Evaluating Research

Week 7: Evaluating Research Methods

EDUC – 6653I-2 Introduction to Educational Research

Instructor: Kathryn Arnold

The world of education is constantly changing. Along with those changes educational research has evolved to include a variety of different methods. Some researchers will manipulate the data in order to have a desired result. It is the role of the teacher to be knowledgeable of the key points of each form of research. Teachers need to look at research in a critical manner and determine if the data is valid. Prior to this course I did not know the difference between qualitative and quantitative research design. I now feel confident that I can determine the type of method needed with certain forms of research. I will evaluate the scenarios below and decipher what method I would use to conduct the study.

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

• Scenario 1 represents a qualitative research plan. A key factor to qualitative research is the type of data that is collect and typically it is interactive and uses a “face-to face” technique subjects (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008). In this study the researcher will conduct an in-depth interview with each of the students.

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

• Scenario 2 represents a quantitative research plan. Within quantitative research there are 2 different subclassifications experimental and nonexperimental designs. This study would fall under the experimental design. The researcher will compare two different groups to determine the cause and effect of a predetermined set of question(s). Within an experimental design the researcher has control over the subjects (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008).

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

• Scenario 3 represents an action research plan. In this scenario the school counselor is trying to determine a behavior that is pertinent to the local setting, which is different than a traditional research. Most likely the researcher would use a descriptive data analysis to determine the findings. The end results from this study would have a changing effect in the action of students (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008).

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.

• Scenario 4 represents a mixed-method research design. This type of research combines both quantitative and qualitative method of gathering data. In this scenario the researcher is using a survey as a pre and post test to the study. Surveys are used to determine attitude, belief or opinions in a quantitative design subjects (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008). The bi-monthly interviews would produce data that is in the form of words instead of numbers subjects (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008).

Good research allows educators to better their teaching practices, which in turn provides an enriched learning environment for children. It is important to educate students on how to evaluate research. By being able to comprehend different studies students, will have a deeper awareness of the world around them.

Resources

McMillian, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2006). Research in Education: Evidence-based inquiry (6th Ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc.