable, coherent, or uniform, and therefore there are many truths.
Classification of research by design 🖊
Quantitative approaches ⭐
Qualitative approaches 💥
Correlational research involves collecting data to determine whether, and to what degree, a relation exists between two or more quantifiable variables.
Causal–comparative research attempts to determine the cause, or reason, for existing differences in the behavior or status of groups of individuals.
In experimental research, at least one independent variable is manipulated, other relevant variables are controlled, and the effect on one or more dependent variables is observed.
Single-subject experimental designs are those used to study the behavior change that an individual or group exhibits as a result of some intervention or treatment.
Narrative research is the study of how different humans experience the world around them; it involves a methodology that allows people to tell the stories of their “storied lives.”
Case study research is a qualitative research approach to conducting research on a unit of study or bounded system. Case study research is an all-encompassing method covering design, data collection techniques, and specific approaches to data analysis.
Classification of research by purpose 🏴
Basic and applied Research is conducted solely for the purpose of developing or refining a theory. Applied research, as the name implies, is conducted for the purpose of applying or testing a theory to determine its usefulness in solving practical problems.
Action research in education is any systematic inquiry conducted by teachers, principals, school counselors, or other stakeholders in the teaching–learning environment to gather information about the ways in which their particular schools operate, the teachers teach, and the students learn.
THE ETHICS OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Ethical considerations play a role in all research studies, and all researchers must be aware of and attend to ethical considerations in their research.
The two overriding rules of ethics are that participants should not be harmed in any way—physically, mentally, or socially—and that researchers must obtain the participants’ informed consent.
GAINING ENTRY TO THE RESEARCH SITE
It is rarely possible to conduct research without the cooperation of other people. The first step in acquiring needed cooperation is to follow required procedures in the chosen site.
The key to gaining approval and cooperation is good planning and a well-designed, carefully constructed study.
After formal approval for the study is granted, you should invest the time necessary to explain the study
Human relations are important when conducting research in applied research settings.
Ethnographic research, or ethnography, is the study of the cultural patterns and perspectives of participants in their natural settings. settings. Ethnography focuses on a particular site or sites that provide the researcher with a context in which to study both the setting and the participants who inhabit it.
Research and development is the process of researching consumer needs and then developing products to fulfill those needs.
Evaluation research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data about the quality, effectiveness, merit, or value of programs, products, or practices.
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