Research Methodology

Responses to Course Readings

Week 2

According to Creswell, “Researchers increasingly use a theoretical lens or perspective in qualitative research, which provides an overall orienting lens for the study of questions of gender, class, and race (or other issues of marginalized groups). This lens becomes a transformative perspective that shapes the types of questions asked, informs how data are collected and analyzed and provides a call for action or change.” (p. 64)

In 2003, my school division, Golden Hills, expanded our AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement) initiative to include two projects. From 2000-2003 we had focused on inquiry based learning through a partnership with the Galileo Educational Network. In 2003, we took the opportunity offered by the Government of Alberta with a new three-year AISI cycle to continue the work we were doing with Galileo but to also undertake a new initiative labeled “Resiliency”.

Our orienting lens (Creswell, 2014) was based on Emmy Werner and Ruth Smith’s 1992 study The Children of Kauai: Resiliency and Recovery in Adolescence and Adulthood. Their research began in 1955 and for forty years they followed children born on the Island of Kauai through to adulthood. The unique nature of the island facilitated a longitudinal study unparalleled elsewhere in the field. Overall findings included the surprising fact that despite the seriousness of adversity faced by some of the children (chronic poverty, prenatal stress, parents lacking a high school education), they fared much better in life than would have been predicted by the researchers.  Despite risky behaviours through their teenage years and into early adulthood, the research participants became functioning adults to a degree surprising to the researchers. They ascertained that there were “protective factors” that facilitated this success in life.  They identified a number of protective factors, but the most critical, in terms of the school setting, was the presence of emotional support outside of the family. These children had one adult in their lives that they could rely on, and in almost all cases, this adult was a teacher.

From this longitudinal study, we inked out plans for a resiliency initiative. From the perspective of a teacher, it was one of the more profound undertakings of my career. We targeted at-risk students, and took measures to put specific supports in place that would be backed by the Kauai study’s findings.

The challenge arose in the spring of the 2004 when our formal reporting was due to the Government of Alberta. The data was exceedingly difficult to assemble. Results could not be measured by CAT or Gates MacGinitie tests. Indeed, there was no definite measure that could satisfy the taxpayers of Alberta. We reported on our rationale for the project. We had qualitative data, but none that could offer the assurance of success that the Government was seeking

Through years two and three, we attempted to solidify our data, knowing that despite the value we could feel in our buildings, we could not offer the kind of qualitative results that a project receving the volume of funding that AISI offered required. Indeed, at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, this type of project was not renewed. Our AISI projects for the remainder of the duration of AISI projects in this province remained much more qualitative, with the ultimate measure being Provincial Achievement Test results.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles: Sage.

Werner, E. E. (1992). The children of Kauai: Resiliency and recovery in adolescence and adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health, 13(4), 262–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/1054-139X(92)90157-7

Week 7

The readings for this week caused me to have to revisit a large portion of my LT2. Make no mistake, this is a good thing.

I truly had no idea that the wording of the introduction, the purpose or the research statement could reveal whether a study is quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods. For instance, the idea that “the word why often implies that the researcher is trying to explain why something occurs and this suggests to me probable cause-and-effect thinking that I associate with quantitative research.” (p. 141). Upon reading this, a light came on for me. Creswell then went on to state that “Qualitative researchers ask at least one question and several subquestions.” (p. 151). And “good qualitative purpose statements contain information about the central phenomenon explored in the study, the participants in the study and the research site.” (p. 124).

It has, at times, felt like almost an overwhelming amount of information to take in and process. But I find myself questioning data that I run into on a daily basis more critically. When someone tells me something, even just in passing, I wonder what the source of their data is. I wonder if it is quantifiable, or if it contains the “spin” so common in the modern media. I feel as though even though the details of research design seem enormous to me right now, this is a book I will revisit with frequency going forward, and that it will actually change the way I see the world.

There have been few courses, and even fewer textbooks that I can lay this same claim to!

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles: Sage.

Week 8

Hendricks speaks on page 92 about FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS. This was a concept that came to my attention about eight years ago as we moved our AISI project into the area of Assessment for Learning. (I am gaining a great degree of clarity as to the role that research played throughout the AISI projects that I was Lead Teacher for. I know I referenced the “resiliency” initiative in one of my earlier postings).

Hendricks states that “if formative assessments reveal the intervention is not working, reflective planning can occur during the study and the intervention can be altered as necessary.” I think that teachers have always used observation to assess how instruction in a unit was going, but have not always used more structured assessments. It had not occurred to me that this practice could and would translate into the research realm as well. Yet, it makes perfect sense that as I go forward with research, that intermittent formative assessments would not only be a good idea, but rather, necessary in order to adjust the focus or the plans of the research.

