Comparing Assessment to Educational Research

1. Comparing Assessment to Educational Research

2. In this session, we will… • Construct and discuss the (related but different) goals and attributes of assessment and education research • Learn how to decide if a posed “formal research” question is actually an assessment/informal research question in disguise

3. An exercise… Write for ~2-3 minutes on these questions: What sorts of questions does assessment (and evaluation) try to answer? What sorts of questions does education research try to answer?

4. The Goal of Assessment • To systematically gather educationally relevant information to measure student attributes (knowledge, skills, attitudes) • To use assessment data to make informed curricular and instructional decisions for program improvement

5. The Goal of Education Research The goal of educational research is to improve educational practice and our understanding of human learning by conducting research that: • breaks new ground and is innovative • can be replicated or elaborated • can be documented • can be peer-reviewed • has significance or impact • requires a high level of discipline-related expertise Adapted from: Diamond R. & Adam, B. 1993. Recognizing faculty work: Reward systems for the year 2000. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

6. Guiding Principles for Assessment • Begin with a statement of expected goals, objectives, outcomes, purposes • Realize learning is complex and multidimensional (multiple measures) • Focus on both outcomes and process • Assess on an ongoing basis • Include all stakeholders in the process Adapted from AAHE Assessment Forum, 1996.

7. Guiding Principles for Scientific Research in Education • Question: pose significant question that can be investigated empirically • Theory: link research to relevant theory • Methods: use methods that permit direct investigation of the question • Reasoning: provide coherent, explicit chain of reasoning • Replicate and generalize across studies • Disclose research to encourage professional scrutiny and critique National Research Council, 2002

8. Conducting Assessment • Establish program objectives and student outcomes • Establish performance criteria for each objective and outcome • Select assessment methods to collect data • Collect data and interpret results • Report results and make improvements

9. Conducting Research • Form a research question • Establish a hypothesis • Collect data • Analyze results and draw conclusions – is the hypothesis supported? • Report the results

10. Types of Research Studies • Descriptive: describe what is occurring • Correlational: examine relationships between 2 or more variables or factors • Experimental: controlled intervention to establish causal relationship between 2 or more variables • Design experiment: research based on designing classroom interventions intertwined with development of learning theories

11. An Exercise… • For the sample questions in the handout, work in groups of 2-3 to determine if each is a formal research or assessment/informal research question • Can the assessment/informal research questions be rewritten as formal research questions?

12. In the Time Remaining… • Review your draft research question – is it an assessment question in disguise? • If so, work to revise and reformulate as a formal research question • Ask for input from your workshop colleagues or facilitators