Course:EDUC500/2014/001/Group 4

Group Members

Margaret Kainer
Yaxue Gao
Winnie Ma
George Sarkodie

Article 1: Five Qualitative Traditions of Inquiry (Cresswell, 1998)

A BIOGRAPHY the study of an individual and her or his experiences as told to the researcher or found in documents and archival material.

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY describes the meaning of the lived experiences for several individuals about a concept or the phenomenon.

A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY the intent of a grounded theory study is to generate or discover a theory, an abstract analytical schema of a phenomenon, that relates to a particular situation.

AN ETHNOGRAPHY is a description and interpretation of a cultural or social group or system.

A CASE STUDY an exploration of a “bounded system” or a case (or multiple cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information rich in context.

comparing five traditions

In a comparison of the five traditions, two issues of overlap that need clarification arise. The first issue is that an apparent overlap exists between an ethnography and a case study. In the former, we examine a cultural system; in the latter, we examine a bounded system. Thus, confusion exists when studying both as systems. In my mind, however, there are some fundamental differences. In an ethnography, an entire cultural or social system is the focus of attention (except in a micro-ethnography). In a case study, on the other hand, a system of people is typically not the case. In case study research, one works with a smaller unit such as a program, an event, an activity, or individuals and explores a range of topics, only one of which might be cultural behavior, language, or artifacts. Furthermore, in an ethnography, the researcher studies a culture-sharing group using anthropoid logical concepts (e.g., myths, stories, rituals, social structure). These concepts may or may not be present in a case study.

The second issue of overlap arises when one studies an individual. In a biography, the researcher studies a single individual; in a case study, either a single individual or a number of individuals may be the case. Although it certainly is possible to conduct a case study of a single individual, I only recommend such a practice when the re searcher can obtain substantial contextual material about the individual (e.g., the individual's family, daily life, work life).

For the researcher desiring to study a single individual, I recommend a biographical approach. More accepted, I believe, are case studies of several individuals, usually three or four, in which one can establish depth through both within- and among-case analysis.

Article 2: Developing an Action Research Project (Jenny and Snyler, 2010)

WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH?

Action Research allows teachers to save time and improve teaching while enhancing student learning.

STEPS FOR CONDUCTING ACTION RESEARCH

1. Identify an Issue 2. Collect Data 3. Plan Action 4. Activate Plan 5. Assess Outcome

STEP 1 - IDENTIFYING AN ISSUE

Your research question must be open ended ( not a YES/NO question)

Question stems to focus on a topic of interest:

What classroom procedures or activities promote . . ?
What issues do students encounter when . . . ?

Open-ended statements to consider:

In my classroom teaching, I am bothered by . . .
I would like to make a difference in the classroom by...

Suggestions for developing an action research question:

Study or evaluate a teaching method
Identify and investigate a problem
Examine an area of interest
Develop a problem statement ( Who is affected? 2. Who or what is suspected o f causing the problem? 3. What kind o f problem has been identified? 4.
What is your goal for improvement or what will be?)

Examples of action research questions:

How does adding art to a project enhance student academic performance?
How does the use of graphic organizers impact paragraph writing?

STEP 2 - DATA COLLECTION

Anecdotal records
Classroom test scores
Standardized lest scores
Running records
Parental feedback
Cooperating teacher input
Formal and informal observations

STEP 3: ACTION PLANNING
1. Understanding context features:'''

Consider the setting your research took place in and the characteristics that can be shared regarding your school and students. Grade level? Age ranges? Socioeconomic status (SES)? Ethnicity?

2. Identifying Best Practices''

Talk with your supervisor, colleagues and other professors
Conduct a literature review - the literature should not be a summary but rather a well woven review

3. Developing Research MethodsItalic text:

This is your recipe! Anyone without previous research abilities should be able to follow it and have a successful outcome.

Research Methods ConsiderationsItalic text

Keep a data log or a teacher- researcher journal – indicate information is collected, the lime, the place, and the data itself
Triangulate the data – prove your inferences are true by corroborating your evidence
Are your data collection methods are valid and reliable?
What themes will help you answer your research question?
How much of your data supports the themes?

STEP 4 PLAN ACTIVATION

Following through with methodology
Be aware that some modifications and changes may be necessary based on reflections.
Changes are necessary on what the data reveals about your current work with your students.

STEP 5 OUTCOME ASSESSMENT

Measuring the effectiveness of your actions
Data analysis should be meaningful
Describe and interpret data objectively
Remember: your research is not going to "prove" anything - it is going to help you "improve" your own teaching.
Use words like - suggests, may indicate, or that the results of your study /show promise
Research that finds what doesn't work is just as important as research that finds what does work!

Post Project Reflection

Consider the conclusion as a post-project reflection on:
teaching in general
teaching in the targeted academic area
your students
your teaching style and procedures
your assessment strategies
What impact did you have on the students' learning in the targeted area?

STEP 6 SHARING YOUR RESEARCH

Trifold poster
A written paper
PowerPoint presentation

Article 3: Chapter 23: Observation Cohen et al.

WHAT IS OBSERVATION?

Looking 👀(systematically)
Noting 📝 (systematically) people, events, behaviors, settings, artifacts, routines etc.
Concerned with live data and situations
Selective and theory-driven (no neutral observations)
A continuum : highly structured semi-structured  unstructured

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF OBSERVER

Complete participation ---------- Complete detachment

Complete participant
Participant as observer
Observer as participant
Complete observer

PLANNING OBSERVATIONS

1. When, where, what and how to observe

The focus of the observation(s)
Why they are observing
The research questions that the observational data will address
What to include and exclude
How to record the observations
How many people, events, settings to observe

**2. How much structure is necessary in the observation (structured to unstructured)

The duration of the observation period
The timing of the observation period
The context of the observation
Merging subjective and objective observation
What resources are necessary
Problems that might be encountered
Additional information that may be needed to complement the observational record
The processing and analysis of data

The differences between Structured and other kind of observations

1 STRUCTURED OBSERVATION

Systematic
Enables the researcher to generate numerical data from the observations
Non-participant observer
Data entered onto a structured observation schedule
Observation categories are discrete: no overlap
Timed
The researcher will need to practice completing the schedule consistently and at speed
The researcher will need to decide what entry/code/symbol is to be made in the appropriate category

2 NATURALISTIC AND PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

Naturalistic research often uses participant observation
Observations are recorded in field notes and audio-visually

3. Threats to reliability and validity/Ethical issues

'Ethical issues

Informed consent
Covert or overt
Disturbing the natural setting
Deception and pretense
Impression management
Confidentiality/anonymity/privacy/non-traceability
Protection of individuals
Loyalties (and to whom)
Ignoring dubious acts (e.g. criminal acts)

Threats to reliability and validity

How the observation may be affected by the sex, sexuality, ethnicity, class, appearance, age, language, personality, temperament, attitude, interpersonal behavior, familiarity with the situation, involvement and concern of the observer

Selective attention of the observer
Reactivity
Attention deficit of observer
Validity of constructs
Selective data entry
Selective memory for write-ups of observations
Interpersonal matters and counter-transference
Expectancy effects
Decisions on how to record
Number of observers
The problem of inference