Research Defined “Research is a cyclical process of steps that typically begins with identifying...
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Research Defined “Research is a cyclical process of steps that
typically begins with identifying the problem or issue of the study. It then consists of reviewing the literature, specifying a purpose for the study, and forming an interpretation of the information. This process culminates in a report disseminated to the audience that is evaluated and used in the educational community.” (p. 18-19)
Lines of Research
What do you Want to do?
What do you Want to do?
What doesthe Research Say?
What doesthe Research Say?
What lines ofResearch help
You?
What lines ofResearch help
You?Research Research
LinesLines
The Research SpiralIdentify the
Research Problem
Review theLiterature
Evaluate Dataand
Write Report
Specify a Research Purpose
Collect Data
Analyze andInterpret
Data
Definitions of Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is an inquiry approach useful for describing trends and explaining the relationship among variables found in the literature. To conduct this inquiry, the investigator specifies narrow questions, locates or develops instruments using statistics. From the results of these analyzes, the researcher interprets the data using prior predictions and research studies. The final report, presented in standard format, display researcher objectivity and lack of bias.
Qualitative Research Quantitative research is an inquiry
approach useful for exploring and understanding a central phenomenon. To learn about this phenomenon, the inquirer asks participants broad, general questions, collects the detailed views of participants in the form of words or images, and analyzes the information for description and themes. From this data, the researcher interprets the meaning of the information drawing on personal reflections and past research. The structure of the final report is flexible, and it displays the researcher’s biases and thoughts.
Characteristics of Quantitative and Qualitative Research in the Process
of ResearchSteps in the Research Process
Analyze and Interpret Data
Report and Evaluate
Collecting Data
Specifying a Purpose
Reviewing the Literature
Identifying a Problem
Quantitative Characteristics
Qualitative Characteristics
Description of trends and Explanation Oriented
Exploratory/ Understandinga Central Phenomenon
•Major Role•Justify Problem
•Minor Role•Justify Problem
•Specific and Narrow•Measurable/Observable
•General and Broad•Participants’ Experience
•Pre-determined Instruments•Numeric Data•Large numbers
•Emerging Protocols•Text or image data•Small Number
•Statistical•Description of Trends•Comparisons/Predictions
•Text Analysis•Description/Themes•Larger meanings of findings
•Standard and Fixed•Objective and Unbiased
•Flexible and Emerging•Reflexive and Biased
Characteristics of Quantitative and Qualitative Research in the Process
of Research
Steps in the Research Process
Analyze and Interpret Data
Report and Evaluate
Collecting Data
Specifying a Purpose
Reviewing the Literature
Identifying a Problem
Research DesignsTwo Approaches
QuantitativeQualitative
QuantitativeQualitative
QuantitativeQualitative
QuantitativeQualitative
QuantitativeQualitative
QuantitativeQualitative
•Experimental•Correlational•Survey
•Ethnography•Grounded Theory•Narrative
•Mixed•Action
Differences Among Topic, Problem, Purpose and Questions
General
Specific
Topic
ResearchProblem
PurposeStatement
ResearchQuestion
Distance Learning
Lack of students in distance classes
To study why students do not attend distance education classes at a community college.
Does the use of web site technology in the classroom deter students from enrolling in a distance education class?
Overall Direction
Distinguishing among various forms of direction in research
PurposeStatement
Research Questions
HypothesisResearch
Objectives
Intent
Form
Use
Placement
One or moresentences
Quantitative andQualitative Research
End ofIntroduction
Raise questionsto be answered
One or morequestions
Quantitative andQualitativeResearchEnd of the introduction, after the literaturereview, or in a separate section of the study
Make predictionsabout expectations
One or morequestions
QuantitativeResearch
One or MoreObjectives
TypicallyQuantitativeResearch
State Goals
Flow of Ideas in a Problem Statement
Topic
Evidence for the Issue
Deficiencies in the Evidence
What Remedyingthe Deficiencies will do for SelectAudiences
FLOW OF IDEAS
SubjectArea
EducationalIssue
•A Concern•A Problem•Something that needs asolution
•Evidence fromthe literature•Evidence frompracticalexperiences
•In this body ofevidence, what ismissing? •What do we need to knowmore about?
