Research Designs Types of Research n Quantitative n

Research Designs

Types of Research n Quantitative n Uses data n numbers– statistics Can be descriptive n Can be experimental/correlational n n Qualitative – n Uses data narrative n descriptive n ethnographic n

DESCRIPTIVE n n n Quantitative - survey studies Qualitative - observational research You observe and record what is there n don’t change anything.

CASE STUDY n n n Looking at one (student, class, school, state) Usually descriptive Sometimes program evaluation

Jamie Bird n Voluntary Educational Technology Integration: the Implementation of Interactive Whiteboards in an Elementary School.

Jamie Bird - Questions n n n 1. What were the intentions for bringing SMART Boards to Stone Ridge Elementary classrooms and to what extent were these intentions achieved during the 2008 -2009 school year? 2. What factors influenced teachers’ decisions regarding whether or not to request a SMART Board for their classroom? 3. How did teachers use the classroom SMART Boards?

Jamie Bird n Integration of technology into an elementary school Observed classes n Interviewed teachers n Interviewed principal n Conducted focus groups n

Aimee Atkinson n The Importance of Multicultural Children’s Literature: Student Preference of Literature among Public School Resources

Research Questions n n n What is the availability of multicultural literature to students in the school setting? What influence does multicultural literature have on the cultural appreciation and understanding among elementary students? Are students more likely to read books with a main character that depicts their own race or a race that is different from their own?

Stephanie Burke n Looked at Middleton Heights’ single gender classrooms and their impact on self efficacy of males and females.

Stephanie -Questions n 1. What is the overall impact on selfefficacy in single-sex classrooms compared to traditional coeducational classrooms in a rural elementary school in fifth grade? n A. What is the impact on girls’ self-efficacy in single-sex classrooms compared to traditional coeducational classrooms in a rural elementary school in fifth grade?

Questions continued n 1 n n n B. What is the impact of single-sex classrooms on the self-efficacy of boys compared to traditional coeducational classrooms in a rural elementary school in fifth grade? 2. Does the amount of time spent within singlesex classrooms attribute to an individuals selfefficacy? 3. How do teachers and parents view single-sex classrooms and their impact on self-efficacy?

Data Collection n Established instrument located n n n Piloted Pre-test Post Test Interviewed Focus Groups Interviewed Teachers Interviewed Parents

EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH n Experimental/quasi-experimental n Random sampling vs. non-random sampling n n Federal Definition (Scientifically-based) You change something to see if it makes a difference. Independent variable (manipulated) n Dependent variable (measure) n

Richard Zuercher n High School Debate Education and Critical Thinking: A Study using the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test.

Richard Zuercher - Questions n n n Did debate education significantly improve critical thinking ability. Were there significant differences in initial critical thinking ability between a group of students who take debate and a group of students who do not? Did students who do not want to take debate but take the class nevertheless significantly gain critical thinking ability?

Richard Zuercher Experimental/Quasi-Experimental ? Debate – dependent/independent ? n Test – dependent/independent ? n n Pre test – Post test gain scores N n Motivation to take debate – dependent/independent? n Critique internal/external validity n

Sara Kunz n Gender Differences in Performance on Mental Rotation Tasks: Can Instruction in Transformations Close the Gender Gap?

Sara Kunz - Questions n n n 1. Is there a significant (p < 0. 05) difference in the mental rotation skills of males and females enrolled in high school geometry? 2. Did NCTM’s lessons on rotation and reflection significantly (p < 0. 05) improve mental rotation skills for high school geometry students? 3. Was there a significant (p < 0. 05) difference between males and females in the amount of improvement in mental rotation skills after instruction using the rotation and reflection lessons?

Sara Kunz Experimental/Quasi-Experimental ? n Geometric Orientation Test – dependent/independent? n Series of Lesson – dependent/independent? n Gender – dependent/independent? (type? ) n N n Pre Test-Post test n Critique – internal external validity

Interaction n One independent variable is impacted (interacts) with another independent variable as measured by the dependent variable. Factorial designs Aptitude Treatment Interactions (ATI)

CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH n You look for the strength of the relationship between two variables n r value

CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE RESEARCH n n Comparing a two treatments or conditions but you use pre-existing conditions. Like experimental but you don’t apply a treatment.

reading quiz n n n “A” for Quantitative “B” for Qualitative Which design would generally be used to support a cause and effect relationship? Which of the following would normally be used to explain phenomena? Which would be concerned with understanding the etic and emic perspective. In which design would the researcher be the primary instrument for gathering data? For which would we be interested in attempting to eliminate bias or researcher perspective from data? For which would be most interested having a solid theory base for the research. ?

Program Evaluation n n Use research methods to determine if a program is effective. Answer the question – Is program “A” effective? n Does program meet it’s objectives/goals? n n May use a combination of approaches

CFES Study n Matched Pair Study n n CFES Mentoring – ISAT –Math n n n Reading Language Arts Attendance Behavior Matched by gender, grade level, first language, previous ISAT scores Critique – internal/external validity

CFES/CAP Study n Research Questions n Will there be a difference in school related performance for students who participate in the aspirations project and student representing a populations with similar demographics who are not part of the program. n Will there be a difference… in the percentage of students who complete high school n Will there be a difference… in the percentage of students who enroll in and complete post secondary education

Primary Source Analysis n Reanalyzing the data others have collected Vote Counting n Meta-analysis n More sophisticated n Effect size (average standard deviation of two groups) n n . 33 standard deviation – practical significance

Will

Review of Literature n Primary Sources n Person who conducted the research is reporting findings. n Secondary Sources n n Author reports on research conducted by someone else. Preliminary Sources n indexes - may have annotations