All group 1 members post their response by midnight on May 26 and all members respond to two others group members’ post by midnight on May 29.
Assignment Description:
Discuss similarities and difference between the two educational research approaches. Include a discussion of ethical considerations.
How likely are you to engage in either type of research in your field?
Which of the two types of research feels like the best fit for you? Why?
The post also serves as a preparation for answering a possible comprehensive exam question for this class. Comprehensive exam answers are typically 3-4 pages in length (double spaced, 12 – point font) and should demonstrate your understanding of the question both from a theoretical and practical perspective. Therefore, you post should demonstrate your familiarity and command of the content discussed in the textbook (Chapters 1, 2, and 9) and in class. Additionally, you are expected to include examples or references to your educational practice. While you will use the textbook and other resources to write your answer, it is not a referenced paper – more like an essay.
After you made your own post, you are expected to comment on the posts of at least two other class members. These comments are not simply ‘good job’ or ‘you’re wrong’ but should critically examine the poster’s data/evidence, and/or suggestions for its relevance to your teaching practice. Comments should be at least a full paragraph (approx. 100 words). More thorough and insightful comments will receive better scores.
The field of education is rapidly changing in many different ways ranging from student demographics to pedagogy and curriculum to policy and the implementation of technology. Research is needed and used to maintain best practices through these changes in our educational system. Research in the field of education is conducted through a process that involves applying the scientific method to educational problems and phenomena. This process is clear, well planned, and driven by science. Researchers can use a qualitative research model, a quantitative research model, or action research to seek this information in hopes to best understand what is true or reality.
Educational research and action research are both very similar to what people view as “traditional research.” They both follow a systematic approach to research through a step-by-step process that produces answers to problems and verifies or rejects phenomenon. This process includes formulating a research question, collecting and analyzing data, stating findings and implications, and making recommendations based on data-indicated conclusions. There are three major groups of individuals that seek this type of information: seekers of the truth, practitioners, and policy makers. These groups of people are directly impacted by the ever changing educational field and are consumers of all educational research. Seekers of the truth look to further explore issues. Practitioners look to improve everyday practice and policy makers look to understand the impact of policy on the field.
Educational research can be conducted through a qualitative or quantitative approach. Quantitative research involves the collection and analysis of numerical data. Numerical data can be collected through test scores, surveys, inventories, or any closed ended questions. The goal of quantitative research is to explain what is observed using statistical models in hopes to yield a result or conclusion through the manipulation of specific variables. This process is completed by using deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is uses a top down approach and can be visualized as a funnel – general to specific. In a quantitative study after the data is collected, it is then prepared for analysis. During this process, the information is coded and entered into a database. This step involves the application of a statistical technique. The statistical analysis can range in purpose from summarizing data, to showing relationship among variables, to testing for statistical significance.
Qualitative is another model of educational research. This type of research is focused on a holistic approach to the quality of particular activity or experience by recording information. This process is completed by using inductive reasoning also known as a bottom-up approach, starting with specific observations and ending in a general conclusion. The data collected in qualitative studies is commonly narrative with the end goal of being able to tell detailed stories of people lives and drawing conclusions based on repeated themes or patterns. In a qualitative study, there are three major steps in analyzing the data collected inductively. The first step is to reduce the amount of narrative data collected. This is done through developing a system of categorization. Step two is to describe the main characteristics and categories after the data is coded. During this process, the researcher’s goal is to make connections between the data and research question. The last step in the cycle is to interpret the themes by examining the relationships, similarities, and contradictions in the data.
Action research is different from educational research in the fact it is conducted by educators for themselves and their own practices. The process of action research aims to see which educational practices or norms can be changed for the better. Although, it shares some of the same qualities as educational research, it is often described as unique because of its customizable nature. It is a cyclical process whose plan involves four stages – planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. The action plan is the proposed strategy for implementing action research. Data can be collected in both a qualitative and quantitative model. The data is then analyzed inductively or deductively as mentioned above. The results can take four forms, self-reflection, a description, an explanation, or a new problem being discovered. Often times the results yield more questions than answers or conclusions to the original research question.
