Chapter 1 Application Exercises

Chapter 1: Introduction to Research in Education

Application Exercise 1.1: Qualitative or Quantitative?

Learning Outcome 1.5: Distinguish among key characteristics of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods types of research.

[Q1]

Can you distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data? Rachelle J. is a middleand high-school language arts and Spanish student teacher. She conducted a research project addressing the effects of formative assessment on participants’ summative assessment scores, morale, and attitude. Read through Rachelle’s report of her research, focusing specifically on the methodology sections of the paper and answer the following questions:

What is Rachelle’s first research question? Did Rachelle collect qualitative data, quantitative data, or both?

[Q1 Model Response]

Her first question is, Do formative assessments motivate students to study harder? To answer this question, she conducted observations and kept field notes (qualitative data). She also collected survey data, which can be qualitative or quantitative, depending on the survey she does not say directly. Because she is focused on student perspectives, qualitative data would be appropriate here. Moreover, she says she asked students “whether or not they studied more because of the weekly quizzes” and does NOT say something like, “I asked them to agree or disagree on a scale of 1 to 5.” As you will see in a later chapter, scales of that sort are used in quantitative studies. As you become more experienced at reading research articles, you will be able to tell from her description of methodology and especially her data analysis that she used qualitative measures, even though she has “numbers” in her results.

[Q2]

Can you distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data? Rachelle J. is a middleand high-school language arts and Spanish student teacher. She conducted a research project addressing the effects of formative assessment on participants’ summative assessment scores, morale, and attitude. Read through Rachelle’s report of her research, focusing specifically on the methodology sections of the paper and answer the following questions:

What is Rachelle’s second research question? Did Rachelle collect qualitative data, quantitative data, or both?

[Q2 Model Response]

The question was, Do formative assessments reduce test anxiety for students? To answer this question, the researcher kept field notes, recording student comments about fear of tests that occurred during her observations (qualitative measures). She also says she asked students “whether or not the weekly quizzes helped to alleviate their anxiety towards larger summative exams.” Because she is focused on student perspectives, qualitative data would be appropriate here.

[Q3]

Can you distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data? Rachelle J. is a middleand high-school language arts and Spanish student teacher. She conducted a research project addressing the effects of formative assessment on participants’ summative assessment scores, morale, and attitude. Read through Rachelle’s report of her research, focusing specifically on the methodology sections of the paper and answer the following questions:

What is Rachelle’s third research question? Did Rachelle collect qualitative data, quantitative data, or both?

[Q3

Model Response]

The question was, Do formative assessments improve summative assessment scores? Only quantitative data were collected to address this question: test and quiz scores.

[Q4]

Can you distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data? Rachelle J. is a middleand high-school language arts and Spanish student teacher. She conducted a research project addressing the effects of formative assessment on participants’ summative assessment scores, morale, and attitude. Read through Rachelle’s report of her research, focusing specifically on the methodology sections of the paper and answer the following questions:

What is Rachelle’s fourth research question? Did Rachelle collect qualitative data, quantitative data, or both?

[Q4

Model Response]

The question was, Does the effect of formative assessments improve class morale? The author notes she relied on the same (qualitative) measures: observing and taking field notes and having students complete the end-of-term survey. The author mentions attrition rate as well (how many students left her class), which is a quantitative measure, but it does not appear that she systematically collected or used these data other than to identify students to observe.

Application Exercise 1.2: Identifying Sections of a Research Report

Learning Outcome 1.5: Distinguish among key characteristics of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods types of research.

[Q1]

Consider the following:

David is reading a research report and thoughtfully critiquing the study. In reviewing the survey that was used in a report on the benefits of extracurricular activities for children, David notes that several of the questions in the survey include “ands” and are actually asking two different questions.

Refer to the section, Research Article Organization, to answer the following questions: Which part of the report is David most likely reading? How do you know?

[Q1 Model Response]

David is evaluating the method of the study, and in particular the design of the instruments (i.e., the survey), and that information is found in the method section of a report. However, it’s rare that an entire survey is included in the method section of a research report—usually that section just has examples. Copies of the complete surveys themselves are often included in an appendix.

[Q2]

Consider the following:

In writing up the report for his recent study that examines the use of animation in learning, Dan notes all the research that supports the use of animation but does not include the studies that have indicated no benefit of animation in learning.

Refer to the section, Research Article Organization, to answer the following question. In what section, while reading Dan’s report, should a careful reader notice this problem?

[Q2

Model Response]

A careful reader should notice while reading the review of the literature that Dan is missing key references. Note that this question specifies a careful reader. Often, when evaluating a research report, the less careful reader looks only at what is said and does not consider what is NOT said. You should, of course, strive to be a careful reader.

Application Exercise 1.3: Think Like a Fox

Learning Outcome 1.4: Understand how the principles of disciplined inquiry (“fox-like” thinking) are important for conducting educational research.

[Q1]

Consider the following scenario:

Tyler is a student in a Ph.D. program in education. He is working to design his very first research study. He has no co-authors, but instead will pursue this study alone. He hopes to understand the ways in which students perceive classroom rules and how those rules may impact their social relationships. He has designed a study that will survey a group of students at one point in time using a Likert-type scale. He will calculate and report descriptive statistics from the surveys.

