Yokohama International School School-based Research: Why do it? Dr Mary Hayden 24 May 2011

Why Carry Out Research? To provide evidence relating to a particular context, for the information of some, or all of, eg: -yourself (as teacher, manager, administrator, trainer) -your students -your Head of Department/Faculty -your Head/Principal -the school Board (or other Board) -parents

Why Carry Out Research? To enhance your own professional development To increase your understanding of what is happening in your own professional context, and therefore to improve your effectiveness as a professional To have systematically-gathered evidence upon which conclusions can be based ( ‘ audit trail ’ ) To gain credit towards a qualification

The REASONS for carrying out the research will help to determine: what sort of approach to take to the research (qualitative, quantitative, case study, action research, experimental etc) what sort of data is to be gathered how that data will be gathered (what data-gathering instruments will be employed)

who the data will be gathered from how the gathered data will be analysed how the conclusions arising from the analysis will be presented

What sorts of issues might be researched? In principle, any genuine educational question relating to the professional context could form the focus of a piece of research/enquiry In practice, the enquiry must be of manageable proportions, so the focus should usually be fairly specific and small-scale

It could be: -‘pedagogic’ (relating to,eg, the teaching/learning process) -‘organisational’ (relating to an administrative issue)

As a general rule …… Data should NOT be gathered until it is clear: why (precisely) you want to gather the data what you will do with the data when you’ve gathered them that the proposed research is manageable

that the instruments to be used to gather the data are FIT FOR PURPOSE (eg if the purpose is to investigate attitudes or opinions, then questionnaires and/or interviews may be appropriate; if the purpose is to investigate behaviour, then observation may be appropriate; could attitudes be measured by observation? or behaviour measured with questionnaires?) that the proposed research is manageable

BEFORE gathering data: Remember that data do not need to take a numerical form Define your AIMS: -what exactly are you trying to find out? -why do you want to find this out? -what evidence will enable you to make judgements/ draw conclusions about the issue(s) being researched?

Define your TERMS (precisely) eg if your topic is ‘discipline in schools’, what exactly do you mean by ‘discipline’? Investigate the BACKGROUND -has any work been done before in this, or a similar, area?

Identify your RESEARCH QUESTION(S) Writing the issue you wish to pursue in the form of a question will help to: -provide the necessary focus -suggest the way(s) in which you might go about answering the question(s)

Decide on the SCOPE of the enquiry: -who exactly will be involved? (students, parents, teachers ……..) -how long will it take? -how much data will you gather?

Decide on the METHODOLOGY to be used -what means of gathering data are most likely to generate results in which you can have confidence? -are these means FIT FOR PURPOSE? -will the results generated be, as far as possible, RELIABLE and VALID?

Are the means practical and realistic for this context? Are the means ethically acceptable? - is the research putting anyone ‘at risk’ in any sense? - might the research in any sense have a detrimental effect on the professional context? - how will confidences be treated? To what extent will you be able to generalise? (care!)

After you’ve drawn your conclusions …… What will you do with the outcomes of your research? Who will you share them with? (bearing in mind confidentiality etc) Might they be of interest to the wider community (eg international schools more generally)? Think about writing for publication!

And if you’re working in an IB school …… ……don’t forget the Jeff Thompson Research Award:

Dr Mary Hayden