Educational research and action research both take into account ethical considerations. Norms and procedures are set in research to avoid error and seek truth. Research is collaborative work involving other people’s thoughts and ideas. Ethical guidelines are needed to protect confidentiality and give credit where it is due. Moral and social values are also promoted in both types of research. Educational research and action research should not jeopardize anyone and should not be invasive. Researchers take extreme caution to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their students, and other participants. Following norms and making principled decisions during the research process allows for both action research and educational research to be seen as ethical.
It is very likely that I would participate in conducting educational research. I believe action research is a better fit for my personality and goals as an educator. Action research requires a large amount of reflection and collaboration- both are things I strongly believe in. Unfortunately, I do not think teachers take the necessary time to stop and reflect/critique ourselves. A day in the teaching world is fast-paced and we are exhausted mentally and physically after the day. Instead of stopping to think about ourselves and the practices we are doing (or not doing) in our rooms, we are already planning for the next day. This becomes a cyclical, negative, and never ending process. During my first two years of teaching I was lost in this cycle. I was not always happy with who I was as an educator or what I was implementing in my classroom. My mentor forced me to sit down with her twice a week and meet with her. From then on I was and still am a strong believer that it is important to reflect purposefully and daily. Self-reflection and/or critique of a lesson delivery or educational practices is a powerful tool that helps differentiate decent teachers into great teachers. I also believe it is critical to celebrate your strengths and characteristics not just harp on mistakes or negatives. It is easy to only talk about what went wrong even though many things went well. You can work on certain areas of improvement through action research to start a positive and empowering cyclical process.
Research is a critical component for any field, as it provides vital information to support a cause, determine a cause, improve a current practice, seek relationships, or explain a phenomenon. It is an especially important component for the dynamic field of education. Educational research consists of a variety of approaches that can be summarized under the two umbrellas of: traditional and action research. Both have a significance in the field of educational research. While the methods are very different when it comes to execution and purpose, they have their similarities and their differences.
Traditional, or formal, educational research applies what Dewey introduced as the scientific method to education and can be described as either quantitative or qualitative. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods have a process that contain the very similar steps, but different implementation. The two methods also contain a variety of different approaches within themselves. The focus on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data is present in both methods, just collected differently.
Quantitative research relies strictly on numerical data to explain, support, predict, and describe the selected research topic or answer specific research questions (Mertler, 2016). The process used during quantitative research is a strict sequential process, and it is crucial to follow the process accordingly. Quantitative research is divided into two broad umbrellas: nonexperimental and experimental. Experimental research is conducted by manipulating, or changing, at least one variable. In nonexperimental research, quantitative data is collected as it naturally occurs, without manipulation of variables. The results of quantitative research is meant to be generalizable. Qualitative research relies on this idea of using data to paint pictures and tell stories using a holistic approach (Mertler, 2016). It does not have as narrow of a focus as the quantitative approach, nor is there the presence of numerical data. The data collected during qualitative is narrative and continuous since the process is cyclical in this approach. Due to this it tends to be a plethora of data and more time consuming than the quantitative process. Although the qualitative research method tends to be more time consuming, both methods of traditional educational research require more time that the action research approach.
Action Research is implemented with the intention of finding an immediate solution to a local-level problem. One of the main differences that should be noted is that the practitioner is the researcher in action research, which is not the case in formal research. In educational research, the research is conducted by the educator (teacher, counselor, principal, etc.) to improve their own practice. One of the salient components of action research is that it builds a connection between theory and practice. Unlike traditional research, the results are not meant to be generalizable. Action research follows a cyclical process containing four stages: planning, acting developing, and reflecting. There are fewer and broader steps in comparison to those of the traditional educational research method. Since the purpose is to improve one’s own practice, reflection is a fundamental part of action research. The reflection stage is what essentially makes this progress cyclical. The reflection stage typically brings questions to further be addressed, resulting in a repeat of the process.
Although traditional and action research are different in several ways, they share one common goal, which is to collect meaningful and purposeful research and ultimately improve the world of education. They both have their advantages and disadvantages and serve a purpose in the world of research and education. I believe the education field is in vital need of the both, collectively and simultaneously.
No matter the research approach being utilized: traditional or action, there are ethics must be taken into consideration. In both approaches researchers should be consciously ensuring ethical behavior at all times. In all cases the participants are human beings, but in a majority of the cases they are students, so it is important that ethical issues and concerns be addressed and prevented in both processes. It is the duty of the researcher to properly inform participates, protect their participants from both physical and psychological harm, and ensure privacy of the participants when necessary.
