Chapter 9 Reporting and Evaluating Research Educational Research

Chapter 9: Reporting and Evaluating Research Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research Edition 5 John W. Creswell © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: n n Define the purpose of a research report and identify the types Identify how to structure your research report Identify good sensitive, ethical, and scholarly writing practices List criteria for evaluating a research report Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -2

Summary In this learning objective we defined the purpose of a research report and identify the types. Then we identified how to structure your research report and identified the good sensitive, ethical, and scholarly writing practices. Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -3

What Is a Research Report? A research report is a completed study that reports an investigation or exploration of a problem, identifies questions to be addressed, and includes data collected, analyzed, and interpreted by the researcher. Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -4

The Audience for Your Report n n Audiences have different standards Audiences for research n n n Faculty including advisors or committees Journal reviewers Policy makers Practicing educators Conference paper reviewers The researcher Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -5

The Types of Research Reports n n n Dissertations and theses Dissertation and thesis proposals Journal articles Conference papers Conference proposals Reports for policy makers or school leaders and personnel Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -6

Identifying the Structure of Research Reports n Examine: n n The levels of heading in a study The six steps in the research process The research questions or hypotheses and the answers The structures or different types of reports, qualitative and quantitative Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -7

Structure of a Quantitative and Qualitative Proposal Quantitative Format Qualitative Format Title page Abstract Introduction Review of the literature Methods Timeline, budget, and preliminary chapter outline References Appendices Title page Abstract Introduction Procedure Preliminary findings Anticipated outcomes and tentative literature review (optional) Timeline, budget, and preliminary chapter outline References Appendices Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -8

Variations in Structure of a Qualitative Study n n n Scientific approach Storytelling approach Thematic approach Descriptive approach Theoretical approach Experimental, alternative, or performance approach Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -9

How Do You Write Your Report in a Sensitive and Scholarly Way? n Use language that reduces bias n Describe individuals at an appropriate level of specificity n Be sensitive to labels for individuals or groups n Acknowledge participation of people in a study Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -10

Writing in a Scholarly Way n n n Encode scholarly terms Use standard quantitative and qualitative terms appropriately Balance research and content Interconnect sections and be consistent for the reader Advance a concise title Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -11

Ethical Report and Writing Research n n n Report honestly Share reports with others Refrain from duplicate and piecemeal publication of data Give credit for using someone else’s work Do not engage in research that represents a conflict of interest Give credit for authorship-negotiate early Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -12

Evaluating the Quality of a Research Report n n n Does it meet publication standards? Will it be useful in our school? Will it advance policy discussions? Will it add scholarly knowledge about a topic or research problem? Will it help address some pressing educational problem? Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -13

Signs of a Poor Quantitative Research Study n n Validity and reliability of data-gathering procedures Inappropriate research design or problems in research design Limitations of study not stated Inappropriate sampling Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -14

Signs of a Poor Quantitative Research Study (cont’d) n n n Results of analysis not clearly reported Inappropriate methods to analyze data Unclear writing Assumptions not clearly stated Data-gathering methods not clearly described Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -15

Three Perspectives on Standards for Qualitative Research n n n The philosophical ideas behind the research The procedures of data collection and analysis The participatory/advocacy writers’ focus on collaboration and persuasion Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -16

Qualitative Standards: Lincoln’s (1995) Philosophical Criteria n n Standards set in inquiry community (guidelines for publication) Positionality (“text” honest and authentic) Community (serves community purposes) Voice (participants heard) Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -17

Qualitative Standards: Lincoln’s (1995) Philosophical Criteria (cont’d) n n Critical subjectivity (researcher heightened selfawareness/creates social transformation) Reciprocity (between researcher and participants) Sacredness of relationships (respect for participants) Sharing privileges (sharing of rewards with participants) Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -18

Qualitative Standards: Creswell’s (2013) Procedural Criteria n n n n Rigorous data collection (multiple forms, extensive data) Consistent with philosophical assumptions of qualitative research (evolving design, multiple perspectives) Employs tradition of inquiry (e. g. , case study, grounded theory, narrative) Starts with focus on central phenomenon Written persuasively Multiple levels of analysis Narrative engages the reader Includes strategies to confirm accuracy Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -19

Qualitative Standards: Richardson’s (2000) Participatory Advocacy Criteria n n n Substantive contribution (significant understanding of social life) Aesthetic merit (practices open up text, artistically shaped, not boring) Reflexivity (adequate self-awareness, selfexposure to reader) Impact (affects the reader emotionally, intellectually, moved to action) Expression of reality (seems “true”) Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -20

Process Criteria to Use for All Research n n n n Title for the study Research problem The literature review The purpose statement and questions/hypotheses The data collection The data analysis The report writing Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5 th Ed. © (2015, 2012, 2008) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 9 -21