A Tale of 2 Paradigms: Research Problems, Hypotheses, and Intro to Action Research EDU 8603 Class 2

What do you know? Which form of knowledge has checks and balances and provides a systematic way to study phenomenon? A. Authority B. Personal experience C. Tradition D. Research

What do you know? Which word does NOT fit the qualitative research paradigm? A. Experimental B. Natural setting C. Multiple realities D. Ethnographic

What do you know? Which item is out of order for a research article? A. Abstract B. Methods C. Review of Literature D. Results

What do you know? Which statement is true about the null hypothesis? A. It states the research question in statement format. B. It is always directional. C. It states that there is no difference between two variables. D. It is used only in qualitative research.

The “Curious Skeptic” Why is this important?

Rather than just guessing, the scientific process gives us a way to systematically answer questions which gives credibility to the results.

Why do Research? Develop knowledge! Describe phenomena Examine empirical relationships between or among phenomena Test whether such relationships are causal in nature

What is “empirical” research? Research based on observations and measurements of reality Different from syntheses of existing research Uses data to draw conclusions about phenomenon

A Secret about Science We never really know anything! Therefore, we have THEORIES

Theories Get us closer to the truth Set of propositions that explain the relationships among phenomena Theory and practice tightly coupled Examples of learning theorieslearning theories

Different Kinds of Theories A priori theory - interrelated set of concepts that is used to explain a body of data and to make predictions about the results of future experiments. Grounded theory - inductively derived from the study of the phenomenon it represents.

Educational Research Lack of a single, appropriate methodological approach to studying education Two paradigms Quantitative Qualitative

How to Choose? A tale of two parties…

Basic Premises Three assumptions that differentiate qualitative and quantitative studies Epistemology (Qualitative -or- Quantitative) 1. ___________ researchers believe there are multiple realities represented by the participants’ perspectives. 2. _____________ researchers believe a single, objective reality exists.

Basic Premises Three assumptions that differentiate qualitative and quantitative studies Context (Qualitative -or- Quantitative) 1. __________ researchers do not believe context is an important factor. 2. __________ researchers believe context is critical to understanding the phenomena being studied.

Basic Premises Three assumptions that differentiate qualitative and quantitative studies Researcher Bias (Qualitative -or- Quantitative) 1. __________ researchers believe researcher bias is controlled through the control of internal validity threats. 2. __________ researchers believe the researcher’s biases and perspectives must be understood to interpret the results.

Action Research Uses qualitative and/or quantitative methods Does not apply same standards of rigor as other empirical research

Action Research “A systematic process of solving educational problems and making improvements” (Tomal, 2003, p. 5) Context specific Limited to participants/ subjects in your setting (classroom or school); uses a convenience sample

Research Problems/Questions One or more sentences indicating the goal, purpose, or overall direction of the study General characteristics Implies the possibility of empirical investigation Identifies a need for the research Provides focus Provides a concise overview of the research

Research Problems/Questions This study examines the differences between males’ and females’ attitudes toward mandated high school drug testing programs. What are the differences between males’ and females’ attitudes toward mandated high school drug testing programs?

Research Problems Which of the following are non-researchable problems? Why? Is democracy a good form of government? Should value clarification be taught in public schools? Should physical education classes be dropped from the high school curriculum? Is bilingual education in the place of traditional ELL education is successful? Non-researchable problems include explanations of how to do something, vague propositions, and value-based concerns

Your Turn… Is bilingual education in the place of traditional ELL education successful? How can this be changed to a more appropriate question? How could this be studied? Is it a qualitative or quantitative study?

Research Problems Quantitative problems Specific Closed Static Outcome oriented Use of specific variables Qualitative problems General Open Evolving Process oriented

What is a “variable”? Label that represents a concept or characteristic that varies (e.g., gender, weight, achievement, attitudes toward inclusion, etc.)

Identify the variables This study examines the differences between males’ and females’ attitudes toward mandated high school drug testing programs.

Research Problems Sources of research problems Personal interests and experiences (professional journal) Deductions from theory Replication of studies Clarification of contradictory results Further research suggested by completed study Unique phenomenon

Action Research Questions Reflecting in-action, on-action, for- action Process of funneling “Why don’t students like to read?” “Does a Reading/Writing workshop affect students’ motivation to read in language arts class?”

Action Research Questions You must be able to collect data, not just do library research on this topic Don’t try to solve the world! What is interesting/ troubling/ challenging/compelling to you?? Focus question as reading literature Should be action or outcome oriented How will you change based on getting closer to the truth about this question? KISS

Sample Discuss the effect of the use of music in the classroom, both directly interfacing with lessons, and indirectly as in setting mood / atmosphere and to measure the quantitative effects on learning. i.e. does listening to music allow students to learn more, or develop deeper understanding of content.

Hypotheses Tentative statements of the expected relationships between two or more variables Hypotheses with variables in quantitative studies only English language learners will show significantly higher scores on achievement tests when bilingual education is employed instead of traditional ELL education.

Your Turn Take your topic and write a hypothesis about a relationship between 2 variables.

Hypotheses Criteria for evaluating Stated in declarative form Consistent with known facts, prior research, or theory Logical extension of the research problem States an expected relationship between two or more variables Can be tested Is clear and concise

Hypotheses Two types Research - conjectural statements of the expected results Directional Non-directional Statistical - statements of a relationship or difference that can be tested statistically Null hypothesis (often not stated directly) Alternative hypothesis

Null Hypothesis What is the point of having a “null” hypothesis?

More about variables…

Independent & Dependent Independent variables act as a “precursor” in that they precede, influence, and predict the dependent variable Dependent variables act as an “outcome” in that they change as a result of being influenced by an independent variable

Independent & Dependent Examples The effect of two instructional approaches (independent variable) on student achievement (dependent variable) The use of SAT scores (independent variable) to predict freshman grade point averages (dependent variable)

Extraneous & Confounding Extraneous variables are those that affect the dependent variable but are not controlled adequately by the researcher Not controlling for the key-boarding skills of students in a study of computer-assisted instruction Confounding variables are those that vary systematically with the independent variable and exert influence of the dependent variable Not using counselors with similar levels of experience in a study comparing the effectiveness of two counseling approaches

Your Turn Think about the hypothesis you came up with earlier in class. What would be an independent and dependent variable related to this hypothesis? What are some possible extraneous and/or confounding variables that could affect the dependent variable?

Continuous & Categorical Continuous variables are measured on a scale that theoretically can take on an infinite number of values Test scores range from a low of 0 to a high of 100 Students’ ages

Continuous & Categorical Categorical variables are measured and assigned to groups on the basis of specific characteristics Gender: male and female Socio-economic status: low, middle, and high The term level is used to discuss the groups or categories Gender has two levels - male and female Socio-economic status has three levels - low, middle, and high

Continuous & Categorical Thought Question… Can continuous variables be converted to categorical variables, or categorical variables be converted to continuous variables? IQ is a continuous variable, but the researcher can choose to group students into three levels based on IQ scores - low is below a score of 84, middle is between 85 and 115, and high is above 116

Next Class Refine research problem/ question. Meet in Griffin Room of Falvey Library at 5:20pm Readings…Literature Reviews! (Be ready for a “knowledge check”)