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Understanding research

Understanding research. Types of data. Quantitative numerical data Qualitative non-numerical data. Quantitative studies. Descriptive Correlational Experimental. Research questions. Descriptive “How many students are involved in extracurricular activities?” Correlational

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Understanding research

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  1. Understanding research

  2. Types of data • Quantitative • numerical data • Qualitative • non-numerical data

  3. Quantitative studies • Descriptive • Correlational • Experimental

  4. Research questions • Descriptive • “How many students are involved in extracurricular activities?” • Correlational • “Do students involved in extracurricular activities have higher grades than those students not involved in extracurricular activities?” • Experimental • “Will joining two extracurricular activities affect students’ grades?”

  5. Qualitative studies • In-depth look at certain characteristics or behaviors • Essentially descriptive

  6. Interpreting research results • Consider alternative explanations • Draw causal inferences only from experimental data

  7. Theories • Integrated set of concepts and principles

  8. Collecting data and drawing conclusions

  9. Assessment practices • Collecting data about student learning • Formal or informal measures

  10. Action research • Systematic study in one’s own school • Goal = “taking action” • more effective strategies in working with students

  11. Strategies • How can you use research to guide your teaching practices?

  12. General principles of human development

  13. Defining Development • Development = changes occurring throughout the lifespan • orderly • adaptive • Maturation

  14. General Principles • Development is orderly and predictable • Children develop at different rates • Development occurs in spurts and plateaus • Heredity and environment interact • Hmmm, what do we call this in psychology?

  15. The brain

  16. Neurons • Communicate across synapses • release of neurotransmitters • Grouped for specialized function

  17. The Brain and Learning • Learning involves changes in neurons and synapses • Changes in the brain enable development of thought processes • synaptogenesis & pruning • myelination • Many parts of the brain work in harmony • The brain is adaptable throughout life

  18. Piaget’s Basic Assumptions • Children are active, motivated learners. • Children construct knowledge from experience. • Children learn through assimilation and accommodation. • Interaction with physical and social environments is essential. • Equilibration promotes progression toward increasingly complex thought. • Children think in qualitatively different ways at different ages.

  19. Stages of Cognitive Development • Piaget proposed that children move through four stages. • Periods of time are consistent in age and developmentalsequence. • Age ranges are averages. • Some children are in transition from one stage to the next.

  20. Piaget’s Stages Sensorimotor stage (birth-2) Preoperational (2 – 6/7) Concrete operational (6/7 – 11/12) Formal Operational Does research support Piaget’s viewpoint?

  21. Vygotsky’s theory:Sociocultural perspective

  22. Key Ideas • Adults convey cultural interpretations through informal interactions & formal schooling • mediation • Every culture passes along physical and cognitive tools • Thought & language become interdependent • self-talk becomes inner speech • Complex mental processes begin as social activities & evolve into mental activities • internalization • Children can perform more challenging tasks when assisted • Challenging tasks promote cognitive growth • zone of proximal development • Play allows children to stretch themselves cognitively

  23. Zone of Proximal Development

  24. Extensions and Applications • Social construction of meaning • mediated learning experience • Scaffolding • Guided participation in adult activities • Apprenticeships • Dynamic assessment

  25. Language development

  26. Theoretical Issues • Children use what they hear to construct their own understanding of language • Humans are born with predispositions to learn language • language acquisition device? • sensitive periods

  27. Trends During the School Years • Vocabulary increases • inferring meaning from context • often imprecise • Syntax becomes more sophisticated • learned via formal instruction • New definition of “listening” • emphasis on comprehension • Refined understanding of pragmatics • Increase in metalinguistic awareness

  28. Learning a Second Language • Early exposure may be important • especially if languages are different • facilitates academic achievement • Benefits of bilingualism • greater phonological awareness • higher scores on tests of intelligence and creativity • helps to close cultural gap • opportunities for more social interaction

  29. Teaching a Second Language • Immersion • second language used almost exclusively in the classroom • Bilingual education • intensive instruction in second language • academic subjects taught in native language

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