How will addressingwhat we need toknow help: researchers– educators– policy-makers– individuals like those in the study
Reviewing the Literature
Key Concepts Functions of Literature Reviews Designing and Constructing a
Literature Review
The Literature Review
The review of the literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem
The Literature Review
The review of the literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem
Literature Review in a Quantitative Study Documents the importance of the
research problem at the beginning of the study
Supports the theory or explanation used in the study
Foreshadows the research questions Provides an explanation for the results
in other studies and in the theoretical prediction at the end of the study.
The Literature Review Functions of a literature review
Determine what has been done already Provide insight necessary to develop a logical
framework into which the topic fits Provides the rationale for the hypotheses being
investigated and the justification of the significance of the study
Identifies potentially useful methodological strategies
Facilitates the interpretation of the results
Literature Review in a Qualitative Study Documents the importance of the research
problem at the beginning of the study Does not foreshadow the research questions
(which are broad in scope to encourage participants to provide their own views)
Is used to compare and contrast with other studies at the end of the study
The Literature Review Recommendations for conducting a
review Bigger does not mean better Heavily researched topics provide
enough references to focus only on major studies
Lesser researched topics require reviewing any study related in some meaningful way
Designing and Conducting a literature review Identify key terms Locate literature Read and evaluate the relevance of the
literature to your topic After selection, organize the literature into a
coherent picture of studies and documents on your topic
Write a review by developing summaries of the literature
Identifying key terms Write a preliminary “working title” for the
project and select two or three key words that capture the essence of the project
Pose a short general research question that you would like to answer in the study
Look in a thesaurus of terms to find words that match your topic
Scan the contents in your library stacks and the table of contents of educational journals
The Literature Review
Four stages of conducting a review Identifying key words to guide the
search Identifying sources Abstracting your references Analyzing, organizing and reporting
the literature
The Literature Review
Identifying key words Indexing systems of indices in which
you will search Importance of experimenting with
several key words and combinations of them
ERIC Thesaurus
The Literature Review
Identifying sources Characteristics of sources
Primary and secondary Empirical and opinion
Importance of using handbooks, encyclopedias, and reviews early in the review process
The Literature Review Identifying sources
Broadening and narrowing keyword searches
Three important Boolean operators AND narrows a search OR broadens a search NOT narrows a search
Narrowing and focusing by date of publication, specific authors, titles, etc.
The Literature Review Identifying sources
Searching for books Electronic databases of university libraries Keyword searches
Searching for journals ERIC Education Index Psychological Abstracts Dissertation Abstracts Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature Annual Reviews of Psychology
The Literature Review
Identifying sources Searching the web
Search engines Google, Excite, HotBot, Northern Light
Subject directories Yahoo!, Web Crawler, Lycos
Meta search engines Dogpile, Momma, Vroosh
The Literature Review Identifying sources
Educational sites ERIC, Ingenta, New Jour, Education Week, National
Center for Education Statistics, Bill Hunt's Homepage, US Dept. of Education, WWW Library Resources, Psych Web
Evaluating web sites Quality, honesty, bias, and authenticity Internet Detective, Thinking Critically about WWW
Resources, Critically Analyzing Information Sources
The Literature Review Abstracting the references
Locating, reviewing, summarizing, and classifying references
Seven steps Read the article abstract Skim the entire article Record complete bibliographic information Classify and code the article Summarize the article Identify thoughts about the article you believe
important Indicate direct quotes properly
The Literature Review Recommended strategies when abstracting
Begin with the most recent references and move toward the most dated
Record all bibliographic information Author, date of publication, title, journal name or book
title or website name, volume and issue, pages, library call number or URL
Identify direct quotes and record page numbers Identify main ideas
Literature Review Analyzing, organizing and reporting
Technical nature of reporting Documentation Formal language Adherence to prescribed styles (e.g., APA)
Outline the review Group by topics Analyze for similarities and differences within
subheadings Discuss the lest relevant studies first followed by the
most relevant studies Summarize the review and discuss the implications
related to the research problem
Literature Review Differences between quantitative
and qualitative reviews Quantitative reviews are typically
conducted in the initial stages of the study
Qualitative reviews are ongoing throughout the entire study reflecting the need to understand data as it is collected, interpreted, and synthesized
Locate the Literature: Classification of Sources
Early Stage Material
Indexed Publications
Journal Articles
Books
Low Standardsto ensure quality
Ideas AppearFirst
High Standardsto ensure quality
Ideas appear 10+years after initiation
Summaries
Locate the literature: Examples of Sources Stacks in the Library Data Bases (e.g. ERIC, First Search) Encyclopedias Summaries Dictionaries and glossaries of terms Handbooks Statistical indexes Reviews and Syntheses
Evaluating the relevance of the literature: Questions to ask Topic relevance: Is the literature on
the same topic as your proposed study? Individual and site relevance: Does
the literature examine the same individuals and sites you want to study?