Refer to Table 1.2, Characteristics of Fox and Hedgehog Researcher Thinking, to answer the following questions: What early characteristics of Tyler’s approach indicate a “hedgehog-like” approach to research? How could his approach be improved to be more “fox=like”?

[Q1

Model Response]

Tyler is a new researcher, so he is bound to make mistakes. However, he is making some early mistakes that should be corrected. First, it’s OK to be a single author, but Tyler could benefit from vetting his ideas with individuals in similar disciplines. For example, perhaps he could speak with a student in school counseling or behavioral psychology. His design is also “one-tracked.” He is only sampling students at one point in time and seeking to draw conclusions. He should consider ways he can obtain multiple data points and consider multiple possibilities.

[Q2]

Consider the following scenario:

Stacey is a student in a Ph.D. program in education. She is working to design her very first research study. Stacey is collaborating with a fellow student in Allied Health to better understand the classroom implications of a cochlear implant on the social and emotional well-being of students in K–12 classrooms. Stacey is absolutely sure that cochlear implants enhance the social experiences of young children, and she is determined to prove her theory. Her design includes surveying children and families as well as following up with qualitative interviews.

Refer to Table 1.2, Characteristics of Fox and Hedgehog Researcher Thinking, to answer the following question: In what ways is Stacey proceeding with “hedgehog-like” thinking and in what ways is she approaching this study with “fox-like” thinking?

[Q2 Model Response]

Stacey is doing many things right and thinking like a fox. Primarily, she is collaborating with another student and she’s considering mixed methods that each inform one another. This is a solid start. However, Stacey is making a common and critical mistake that early researchers make that places her thinking more in line with the “hedgehog” mentality. She’s setting out to “prove” her theory, thus going about this research with a closed mind. This will impact her study in a negative way. Remember that a good research is flexible and open-minded.

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Chapter 1 Test Items

SELF-ASSESSMENT ITEMS

1) A researcher stated that children should be taught basic math computations using drill and practice because they read a book by a person who is a well-respected mathematics teacher. Which source of knowledge did the researcher use to arrive at that conclusion?

a) Observational research b) Personal experience c) Authoritative expertise d) Traditional norms a) Observational research b) Personal intuition c) Authoritative expertise d) Logical argument a) Verification of knowledge claims b) Control for error and bias c) Openness to scrutiny d) All of the above a) Theoretical b) Conjectural c) Hypothetical d) Empirical a) Generalize the results to other contexts b) Help establish principles that advance knowledge c) Use a set of propositions to explain relationships among observed phenomena d) All of the above a) A review of the previous studies is not necessary if the steps in the research process are carefully followed. b) The credibility of the overall result is dependent on the credibility of each individual step. c) Each step in the process must be independent of the other steps. d) Following the steps too carefully can inhibit the generalizability of the findings. a) Use of observations b) Attempt to reach objective conclusions c) Description of multiple realities d) Predetermination of method a) Emergent design b) Use of purposeful sampling techniques c) Use of observations and interviews d) Inductive analysis of data a) The investigation of cause-and-effect relationships b) The manipulation of a factor c) The control of extraneous factors that might influence the results d) The collection of descriptive information a) Correlational b) Descriptive c) Comparative d) Experimental a) Phenomenology b) Ethnography c) Grounded theory d) Case study a) Phenomenology b) Critical study c) Grounded theory d) Analytical a) Contextual b) Generalizable c) Explanatory d) Fundamental a) Mixed methods b) Qualitative c) Quantitative d) Ethnographic a) Action research b) Basic research c) Descriptive research d) Evaluation research a) Teachers act as researchers to evaluate a method of instruction. b) The results can be generalized to many different educational settings. c) The goal is to make judgments about alternatives for decision making. d) Broad generalizations are made about how phenomena are related. a) Results or findings b) Method and design c) Statement of hypothesis d) Discussion and conclusions

2) Which of the following is a valuable source of information characterized by the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data?

3) Which of the following characteristics distinguishes research from other sources of knowledge?

4) Which of the following terms describes a study that is based on observation and/or measurement that can be replicated by others?

5) Linking research to relevant theory allows practitioners to do which of the following?

6) Beyond a description of the process by which research can be conducted, which of the following is true about the steps in the research process?

7) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of quantitative research?

8) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of qualitative research?

9) Which of the following is a unique characteristic of experimental research designs?

10) If researchers are studying the relationship between computer-assisted instruction and student achievement, what type of research design are they using?

11) Which of the following qualitative designs has as its purpose the in-depth study of a single program, event, activity, or group?

12) In which type of research is the focus on the study of marginalized people with investigations of justice and equality?

13) Which of the following is a term that could be used to characterize applied research?

14) Which type of research is being used when researchers use questionnaires, tests, observations, and focus groups in their study?

15) A teacher was concerned about the attention level of some of the students in her class. She devised a plan in which she systematically tried different seating arrangements over the period of a month and kept a daily record of student attention level. At the end of the month, she analyzed the data to determine if there was an improvement in the students’ attention level. What type of research was the teacher using?

16) Which of the following is a unique aspect of evaluation research?

17) In which of the following components of a research report might you find an interpretation of the results?