As an educator, I believe both forms of educational research have their place, and I would willingly engage in both under different circumstances. For the obvious reasons, action research is more applicable to my job as a teacher, especially as a self-reflective teacher constantly aiming to improve and become a more effective educator. Action research is described as personalized professional development, which allows me as an educator to focus on my needs and inquiries in order to reflect and improve my practice.
I would find traditional educational research beneficial if I aimed to answer a question in education that did not directly relate to my specific role as an educator. As I aim to continue my career in the English as a Second Language (ESL) field, I could utilize both methods of research. For example, a topic that has been of issue to me is the dropout rate of English language learners. This issue is not one I can address using the action research method as an elementary ESL teacher. I would continue with the traditional educational research approach. As stated previously, both serve a purpose and are beneficial to the educational field.
Mertler, C. A. (2016). Introduction to educational research. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.
Education is a constantly evolving field that demands that we change with it to meet our students needs. Utilizing and conducting research is a way for educators to ensure that their practice continues to stay current. Like other fields, education research is intentional, well planned, and scientific. The research that educators tend to engage in are formal education research and action research. One research types follows a very purposeful and intentional process to answer research. The other form is geared more towards the practitioner. This allows them to personalize their research to their specific community.
Educational and action research share several similarities with each other. They both involve identifying a research question or problem to be solved. Also, the researchers needs to design a study to collect the necessary data to sufficiently answer to research problem. Furthermore, educational and action research are cyclical rather than linear in their progression. Most importantly, both forms of research are conclusive and should evolve as practices are revised. Despite the many similarities between two, each form of research has its unique traits.
Educational research is used to describe, predict, explain, or control educational phenomena. Formal educational research is conducted using two approaches to data collection, quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data involves collecting numerical data in order to aide in answering a research question. This numerical data includes items such as grades, standardized test scores, and other numeric measures of student progress. Researchers using quantitative data can use tools and techniques such as coding, graphing, charts, and other methods to aide in interpreting data. Deductive reasoning is then utilized in the quantitative process to interpret the data to draw conclusions. I always remember quantitative data as following the numbers to draw your conclusions.
While quantitative data focuses on numbers, qualitative data is the analysis of narrative data. A researcher using this form data analyzes items including, but not limited to, journals, observation notes, and interview transcripts. A qualitative researcher seeks to find the big picture of the narrative data.. For example, someone who wanted to know the attitudes of people towards segregation would analyze journal data from the era and could interview individuals that experienced it. Qualitative research can take the form of case study or an ethnographic study that examines a phenomena within a cultural or ethnic group. Educational research often combines both qualitative and quantitative data to create a more complete picture of the research. What about the everyday practitioner ? Is there a research form geared for everyday practice?
Action research is characterized as research that is conducted by educators for themselves. It encompasses a systemic inquiry conducted by practicing educators how have a vested interest in the outcomes for their students or building. Action research is a process by which current practices can be made to function better. Due to the fact that action research seeks to improve practice, it relies heavily on reflection. Reflection is the process by which a practitioner critically thinks back on a practice. The educator considers what went well, what could be changed, and effect the practice has had. Reflective educators often look at the teaching practices and lessons to see how they can adjust to better meet the needs of their students. Unlike formal education research, action research is participatory in nature. The researcher is not detached during this form of research.
With any form of research there are ethical considerations when considering taking on a study. A researcher must maintain neutrality when ever possible. This can be difficult when conducting research involving qualitative data. A researcher can become attached to the group they are observing. They may cause them to overlook information that the data shows. For example, a researcher may give favorable results to a student that they have grown attached to. The other ethical consideration that a researcher must think about is whether their study could have negative consequences for any live subjects.
As an educator, I want to conduct research to help better improve my practice. While formal educational research has its merits, I would be more inclined to conduct action research. Action research offers me the opportunity to critically dissect my practice to determine how effective it would be for my students. As a first year teacher, I am also thinking of what went well and what I can do differently. Action research offers me the opportunity to craft a study that will directly have an impact on my students. I consider expanding my practice to one of the most crucial aspects of being an effective teacher.
