Educational Research

Educational Research Chapter 4 Preparing and Evaluating a Research Plan Gay, Mills, and Airasian 10th Edition

Topics Discussed in this Chapter • Characteristics of a research plan • General considerations in developing a research plan • Components of a quantitative research plan • Components of a qualitative research plan • Evaluation of a research plan

Characteristics of a Research Plan A research plan is a detailed description of the procedures that will be used to investigate your topic or problem.

Characteristics of a Research Plan • General components of a research plan • A justification for the hypotheses or exploration of the research problem • A detailed presentation of the steps to be followed in conducting the study

Characteristics of a Research Plan • Purposes of a written research plan • Forces the researcher to think through every aspect of the study • Facilitates the evaluation of the proposed study • Provides detailed procedures to guide the conduct of the study

Additional Purpose of Research Plan • Internal (or Institutional) Review Board (IRB) approval. • Before you can work with human subjects, you MUST get approval from your IRB. • All school districts and universities have an IRB. • The IRB protects subjects from unethical and/or harmful research. • IRB approval is required for ANY TYPE of research that involves human subjects.

Characteristics of a Research Plan • Benefits of a written research plan • A well thought out research plan… • saves time, • provides structure to the study, • reduces the probability of costly mistakes, and • generally results in a higher quality research study.

General Considerations • Three general issues to consider when developing a research plan • Ethics of research • Legal restrictions • Cooperation from participants

General Considerations • Ethics of research • Five ethical principles • Beneficence and non-malfeasance • Research should benefit others at no harm to participants. • Fidelity and responsibility • Act in a way that is respectful to others and provide research for the sake of the field. • Integrity • Accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in results. • Justice • Research is nonbiased and fair. • Respect for people’s rights and dignity • Respect diversity in research subjects and take care to treat all subjects in a dignified manner.

General Considerations • Legal restrictions • National Research Act of 1974 • Protects participants • Protection from harm – not exposing subjects to risks • Informed consent – subjects participate of their own free will with an understanding of the nature of the study and possible risks • Stipulates that proposed research activities involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by an authorized group • Internal Review Boards and Committees on Human Subjects

General Considerations • Legal restrictions • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 • Protects students’ privacy • Access to students’ records • Need for written permission to use data identifying students • Known as the Buckley Amendment

General Considerations • Two additional issues related to ethical and legal responsibilities • Deception • Cooperation of participants

General Considerations • Deception • Situations in which complete information related to the study is not given to participants • Such information would influence or change participants’ responses • Studies can be negatively affected by informing participants of certain details • Use of deceptive practices must be undertaken very, very carefully

General Considerations • Cooperation of participants • Gaining entry to the research site • Approval needed at several levels • Site • Administrators • Teachers • Students • Approval is not cooperation

General Considerations • Cooperation from participants (continued) • Strategies to enhance cooperation • Clearly explain the benefits of the study • Afford stakeholders the opportunity to review drafts of the report for their approval • Brief stakeholders on the findings • Provide professional development sessions for stakeholders

Quantitative Research Plans • Four major components • Introduction • Method • Data analysis • Timeline and budget

Quantitative Research Plans • Introduction • Three sections • Statement of the topic • Review of the literature • Statement of the hypotheses • Statement of the topic • The topic is identified with a discussion of the background and rationale • Stated at the beginning of the plan

Quantitative Research Plans • Introduction (continued) • Review of the literature • Provides an overview of the topic and positions the study in the context of what is known, and, more importantly, what is not known about the topic • Completed at the beginning of the study and placed in the beginning of the plan

Quantitative Research Plans • Introduction (continued) • Statement of the hypotheses • A formal statement specifying the hypothesis, support for expected relationships between variables, and operational definitions of all variables

Operational Definitions: • An operational definition • identifies specific observable conditions or events • tells the researcher how to measure that event. • Operational definitions must be valid -- do they measure what they are supposed to measure and are they described in a meaningful and appropriate manner? • Operational definitions must be reliable -- the results should be the same when done by different people or by one person at different times.

Quantitative Research Plans • Method • Five major sections • Participants • Instruments • Design • Procedures • Data analyses • Participants • Identifies the characteristics of the population and sample as well as the sampling technique used • Quantitative studies typically use large samples and probability sampling techniques (everyone in a population has a chance of being in the sample)

Quantitative Research Plans • Method (continued) • Instruments • Descriptions of the specific measures of each variable, the technical characteristics of the instruments, and the administration and scoring techniques • Quantitative studies typically use non-interactive instruments • Tests • Questionnaires • Surveys

Quantitative Research Plans • Method (continued) • Design • Descriptions of the basic structure of the study and the specific research design chosen (e.g., experimental, causal-comparative, etc.) • Quantitative studies typically use highly structured, static designs

Quantitative Research Plans • Method (continued) • Procedures • Detailed descriptions of all the steps that will be followed in conducting the study, assumptions, and limitations • Gaining entry to the site • How subjects will be selected • The ways data will be collected and analyzed • Assumptions – any important “fact” presumed to be true but not verified • Limitations – some aspect of the study that could have a negative effect upon the results • Size of the sample • Length of the study

Quantitative Research Plans • Method (continued) • Data analysis • Descriptions of the techniques used to analyze the data • Descriptive statistics – statistics that summarize data in terms of central tendency (e.g., means), variation (e.g., standard deviations), relative position (e.g., standard scores), or relationships (e.g., correlations) • Inferential statistics – procedures used to infer the likelihood of the results happening in the population rather than just the sample

Quantitative Research Plans • Method (continued) • Data analysis (continued) • The hypotheses usually determine the specific research design which in turn influences the specific analyses used • Quantitative studies usually focus on the appropriate statistical procedures to analyze numerical data

Quantitative Research Plans • Timeline and budget • Timeline • Description of the major activities and corresponding anticipated completion dates • Help assess the feasibility of conducting the study • The resulting structure helps avoid procrastination • A general strategy is to allow more time than you initially think you will need!!!