Further, when we embarked on the Assessment for Learning initiative, the idea that we would conduct assessments as a unit progressed and not count the marks toward their report card grade was shocking for some teachers in that project. It took a good deal of work, thinking, effort and consideration to really pinpoint what it was we were to be assessing. Giving marks for “attitude” or “effort” fell by the wayside – as it should have. If it’s not in your curriculum, you don’t assess it. My CTS curriculum has no such category, and so, it is unprofessional for me to give marks in that realm. Simply put, it is not my job. (To my knowledge, the only curriculum that has a mark of that type is physical education).  I make reference to this simply to illustrate how easy it can be to be sidelined when we are not clear what we are assessing. Research, in essence, is an assessment, and to be unclear about what we are assessing is a recipe for a flawed study.

Further, the use of rubrics in research had not crossed my mind. I assess my students’ performance almost exclusively with the use of carefully constructed rubrics. That this strategy crosses into research seems to me now, to be obvious, but as I read the readings for this week, it was a new realization to me.

Page 95, contains, in my opinion one of the most important points. “No matter which types of student artifacts are used in the action research study, steps must be taken to ensure artifacts do indeed measure what they are intended to measure.”  So, choosing what artifacts are used in research must be done carefully and deliberately.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles: Sage.

Hendricks, Cher. (2013). Improving schools through action research : a comprehensive guide for educators. Saddle River: Pearson.

Werner, E. (1992). The children of Kauai: Resiliency and recovery in adolescence and adulthood Journal of Adolescent Health, 13, 262-268.

Self-Reflection and Self-Assessment

Reflecting upon my contributions to the online community of EDER 603.21, I feel that I have endeavored to draw parallels between the research methodology philosophies we are learning about and my twenty years of classroom experience. While I have taught all those years without the scholarly knowledge being presented in EDER 603.21, there have certainly been myriad instances of research being present throughout my career, despite my obliviousness to it, or my lack of awareness of the importance of the research methodologies. I have put forth a sincere effort to bring into the light the value of the research methodologies into a relatable framework that would draw responses from my colleagues in my cohort, while simultaneously testing my newfound understandings and insights.

I have further drawn references to the required reading in our texts and have quoted from one or the other in each of my weekly discussion initiations. As I’ve completed the readings for this course, there have been many “a-ha” moments where I have realized that aspects of my career were built upon research, and, for me, those understandings were very important. I’ve made references in several of my discussion forum postings to AISI cycles that I was deeply involved in. At the time of my involvement, I was unaware of the intricacies of the research being undertaken, but those in charge; my Superintendents and the Educational Psychologists at the helm of the project were fluent with respect to it. In hindsight, I understand much better the decisions that were made as those projects unfolded. I hope that I have used those experiences to not only deepen my own understanding of the content of this course, but also to help my colleagues bring into the light how research does actually play into our careers on a daily basis, even when we are not aware of its presence.

It cannot be denied that I have a big learning curve still ahead of me with respect to the APA formatting and the correct citing. In no way do I ever wish to misrepresent my own work versus the work of others, yet, I struggle with where and when to insert the page numbers, and certainly how to cite a webpage. My understanding of the DOI, a requirement that did not exist when I completed my undergraduate studies is emerging, but my proficiency with this aspect of APA citing remains fledgling.

I have scored myself in the B range for improvable ideas as well, as I think that I may, at times, come across as more of a cheerleader for my colleagues than an analyst of ideas. I have a reticence when working in an environment that is strictly text-based that prevents me from making statements to others that could be perceived as negative or in some manner aggressive. I am sensitive to the fact that on discussion boards there is a complete lack of vocal intonation, body language and immediate back and forth discussion, and so, I tend to temper my questioning out of fear that it may come across as either negative or critical rather than inquisitive. For that reason, I feel that my grade does not meet the criteria for a higher grade.

I acknowledge that the content of this course is challenging and involves a constant awareness of thought throughout the readings and the completion of the learning tasks. I challenge myself each time I read or I post to confront my own biases and to expand and extend my understanding of the material at hand. I put an enormous volume of thought into each posting, and change my angle of thinking several times from the time I being to compose my thoughts until I actually post them for others to read, ponder and comment. I will make no suppositions that the content of this course is simple, obvious, or straightforward. Indeed, I find it complicated, and incredibly thought-provoking, and worthy of the amount of time and effort I have been putting forth to attempt to solidify my comprehension of it.