As the field of education has continued to change, the research into best practices has continued to change as well and has become more important as policy is trying to keep up with the changing morals and societal focus. Best practice is no longer about individual teachers teaching, but more on what the students need to succeed as good citizens in the world. The research that is now being done needs to be done quickly and efficiently to accommodate the changing times. Just like with ‘hard science’ research, educational research needs to be done systematically, reliably, and timely.
As with other research practices, formal educational research continues to be a tried and true method to collect information, analyze data, and recommend new practices for a teacher to use in the classroom. Each step that formal education follows is concise. Beginning with the identification of a problem formal education researchers will focus in on a problem that can be turned into a question but that also needs to be asked to improve best practice for educators. This question or problem needs to be clarified to see if it has already been addressed and the policies and or practices have or have not begun to change to accommodate that issue. Once the problem has been established as a credible issue then the question is refined to identify the problem more clearly and allow researchers to focus in on how to collect information. After the question has been decided upon, how to collect data becomes a top priority, this will include whether the information collected will be qualified or quantified. The data will be closely collected and then analyzed, occasionally more data will be necessary to completely understand what has been collected or possibly a different question needs to be asked to understand the original question. Lastly, within the formal education research, after all the data has been collected and analyzed, a conclusion or recommendation will be made.
Within action research, the process is changed to four main steps and mini steps within the main steps. Like formal education research, one of the first parts of action research is the identification of a problem, gather initial information, and review the current literature on the subject or topic. Within action research those three steps are done during the planning phase of research. This allows the researcher to make fewer steps than a formal education researcher. Action researchers focus more on what to do with the conclusions. The second step of an action researcher is the act of collecting previous and new data. The data will be analyzed as it is brought in and will be part of the third and fourth step. Third, action researchers develop the action plan that will be used after the collection of new data. The developed plan along with the collected data will be reflected up in step four. Step four allows for teacher-educators to look at the data collected and find ways to change the outcome to ensure the best outcome for students and the best practice for educators. All four steps completed, the action researcher will then put into place the action plan that was developed and reflected upon.
Both formal education research and action research relies on past data and new data to make new recommendations for both policy and practice. The biggest difference between the two is the immediate action taken by action research. Action research analyzes data, creates recommendations and then puts those recommendations into practice to ensure that they are beneficial to students and educators. Formal education research is a slower process in terms of affecting change because it does not test the recommendations, but waits until someone else down the line implements the changes and the creates another study based on those recommendations. Action research tends to be more emotional in the commitment of the researcher. The researcher wants to ensure that the people affected have the best outcome as quickly and reliably as possible.
Personally, I tend to lean more toward action research because of the more immediate response that I receive. My students are my priority and relying on a research question that may or may not be answered prior to them leaving my classroom leaves too many new questions. I currently practice action research without being published on a semi-regular basis, as are most teachers. I may change a lesson half way through because I realize that it didn’t work the previous day. I definitely change lessons and review tactics from one semester to another to help my students do better in the future. Each semester has included more test taking, study hacks, and life skill techniques because of the need the students have shown and their lack of understanding of critical tasks. If being published for research were ever to become a goal, action research would be the only way forward personally. Action research allows for flexibility and reflection on a more consistent basis without being too worked up about the data collected. As an educator that is more focused on why students cannot read, action research allows for the set of parameters but the flexibility to do what is best for the student and not just the research.
Carly, thank you for being the first to post your response.
Since, you are the first I reply to in your group, I will explain my response. I will post a reply to each of you highlighting the strongest points in your post. I also recognize that I often post longer responses to the first one or posts; therefore other posts include a strong discussion of an issue, I may not mention it in the reply to their posts.
Carly, your discussion is comprehensive and has a great amount of detail in terms of describing traditional and action research (including the four stages), quantitative and qualitative methods, ethical issues.
Also thanks for sharing how you have found ways to stay energized and reflecting on your work.
Charity. Thanks for your elaborate response to the assignment. I appreciate your reference to Dewey and the scientific methods, which both traditional and action research are based on. You also highlight the two essential characteristics of quantitative research – experiential and non-experiential methodologies. Finally, I am glad of your openness to use both traditional and action research in the future; you make an important point by identifying that each have a place.
Darrell, your character strengths of honesty and prudence are obvious in your response. Your discussion of wanting to reflect and improve your practice through ethical research is contagious. You demonstrate a solid understanding of quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Kim, your detailed discussion of the four stages and steps of the action research process is a great road map for anyone wanting to conduct that type of research.
