Research Methods With Scenarios

Application: Evaluating Research Methods

Over the past three weeks, we have learned about several research methods, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, action research, and secondary data analysis.

These research methods we have studied are reflected in the following four scenarios, which present different examples of how a researcher might design a study on the subject of peer mediation.

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.

 In this scenario, peer mediation is being researched by understanding the reasoning behind the results. The understanding of the reasoning is an example of Qualitative Research. It is a great example of qualitative research because the "why is being answered face to face."(McMillian & Schumacher, (2008), p.135.) Qualitative method is used when the researcher uses"distinct groups"(McMillian & Schumacher, (2008)) with the goal in mind to understand why a certain problem is solved or not. In this specific research the analysis will be based on observations (face to face) that are done on selected participants ( distinct groups), which is a typical qualitative research procedure.

 

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.

In this scenario, peer mediation is being researched by using the analysis of data results. The analyzation of comparing groups by using data is an example of Quantitative Research. In this particular scenario the researcher is "choosing subjects"(McMillian & Schumacher, (2008), p.101) to group in order to receive fair data. In addition this is a prime example of quantitative research because the analysis will be on looking at the number of referrals to determine the results of peer mediation. In conclusion, looking at the number of referrals is a form of "collecting data."(McMillian & 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.

In this scenario, peer mediation is being researched by the use of mixed methods. Mixed methods is when the researcher uses data results and digging deeper to find out why or how. In this scenario the researcher is going to analyze the number of decreased referrals because of student attitudes by using quantitative research and then mix it with qualitative research by understanding how the attitudes affect the value of peer mediation. In conclusion this scenario supports mixed methods because it first "analyzes data and then ask why it is happened."(McMillian & Schumacher, (2008), p.161.)

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.

In this scenario, peer mediation is being researched by the use of action research. Action research is when the researcher "promotes change by getting involved in the research experiment itself." (McMillian & Schumacher, (2008), p. 174). In this specific research, the ZASK- R  will improve peer mediation by getting involved and interviewing the students on their feelings and surveys. The involvement in combination with still using data and reasoning is what makes this scenario an action research. 

Overall, any type of research is beneficial for the world of education because research is based on real results. In every scenario explained above, there will be something to be learned and understood. The most important thing is knowing what type of research you are analyzing or doing so that you know how to read the results regardless what method it is. Our goal is to comprehend the results and not misread the research. 

Veronica

Prompt:For this Application, resubmit the problem statement you created last week, and describe the specific research question(s) based on this problem. Based on your colleagues' feedback, indicate the methodology you would use to research your question(s).

Revised Problem Statement: I plan to determine the impact of read aloud programs between on-level fifth grade students who are independently exposed to computer-based read aloud programs and students who read aloud independently in order to reach a higher reading level/ benchmark.

(This PS now also describes the type of students(on-level) and what type of learning(independent) will take place.)

Specific Method: Quantitative Approach based on the fact that my research is controlled and highly based on numbers/scores. More specifically, I am going to construct a quasi-experimental design because my research is based on a controlled "cause and effect" (McMillan & Schumacher)  groups. At first I was going to experiment with a true-experimental design but after receiving feed back from the cohort, I realized how it will be more beneficial to study controlled groups to figure out what works best for a certain reading group and then in the future I can test another type of readers.

Research Questions:

Are average readers building fluency with the use of technology read aloud programs?

Are average readers decreasing in fluency because of the lack of traditional read aloud?

Are average readers engaged in read aloud with the use of read aloud programs or traditional?

Veronica

 

Every Research Project needs a Problem Statement

Problem Statement:

I plan to determine the impact of read aloud programs between fifth grade students who are exposed to interactive read aloud programs and students who read aloud independently in order to reach a higher reading level/ benchmark. 

Reason: As a fifth grade teacher who just completed 32 running records, I have noticed that the number one reason why students are not moving up levels is because of fluency. Now it is my job to find out the best way to assist my student's fluency by using their time wisely.

New Goals for 2010 Thanks to Technology!

Education is a gift that never leaves us. Therefore, we have to celebrate anytime we learn new things or new ways. Eight weeks ago I was familiar with technology and used promethean boards but I was too focused on the technology tools as a teacher that I did not use it as learning tool but rather an instructing tool. However, after eight weeks, I have learned how to use technology to enhance students learning. For instance, instead of just copying and pasting photos onto slides and explaining what you are teaching, a better way of doing it is by having the students view the photos through a virtual tour and allowing them to come up with the ideas and construct their own meaning of the lesson.

The most valuable lesson I learned in the past eight weeks has become my personal theory which is to give the children the opportunity to create their own meaning out of a lesson instead of instructing them on what they should think. A great way to allow the students to construct meaning through experiences is by emerging them into the cooperative and social learning. As Dr.Orey stated, "students need to interact and create episodes that will last." There are a world of tools in the world of technology that can increase student engagement socially and help them construct meaning into knowledge. Two of my new favorite tools are Voice Threads and Note-Taking with blogs or wikki pages. Voice Threads are wonderful to increase students' stamina by including visuals, audios, and instant feedback with the option of leaving several comments. Note-Taking is an essential tool because it is a process students must perfect to do well in life. The best part of note taking is the ability for students to choose how they want to keep track of their notes; from blogs, wikkis, concept maps, etc. Either way, if they are creating a Voice Thread or analyzing information learned through note taking, the student's engagment is likely because they are in control and socially involved.

