1.

SLAYT
What is research?

1. Research is gathering information, analyzing and interpreting that information and using it.

2. Research is simply a part of the process of finding out and understanding phenomena.

What are observation, interviewing and questionnaires?

1. Watching other people becomes observation.

2. Asking questions becomes interviewing

3. If the questions are written down, it is called questionnaires.

ALL OF THEM ARE STRUCURED, ACCURATE AND DELIBERATE.

What is the social research?

1. Social research is persuasive (inandırıcı)

2. Social research is purposive,kullanışlı, (It attempts to produce sth such as the solution to a problem)

3. Social research is positional,konumsal, (The problem is defined from a particular viewpoint or position)

4. Social research is political. (It seeks to make a difference within a policy context)

What are the definitions of different types of research?

1. Pure and Basic Research  Development of theory / discovery of fundamental facts

2. Applied or field Research  Application of new knowledge to everyday problems

3. Action Research  To solve clearly identified problems

4. Evaluation Research  To assess the effectiveness of specific projects

What are the stages of a research? *****

1. Choose a research issue

2. Develop it
3. Design a method(s) of data collection
4. Collect data
5. Analyze
6. Present Findings
What is paradigm? ***
1. It describes models of research which reflect general agreement on the nature of the world and how to investigate
it.

In paradigm, there is a general consensus on the research method.

What are the types of paradigm?

1. The positivist or Quantitative

 It has two identical groups, which are the control group and the experimental group.
 Experiments are able to establish cause and effect relationships.
 The findings from experiments cannot influence the results of an experiment.
 The outcome of the experiment will always be consistent.
 The positivist belief is that the approach of the natural could be applied to the social world.
 The purpose of the positivist is to uncover the social facts!
 The purpose of the positivist is to show cause and effect relationships.
 Psychological experimentlerde the positivist paradigm kullanılıyor.
 The data favored is quantitative, usually presented as statistical tables.
 Quantitative enables us to see how the data has been interpreted.

2. Interpretivist or Qualitative

 Interpretivist paradigm believes that the social world is created by the interactions of individuals.
 Interpretivist studies are  informal interviews, observations.
 Interpretivist prefer more ‘’naturalistic’’ forms of data collection.
 Interpretivist studies tend to be small scale aiming for detail and understanding RARTHER THAN STATISTICAL
(positivisit)

(anladığım kadarıyla ‘’the positivist’’ daha bir genel, ‘’interpretivist’’ daha bir öznel)

2. SLAYT
What is ethnography?

1. Ethnography is a research strategy used by interpretivisits.

2. Ethnography is developed from anthropological studies.

3. Ethnography takes into consideration cultural context (value, behavior) of individuals or groups.

What are the ethnographic researches?

1. Experimental test scores, interviews, questionnaires, observation, diaries, video recordings, statistics
Some methods may not be possible because of the particular circumstances of the study, for instance the researcher
may not be allowed access to observe certain confidential interviews between the head teacher and parents or
other members of staff. SO, which factors should we take into consideration? ***

1. Questionnaires are simply a list of questions. If the questions are written down, it is called questionnaires.

Strengths 

 It is possible to gather large amounts of data quickly.

 The data can be expressed statistically.

Weakness 

 Questions about complex issues are difficult to compose.

 The short responses are not sufficient to evaluate the data.

2. Interviews are likely to provide quantitative as well as some qualitative data. Asking questions becomes
interviewing

Strengths 

 The researcher can obtain detailed qualitative data

 They can be adaptable to different situations and respondents.

Weakness 

 The interviewer may significantly affect the responses.

 Interviews can take a great deal of time.

3. Watching other people becomes observation. Observation may be formal or informal. Ethically the researcher
must be sensitive to the situation.

Strengths 

 It is possible to see how people behave in natural situations.

 An observer can obtain large amounts of data in a short time.

Weakness 

 It is difficult to record and observe at the same time.

 The observer may affect the situation.

HOW MANY FUNDAMENTAL CONCENPTS IN RESEARCH ARE THERE?

 There are three fundamentals concepts: Triangulation, reliability and validity.