Thank you for the detailed explination of what educational research is. I had a general idea, but in your words it makes more sense. I would change the description of people interested in research from the general term of ‘people’ to scholars or more specifically college educated professionals. When describing quantitative research I would mention that it is the data that is the most used type it gives visible evidence for those who aren’t constantly surrounded by the process. Also when describing qualitative I would mention that it can be more intensive because of the amount of coding and categorizing that is needed to find the common themes. Some scholars/researchers dislike this type because of the lack of consistency that can sometimes occur. Action research also allows educators to give immediate results for their own benefit. It can allow educators to change their practice to accommodate their students in their specific school and sometimes isn’t able to move from place to place. Thank you for this idea of forcing myself to sit and reflect weekly. I don’t always enjoy who I am as a teacher at the end of the day. I think that sitting down and reflecting will allow me to make conscious decisions about how to do things better the next time around.
That above comment is for Carly.
Darrell–
Educational research would be considered more closely to a true scientific method of research. With the use of numbers also gives the research a statistical basis for any and all research conclusions. The holistic approach to action research gives the researcher a closer look at the individual community and what may make that area work cohesively. Action research may give a larger picture view but it cannot always be transferred from region to region. A problem with action research as reflective is that not all educators have mastered the art of being reflective. Action research for educators has the possibility of being too focused on one area and not taking into account other factors that may influence the students’ behavior and attitudes.
Charity,
Your post was very thorough. It is obvious you have a true understanding of the similarities and differences between traditional educational research and action research. You brought a point in the ethical portion of your paper that I implied but did not directly state in mine – the fact that subjects in both types of research are humans. This is one of the many reasons there needs to be an ethical code and strict guidelines for any type of research. It was also interesting to hear your thoughts on implementing traditional research while having a teaching role in today’s schools. While I understand your example with the ESL population, I found myself asking “how would she be able to complete this study?” After reflecting on your post, I have come to realize how hard it would be to be both a classroom teacher and an educational researcher.
Darrell,
You did a nice job of describing and highlighting some of the similarities and differences between the different models of educational research. In the action research section of your paper you focused on the reflective piece. It is also important to note another driving force for action research is for researchers that wish to seek truth. You are correct in the fact that practitioners look to improve everyday practice but seekers of the truth look to further explore issues in the field of education. It is evident that you have a strong ethical code and believe in the importance of ethical considerations before conducting any of the types of research we’ve discussed.
Carly,
I found your response about action and educational research to be very through. One aspect of action and educational research that I am glad you touched upon is ethical behavior. Ensuring that people are not adversely affected by a study or the collection is an integral portion of the research process. Also, it was a great that you highlighted several stake holders in educational research. However, I would not use seekers of the truth as a stake holder. I would refer to these individuals as researchers. What if one these truth seekers sought to manipulate data to solve their research question? This could raise some ethical concerns. Furthermore, some truths rely heavily on an individual’s perception and experiences. Finally, would you consider conducting formal research if could benefit the communities that you serve?
Carly, you did a great job at explicitly comparing and contrasting the action and formal research, and organizing your information. I liked how you addressed norms in your discussion on ethical considerations. I believe that deserves to be noted, because making ethical decision should be valued as a norm in research to ensure the protection of the participants and the validity and reliability of the research itself. I also agree that self-reflection is not utilized as much as it should be in education, but I enjoyed reading how you utilize it and how beneficial it is to you and your practice.
Darrell, You do a great job at addressing the essential characteristics of both action and formal research, as well as quantitative and qualitative. In the beginning you describe both processes as cyclical, which can be true. I think it is important to note that action research is always cyclical, while formal has the potential to be. I thought that your specific example used in your discussion of ethics was helpful even for me to better understand the ethical issues that may arise in action research.
Charity,
There was a great attention to detail in your post. It shows that you well aquatinted with formal and action research. Also, I glad you linked some of Dewey’s Theory into your response. Another aspect of your post that I found interesting, was the detail you put into describing action research. In my post, I touched on some of the basics of action research. However, I did not discuss the four stages of action research including planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. Furthermore, how could you find a balance between action and formal research when addressing ELL learners? Could it be that a mixture of the two would help you to better serve them?