In order to get the ball rolling with my students and increase their level of engagment with technology I have set two long term goals. One is to use technology to increase communication and ownership amongst students. I will do this by creating a BLOG with the entire class and make it a routine to assign discussions every weekend for homework. After a couple of weeks, I will have the students pick topics they would like to discuss that connects with the Unit we are working on. At last, I would like the students to use Blogs as a place where they can continue the classroom questions and comments into their personal computer. My second goal is to be more flexible when assigning projects to partnerships. In other words, I need to be more open-minded and trust the students to meet the rubric by any means of technology they would like to use. For example, I would first give the essential question they must try to answer, followed by the rubric, and meet with them in groups to check on their progress.Overall, my mission would be to allow them to use technology to get their meaning across without being instructed to use a certain tool.

Well, although I feel that I have a lot of ideas now, I know the next class will give me some more, so I will see you there! Bye for now !

Social Learning Is The Key To Making Lessons Last Forever

Social learning theories include many forms of instruction from peer collaboration to any form of interaction.Therefore, any instructional lesson that includes students working together is a prime example of social learning. For example, using tools to have students experience cooperative learning such as WebQuest is an excellent way to have students collaborate (socially) to develop a project that is created by them. The best thing about WebQuest is that not only are students totally engaged, but they also know what is expected of them through the teacher's objectives, rubrics, etc. Another great way to create a lesson that will be successful is to take the social aspect of it and add in connectivism theory. This will make the lesson an episode students will never forget because they were engaged and it connected to their lives with meaning.

Social learning with connectivism is sure to gain the students' attention. Another way in which cooperative learning works as a part of the social learning theory is by helping students "cooperate to learn"(Wong & Wong,1998.) For example, assigning students to "roles" again support social learning but also builds cooperative learning skills (reporter, writer,etc) which they will need in the real world.

Overall, social learning and it's connection to connectivism and cooperative learning help students grow as learners while helping them remember what they have learned.

A lesson that I created to incorporate social learning and it's methods is a lesson using Voice Thread to teach students about The Importance of Currency in Latin America. I downloaded pictures from the internet of ; types of currency from the past and present, map of the Latin American Countries, and a graph of the rates of the currency today. After I uploaded them, I added focus questions and voice explanations. Later on I put the students in groups of two and had them log onto the site using a class log in and had them add comments to what they noticed. This was my introduction to Currency in Latin America. Now that they have a background knowledge on the subject, they can do the research with their partners ( take turns as different roles) and add comments to the pictures while learning from one another through social learning!
http://voicethread.com/share/889763/

Technology Helps Students Create Artifacts

Students learning within the constructionist theory are constructing their own theory within the reality of the topic mixed in with their own beliefs. This way of learning is by far one of my favorites because it allows the children to explore by themselves, become fully engaged and create a finished project. This process of learning can be intensified with the use of technology. Technology help children not only "gather the data but also interpret the data" (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski.)

In order for students to be able to gain a meaningful lesson from this process of creating their own artifact, teachers must have students generate and test their hypotheses through one of the following; "system analysis, problem solving, historical investigation, invention, and/ or decision making"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn,& Malenoski.) The more hypotheses the student experience, the more they will learn from the experience. In addition, tools that are very beneficial with the integration of technology are Spread Sheets and Data Collection Tools. Both of these tools help the students interpret the data instead of simply gathering.

One example of a lesson that can be used in the constructionist theory with technology is one I thought of while brainstorming during my reading. The lesson would be on Latin America's Impact on the United States and students will be asked to create a PowerPoint which focuses on their assigned country's contribution to the United States. Within this lesson students will be given the opportunity to use an interactive data collection box to interpret the amount of impact the country had to The United States compared to other contributions. Overall, this lesson will support the constructionist theory with the use of technology.

Cognitivism In The Classroom

Cognitive theory along with my experience as a teacher shows me that the most important thing a teacher can do is realize that each student is a different type of learner. Although I know that every child learns in a different way, I still do not test he or she to find out exactly what type of learner he or she is. From now on, every year, on the first day of school I will ask the children to take the questionaire, found at http://www.personalitypage.com/cgi-local/build_pqk.cgi. This questionaire is based on the Myers-Briggs Types (Lever-Duffy & McDonaly,2009.) Using this questionaire will be much more beneficial at the start of the year but it is never too late to find out exactly what type of learners you have in the room so you can plan accordingly. As teachers we each have personal preference but not every child learns as we do and that is what we must remember! "Cognitive styles is how one thinks" (Lever-Duffy & McDonald,2009), therefore we need to use tools to help several types of learner not just one.

Cues, questions, and organizers are ways in which we can target more than one thinker (learner) at a times because each one of these gives students an idea on what the topic is and varies from levels depending on the student. For example, the cues gives any type of learner a clue about what they are learning, the questions start from low leveled to high and the organizers are made so that students can grasp the concept regardless of the type of learner they are. Concept maps are an excellent way to show students the parts of what they are learning. Similiar to using tools that can connect with a variety of learners or thinkers, another important tool teachers can use during lessons with students is note taking. Note taking is extremely vital to a student because this is what the student uses personally to study or comprehend. For example, if the student is studying a character, the teacher can model to the students several note taking ideas and allow the student to choose which one can help he or she comprehend. What I have done in the past was give the students a choice between; using a T chart (Pitler,Hubbell,Kuhn,Malenoski,2007), sketching, listing, or webbing. Providing the students with the freedom of selecting their style of note taking makes it more personal for the student while allowing them to use their cognitivism in the classroom.
Veronica