Quantitative Research Plans • Timeline and budget (continued) • Budget • Descriptions of anticipated costs that are likely to be incurred • Salaries • Copying • Telephone • Travel • Optional in many plans

Qualitative Research Plans • Qualitative studies are characterized by open-ended, emergent designs • Research plans must be responsive to the context and setting as well as the flexibility of the design • The influence of prior fieldwork • The authors recommend pre-proposal fieldwork to help understand the socio-cultural context of the setting • Alternatives include drawing on one’s own experiences or the literature

Qualitative Research Plans • Additional ethical issues in qualitative research • Unique emerging nature of qualitative designs increases the likelihood of unanticipated and un-reviewed ethical issues • Unique personal involvement with participants raises issues • Objective collection and interpretation of data • Possibility of observing potentially illegal or unprofessional behavior • Aligning professional and personal ethical perspectives

Qualitative Research Plans • Six general components • Title of the study • Introduction to the study • Research procedures • Potential contributions of the study • Limitations • Appendices

Qualitative Research Plans • Title • Conveys key concepts of the study • Provides a framework for continued reflection • Serves as a conceptual point of reference

Qualitative Research Plans • Introduction • Four sections • Purpose statement • Framing the study • Initial research question • Related literature • Purpose statement • A clearly written, concise statement that sets the stage for the rest of the plan

Qualitative Research Plans • Introduction (continued) • Framing the study • An attempt to demonstrate the relevance of the study using a frame of reference to which the reader can relate • Describes the contribution of the study to existing theory, educational policy, or the solution of a practical problem

Qualitative Research Plans • Introduction (continued) • Initial research question • Specifying research questions is difficult at this stage given the ongoing, emergent nature of qualitative research • Linked closely to the theory, policy, or practical problem used to frame the study

Qualitative Research Plans • Introduction (continued) • Review of the literature • Links the study to any underlying assumptions and theories related to the initial research question • Accomplishes several things • Assesses the researcher’s preparedness to conduct the study • Identifies potential gaps in the literature • Suggests promising educational practices • Refines the initial research question • Embeds the research questions in “guiding hypotheses”

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures • Eight sections • Description of the overall approach and rationale for the study • Site and sample selection • Researcher’s role • Data collection methods • Data management methods • Data analysis strategies • Trustworthiness features (validity and reliability of the information) • Ethical considerations

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures (continued) • Overall approach and rationale • Identifies the qualitative approach (e.g., ethnography, historical study, grounded theory, etc.) • Provides the rationale for why the particular approach is appropriate • Provides a link to the appropriate literature on research methods

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures (continued) • Site and sample • Describes the rationale for choosing the particular sample • Describes the process for gaining entry to the site • Describes the site • Discusses the likelihood of building trusting relationships with the participants

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures (continued) • Researcher’s role • Describes any negotiations needed to gain entry to the site • Discusses participants’ expectations in terms of reciprocity • Anticipates any ethical dilemmas • Data collection methods • Describes the fieldwork techniques and tools for collecting data • Identifies multiple data sources

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures (continued) • Data management methods • Provides insights into ways by which the large quantity of data will be manipulated • Data sources • Volume of data • Storage • Information such as times, dates, locations, etc.

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures (continued) • Data analysis strategies • Interpretive nature of the analyses of data from fieldwork, observations, interviews, etc. • Describes procedures for collating data • Discusses the manner by which the data will be categorized in terms of emergent themes • Provides a rationale for the conclusion and interpretations

Qualitative Research Plans • Procedures (continued) • Trustworthiness features • The researcher’s efforts to address traditional validity and reliability issues • The use of triangulation – multiple data sources and collection methods • Ethical considerations • Demonstrates sensitivity to the ethical issues related to informed consent • Describes the plan to obtain informed consent • States the researcher’s personal/professional ethical perspectives

Qualitative Research Plans • Potential contribution of the research • Describes how the study will contribute to an understanding of the phenomenon being studied • Provides a link from the possible implications of the study to the broader framework under which the study was begun • Limitations • Discusses any limitations related to the researchers’ ability to deal with situations over which they have no control

Qualitative Research Plans • Appendices • Provide information helpful in assessing the value and feasibility of the study • Timeline • Proposed table of contents • Sample consent form • Internal Review Board (IRB) approval • Sample of data collection protocols

Evaluation of a Research Plan • Informal assessment • Critiques by the researcher, advisors, peers and colleagues, etc. • Critiques by experienced researchers • Formal assessment • Field tests • Pilot studies • Modifications based on the results of both informal and formal evaluations

Educational Research