Variety of Educational Research

Quantitative

• Experimental Research
• Quasi-experimental Research
• Survey Research
• Ethnographic Research
• Historical Research

Qualitative Research

• Characteristics (Epistemology – branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, methods, and limits of human knowledge):
• Phenomena viewed holistically; cannot be reduced to a few factors or independent parts
• Researcher operates in a natural setting
• The perceptions of those being studied are what is important; capturing these perceptions should lead to an accurate measure of reality
• Nonpredictive - hypothesized assumptions should be avoided in favor of deduced conclusions
• Loosely constructed model which is flexible and not run in a mechanistic manner
• Questions answered are noncomparative, noncausative, and nondirectional. How? Why?
• Design – less structured and more flexible than qualitative research designs
• Research Design Components
• Working Design – a preliminary plan for getting the research under way; subject to change as required by the natural setting of the research
• Working Hypotheses – questions about the research problems may be introduced
• Data Collection (empirical materials)
• Interactive or Noninteractive – depending on whether researcher interacts with the subjects being studied
• Observation
• Interview
• Case Study
• Personal Experience
• Introspection
• Life Story
• Historical
• Document Collection and Review
• Data Analysis – process of categorization, description, and synthesis; coding leads to data reduction
• Data Reduction – necessary for the description and interpretation of the phenomenon under study
• Interpretation
• Funnel Approach – general questions initiate the study; questions narrow as study progresses to focused conclusions
• Modified Analytic Induction Approach – specific questions expand to descriptive model explaining phenomenon
• Reliability
• Internal – consistency in the research process
• Observation by multiple observers
• External – enhanced by a well organized, completely persuasive presentation of procedures and results
• Validity – providing an argument for validity requires well-documented research and a comprehensive description
• Reporting Qualitative Research
• Essays
• Narrative Reports
• Stories
• Novels
• Biographical Reports

Reeves, Thomas C. Questioning the Questions of Instructional Technology Research. [Online] 
Available http://www.hbg.psu.edu/bsed/intro/docs/dean/, February 15, 1995. 
Currently at: http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwitr/docs/dean/index.html

Instructional Technology Research

The State of Instructional Technology Research

• Research Goals
• Theoretical – research focused on explaining phenomena through the logical analysis of theories, principles, and the results of other forms of research
• Empirical – research focused on how education works by testing conclusions related to theories of communication, learning, performance, and technology
• Developmental Research - research focused on the invention and improvement of creative approaches to enhancing human communication, learning, and performance through the use of technology
• Evaluation – research focused on a particular program, product, or method, usually in an applied setting, for the purpose of describing it, improving it, or establishing its effectiveness and worth
• Research Methods
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Literature Review
• Mixed Methods
• Article Trends in Publications
• Quantitative Method with Empirical Goal
• Literature Review Method with Theoretical Goal
• Mixed Methods with Evaluation Goal
• The Problem of Pseudoscience
• Specification Error – vague definitions of the primary independent variables
• Lack of Linkage to Robust Theory – little attention to relevant learning and instructional theories
• Inadequate Literature Review - little or no reference to alternative findings
• Inadequate Treatment Implementation - often single treatment of less than 30 minutes
• Measurement Flaws - no effort to establish validity and reliability
• Inconsequential Outcome Measures - outcomes have little or no relevance to the subjects in the study
• Inadequate Sample Sizes - dividing a small class in half or into thirds
• Inappropriate Statistical Analysis - using obscure statistical procedures to find significance where none exists
• Meaningless Discussion of Results - rambling rationales for failing to find statistically significant findings
• Pseudoscience Dominates Instructional Technology Research
• The power of various forms of technology to instruct is assumed
• Experiments conducted to detect its effects

Relevance of Instructional Technology Research

• Flawed research has little relevance for anyone other than the people who conduct and publish it
• Turn attention toward making education work better
• Engage in developmental research situated in schools with real problems
• Instructional Software Design Project (Harel, 1991)
• Fourth grade students used Logo to create software products to teach fractions to third grade students
• Constructionist theory (Papert, 1993 - mindsized bites) with "knowledge as design" pedagogy (Perkins, 1986 - knowledge is a process of design; not something transmitted from teacher to student)
• One treatment group; two control groups
• Average of 70 hours working on software designs
• Pretests, Posttests, and Multiple Measures
• Metacognitive Acts - learning by explaining, creating, and discussing knowledge representations, finding design strategies, and reflecting
• HyperAuthor and the American Civil War (Lehrer, 1993)
• Students designed their own lessons about the Civil War
• High and low ability eighth graders worked 45 minutes a day for several months
• One treatment group; one control group
• No significant differences found … until a year later
• Developmental Research (continued)
• Pedagogical models grounded in robust learning theories are identified
• Powerful technologies used to implement these models

Review of the Literature

• The Body of Research Information Related to the Research Problem
• Attempt to Determine what Others have Learned about Similar Research Problems
• Attempt to Gather Information Relevant to the Research Problem
• Essential to a Well-Designed Research Study
• Systematic Process – attention to detail
• Identify descriptors (key words or phrases) relevant to the problem
• Identify sources
• Locate copies of potential information resources
• Determine relevance of each resource
• Summarize relevant resources
• Organize (order) relevant resources
• Write review of the literature
• Sources of Information
• Print Indexes
• Library Catalog Systems
• DeSales University
• Interlibrary Loan - LVAIC and Beyond
• CD-ROM Databases
• Online Databases
• ERIC – Educational Resources Information Center
• Educational Abstracts
• PsycINFO
• Online Web Searches
• Some Publishers allow free archive searches and only charge if you decide to purchase a copy of an article
• Bibliographies within Relevant Research Articles
• Journals vs. Periodicals
• Periodicals useful to identify studies and where to find them; not particularly useful to reference
• Journals are typically peer reviewed (refereed) and contain a more complete description of the study
• When referencing a study, it is best to reference the original study and not somebody else’s reference to the study
• Journals published by professional societies may be particularly useful