Reliability  Reliability is an assessment of the consistency of any method.

Repeatable, consistently respond to it in the same way, give similar results

Validity  Validity refers to the 'truthfulness', 'correctness' or “accuracy” of research data.

Triangulation  Triangulation is to increase the validity of the research.

Many different perspectives as possible to gain a greater understanding.

Researchers can triangulate by using a variety of research methods, by using qualitative and
quantitative data and so on.

3.SLAYT (CASE STUDY / ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS)

What is case study?

The case study is a research strategy where the researcher aims to study one case in depth.

It is used to produce a solution or cure to the issue in question.

The case could be a local education authority, a school, a class or a particular student.

Most case study research in education is interpretive.

In case study, triangulation automatically takes place and this increases the validity of the study.

A major criticism of case studies is that they lack representativeness of the wider population and thus researchers are
unable to make generalizations from their findings

The strength of case study is the reliability of the findings.

What is ethical consideration?

Ethical consideration helps us to distinguish between right and wrong in a research.

All educational research should be conducted within an ethic respect for:

 the person

 knowledge

 democratic values

 The quality of educational research.

Key ethical consideration includes:

 Securing the consents of those involved

 The openness of the researcher
 Access to findings
What is action research?
The development of action research is attributed to the work of Kurt Lewin.

The action research movement in education in Britain has been greatly influenced by the work of Lawrence Stenhouse
at the schools council.

Action research (AR) can be a very valuable way to extend our teaching skills and gain more understanding of
ourselves as teachers, our classrooms and our students

AR is related to the ideas of “reflective practice” and “the teacher as a researcher”.

A teacher in AR becomes an investigator, explorer and the participant.

1. Action research was rooted in practice and it moved away from the traditional academic approach based on the
major research paradigms.

2. According to Elliott, Action research is the study of a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action
within it'

3. Action research starts with a problem, issue or set of questions arising out of professional concerns.

 Initial research is carried out to collect data that clarifies the situation.

 A plan of action is devised in the light of this evidence

 This is put into practice and the effects carefully monitored.

4. Action research is curriculum development at the classroom level.

5. Action research is concerned with how to improve education practice.

6. Action research is a social and educational process.

7. One of the aims of AR is to identify a problematic situation or issue in order to bring about changes and
improvements in practice.

EXAMPLE OF ACTION RESEARCH  READ THE ISABELLA’S AR.

DOING ACTION RESEARCH TAKES A FEW STEPS TO BE TAKEN. *** ACTION RESEARCH STEPS

1. Select an issue  Action research begins with a concern has about his or her classroom.
2. Collect information about the issue  Observational approaches, non-observational approaches (Notes,
Diaries, Journals, Recordings, Transcripts, Diagrams, interviews, questionnaires, surveys, life histories)
3. Data analysis  Examine the information and then make sense of it.
4. Develop an action plan and observe its effects
5. Share the findings with others
You should take into consideration ….. when planning action research.
1. Purpose  why I am starting this action research project?

2. Topic  what issue am I going to investigate?

3. Focus  What is the precise question I am going to ask myself?

4. Mode  What data-collecting methods will I need and why?

5. Timing  How much time will it take and how much time do I have?

6. Resources  What are the resources can I use to complete the research?

7. Product  What is the likely outcome of the research, as I intend it?

8. Action  how will I carry out this action?

9. Reporting  how will I share the findings of this research with other teachers?

What kind of issues should I consider when identifying the Research Question?
 Identifying a good research question from these possibilities requires reflection, observation, conversation.

 A good research question is manageable

 A good research question is authentic

 A good research question does not lead to a yes or no answer.

 A good research question must begin with what, why, how.

 It is recommended that the personal pronoun I or the collective personal pronoun we appear in the research
question.

 A good research question leads to

Taking action,

To trying something out,

To improve a teaching/learning situation,

To implementing actions
What is school effectiveness research?
1. School effectiveness research aimed to identify what led to the creation of effective schools by using quantitative
analysis.

2. Using statistical techniques, comparisons of schools were made and this helped to identify the factors that led more
successful schools apart from the less successful.