Evaluating the relevance of the literature: Questions to ask Problem relevance: Does the
literature examine the same research problem as you propose in your study?
Accessibility relevance: Is the literature available in your library or can it be downloaded from a web site?
Organizing the literature Copy and file materials Construct a Literature Map
Procedure for constructing a Literature Map Identify key terms for the topic and put them
at the top of the map Sort studies into topical areas or “families of
studies.” Provide a label for each box which will become
a heading for the review Develop the map on as many levels as
possible
Procedure for constructing a Literature Map Draw a box toward the bottom of the
figure that says “my proposed study” Draw lines connecting the proposed
study with other branches of the literature
Literature MapThe need for Teaching Programs to be Culturally Responsive
Bennett, 1995; Eastman, Smith, 1991; Grant 1994; Noel,1995
Study Abroad Programs
Attitude TowardStudy Abroad
King, Young ,1994
Personal insightsof Preservice Teachers
Friesen, Kang McDongall, 1995;Mahan, Stachowski, 1991
Possible Improvements
Martin, Rohrlich ,1991; Stachowski,1991
Personal insightsof Preservice Teachers
Cockrell, PlacierCockrell, Middleton1999, Goodwin, 1997Kea, Bacon, 1999
Predominately EnglishSpeaking Countries
Mahan, Stachowski, 1990;Quinn, Barr, McKay,Jarchow, Powell, 1995;Vall, Tennison, 1992
Need for further study:Non-English Speaking Cultures
Question: Do short-term studyabroad programs in non-Englishspeaking cultures help createcultural responsiveness inpreservice teachers?
Conventional Programs
Colville-Hall Macdonald, Smollen, 1995;Rodriguez, Sjostrom, 1995; Vavrus, 1994
Cross-CulturalPrograms
Cooper, BeareThorman, 1990;Larke, Wiseman,Bradley, 1990
U.S.Programs
Circular Literature Map
Study AbroadProgram
U.S. Programs
Attitudes TowardStudy Abroad(King, Young 1994)
Personal insights ofPreservice Teachers(Friesen, Kang,McDougall, 1995)
Predominately English Speaking Cultures (Maha, Stachowski, 1990)
Cross-Cultural Program(Cooper, Beare, Thorman, 1990)
Personal Insights ofTeachers (Cockrell,Placer, Cockrell,Milleton, 1999
Conventional ProgramsPreservice Teachers(Friesen, Kang,McDougall, 1995)
Need for Further StudyNon-English Speaking CulturesQuestion: “Do short term study abroad programsin non-English speaking cultures help createcultural responsiveness in preservice teachers?
Writing a review of the literature
Identify and summarize each study in an “abstract” that highlights important elements
Write out complete citations for the summaries with headings that use appropriate style manual formats
Write the review using writing strategies related to the type and extent of the review
Quantitative and Qualitative Abstracts
Quantitative The research
problem The hypothesis or
research questions The data collection
procedure Results of the
study
Qualitative The research
problem The central
phenomenon The data
collection procedure
Findings