Education is one of the careers that is ever changing. Times change, people change, technology changes and because of this, education needs to change. Teachers need to keep up with the times and in order to do this, they must learn. In order to learn and change, research needs to be done to make education better. It is imperative that when this research is done, it is done in a fair ethical way that does not effect the students, but only effects the way we run our classrooms. In this class we have learned about several different ways to conduct ethical research. Below are four scenarios. In each one, I will identify the form of research I think best fits the scenario and explain my reasoning.
Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.
I believe that this fits into the qualitative method of research. Qualitative research looks at the words of students and conducts research that way. This scenario calls for in-depth interviews that aid the researcher in finding results. Phenomenology is used, as it is the study of lived experiences, which is clearly what is being used to collect data in this scenario.
Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.
I believe that this scenario fits best into the quantitative research method, and deeper into this method, into the experimental method. Students are split into both a control group and an experimental group. These groups are not formed for any reason in particular and are quite random. They receive different interventions which provide different results in the end.
Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.
This scenario, I believe, fits into the mixed method of research. I believe this because while the research calls for no manipulation or control groups, and for the subjects to be observed in their natural environments (quantitative), the number of referrals is also looked at (qualitative). The connection between the number of referrals and the students attitudes fits perfectly into the correlation method, which finds a connection between pieces of data.
Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.
This last scenario, in my mind, also fits into the mixed method category. It is quantitative due to the formal testing, but qualitative due to the face to face interviews. Both the true numbers, and the students opinions and feelings are addressed and taken into account in this scenario.
It is very important to use the best research method possible when working with children. It is our job to keep them safe and their privacy needs to be our priority. Another thing we need to strive for is true results. As I have learned in this class, research results can be swayed to be the way you wish for them to be. This makes the research totally invalid. We need to use proper research methods to ensure correct results. It is up to us as teachers to do the best for our students and work with the data to run more effective and engaging classrooms.
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson
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Hello Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your rational for your different scenarios. I agree with your comment about having true results. It is so easy to skew the data and invalidate the information. Unfortunately I think some people are uneducated regarding the different research methods and they take research as fact instead of critical reviewing the data.
I have really enjoyed reading your post I think you have a wonderful way of expressing your point of view.
Thanks,
Dawn
Hi Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that it is our job to always protect our students. In my case, they aren't kids anymore, but it is equally as important. Our students, for the most part, trust us implicitly, and for us to conduct research with them in an unethical or unsafe manner is just inexcusable and one of the worst things we can ever do as teachers. We also have to be careful and honest with our research, and let it speak for itself.
Great job!