I’ve finally got Peter
Newby’s book this week and kicked off with the reading.
A few thoughts before I answer
the questions posed by our tutors.
Newby writes in a very
approachable manner, trying to present a complex and not exactly entertaining
field of study in an enjoyable way.
First thoughts that occurred
to me when I started reading:
- The guidelines that Newby gives us seem quite
interesting:
- don’t
try to find the only one proper way to undertake research – you’re running the
risk of selecting a methodology
that might work in one context but not necessarily in another
- We have to be ready to accept compromises, in
other words we cannot expect to conduct a perfect research – but to what extent
can I make compromises? How do I know how much and what I can compromise?
Tricky...
Conclusion
for me here is: I should constantly ask myself questions about the research
approach and let the research guide me – as Newby suggests. Will I be able to
manage this? Perhaps through discussions online with my fellow students I can
verify things, questions things, look for answers....How will I know I’ve taken
the right path?
Another
challenge that I feel we’re facing is time - I feel we’ve got so little time.
There’s only a couple of weeks to design the research plan and collect data – I
guess it will be crucial to choose something achievable.... but will it not be
too simple?
Philosophies,
worldviews:
Positivism:
investigates the ‚truth’ out there by collecting objective data
Humanism:
investigated emotions, viewpoints, perceptions and understandings and they are
all dependent on the surroundings, culture, context in which they’re being
tested.
Within
humanism, there are the following schools of thought:
- phenomenology: description, observation,
reporting and reflection
- existentialism tries to understand the nature of
human existence
- modernism : search for order
- postmodernism: all explanation involves
assumptions, the world is multi-layered and full of contradictions; action research and case study are
postmodern in their character
Part a) What distinguishes a
qualitative study from a quantitative study? - make notes of 3 key
characteristics and add these to your Blog.
Aspect compared
|
Qualitative study
|
quantitative study
|
Truth
|
there is no single truth
|
there is the one truth and
it can be determined by means of objective analysis including numbers and hard
data
|
Approach
|
inductive: researcher
gathers evidence and identifies patterns to find the causes for phenomena
observed
|
deductive: researcher
collects data and draws conclusions
|
Researcher
|
Is often committed to a
cause and therefore not free from bias
|
is a neutral technocrat, not influenced by
external factors
|
Methods
|
insights as well as formal
analyses
|
formal procedures
|
Data
|
anything can be evidence:
numbers, relationships, character, emotions
|
only scientific numbers
and evidence can be valuable date
|
Part b) Check your
understanding of the issues underpinning the choice of research methodology and
method by working through the consolidation activities found here. Record key learning within your Blog.
My score was 70%.
The questions I
answered wrongly:
5. What is ‘action
research’?
My Answer:
Action
research is any research that leads to improvements in professional action.
Correct Answer:
Action
research is normally conducted by the professional practitioners as they
systematically research their own actions in the hope of improving them.
Feedback:
There
are those who might argue that the concept of action research applies to any
investigation of professional action or that evaluates professional action in
the hope of offering advice for improvement. If we are to use the term in this
way it tends to lose its distinctive quality of practitioner engagement. The correct answer given above says that this kind
of research is normally conducted by the practitioner. There may be instances
in which a team of practitioners reports back to a lead researcher who is not
himself or herself a practitioner. In this instance, the research is still a
process centring on particular initiatives and evaluating the process of their
implementation.
6. What is ‘evaluation
research’?
My answer:
Evaluation
is the study of individual organisations, situations, events or processes with
the purpose of feeding back its analysis to practitioners.
Correct Answer:
Evaluation
research is concerned with value of outcomes and consequences of action.
Feedback:
Evaluation
may well be the study of individual organisations, situations, etc. but the
evaluation researchers may be conducting their research for a variety of
purposes, some of which may or may not be relevant to the activity of those
being researched. It is difficult to imagine any educational research that was
not focused on the short- or long-term improvement of the service. The
essential quality of evaluation research is identified in the correct answer
given, concerned with values in relation to educational activity.
7. How might educational
theory influence the goals of educational research?
My Answer:
Educational
theory constitutes the sets of values and beliefs that underlie educational
practice and therefore also underlie educational research.
Correct Answer:
Educational
theory contains assumptions about how things should be organised or what goals
should be achieved. Research must take cognisance of these.
Feedback:
The
conclusions of educational research are centred on the nature of our questions
and the evidence that we gather in order to answer them. Certain educational
theories may be assumed within the research and they may set the boundaries
within which conclusions are delivered but they do not determine them. Research
must take cognisance of theoretical considerations insofar as these will be a
part of the understanding of those being researched.
I think I should review the difference between educational theory and educational reearch.
Also, I'm still not quite clear on the definition of Evaluation research - what is the difference between feeding back analyses and the value of outcomes?