GEDU 6170 Research Literacy

Saad Chahine, PhD May 1, 2014

Breadth of Educational Research

AERA http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/tabid/10062/Default.aspxDivisions http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/MemberConstituents/Divisions/tabid/10178/Default.aspxSIGs http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/MemberConstituents/SIGs/tabid/10179/Default.aspx

Forms

• Articles • Journals/magazines • Conferences • Government/Institutional reports • Books (researched vs authored)

Quality

• Blind Peer Reviewed Journal articles published in reputable academic journals

• Blind Peer Reviewed Journal articles published in reputable academic journals

• Research Reports by reputable institutions (caution: political agendas)

• Edited Books • News Articles/Books (Major difference between

authors and researchers)

Empirical Methods

• Quantitative– Randomized control trials – Quasi experimental – Pre/post design

• Qualitative – Case study – Ethnography – Phenomenology

• Mixed Methods – Sequential– Concurrent – Iterative

Writing that does not specify the method is usually not research based and is more opinion… in education there is a great deal of opinion on “what works”

Impetus for Research

• Curiosity • Practical Need • Academic Funding • Contracted Funding*• Ongoing Concerns • Consistent body of evidence

(Shank & Brown p.8)

Four basic goals

1. Create a useful public record – What good is it to do research, if the researchers do not share the

results?

2. Write articles that are precise and accurate as possible – Researchers need to documents thoroughly and correctly any and all

steps, procedures and findings

3. Create articles that are as clear as possible – Even the most complex ideas can be explained easily

4. Organize their articles in as orderly a fashion as possible – How does a piece of research fit in with the larger body of evidence?

(Shank & Brown p. 10)

Tone of Articles

1. Rhetoric – expected tone of language of a community

2. Style guides – writing style conventions and guides e.g. APA style guide

3. Structures• textual structures, outlines, charts & figures, underlining or

italicizing

4. Precedents • Rules, conventions, shared knowledge, shared assumptions

Start with Secondary Articles

• These are often professional journals • http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-

leadership.aspx• http://www.canadianteachermagazine.com/

• Secondary Journals are not as rigorous as primary research journals sometimes more relevant for practice settings

Types of Secondary Articles

• Lay review – Provide some exposure to the topic

• Focused Review – Systematic review of research

• Action Plan – Focused review with a piece on how to move forward

• Interview – A published interview transcript often informative

• Opinion Piece – Difficult to evaluate, many of these in education

Activity

• In groups review the article you were provided • As a larger group identify: – Purpose– Methodology– Importance – Relevance to Education