URDANETA CITY UNIVERSITY

Graduate School
Urdaneta City

DEBRALYN S. BAYACA

MAED MAJOR IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT

NAPOLEON U. MEIMBAN, PH.D.

PROFESSOR

FINAL EXAMINATION IN EDM 103

Research Seminar in Educational Management

1. Name the four (4) main issues in education which may serve as
sources of researchable problems. Explain each of these in at least 50
words.

The four (4) main issues in education which may serve as sources of
researchable problems are:

(a) Early Intervention and Prevention for students have special needs.
Traditionally, early intervention has referred to steps taken when children are
in the birth to five-year-old ago range. However, there is increasing focus on
providing early intervention to students as symptoms of disability begins to
manifest. So, when we speak of early intervention and prevention here, we
could be talking about early childhood intervention, but we also need to
consider interventions for older students. Think about early intervention and
prevention as targeting symptoms at the onset of the abnormal behavior, no
matter what age the student is. Recognizing concerning academic and social
behaviors early and then quickly providing supports and tools to address them
can lessen or even negate the need for more involved interventions later.

(b) Needs of technology in innovative learning. We have all seen how

technology permeates our society and how, with increasing frequency, it is
being integrated into the classroom. Used correctly, technology can support
students in overcoming a variety of challenges and limitations. Innovative
educators, as well as developers, are attempting to create and use technology
to level the playing field and provide opportunities to students that they might
not have had before.

Technology has the potential to provide a bridge for special education

students and instructors, allowing educators to customize materials for unique
needs and drive personalized instruction. Already, it has transformed special
education instruction by enhancing individual learning opportunities and
enabling greater flexibility and personalization. However, to be comfortable
using different technologies to their fullest potential, teachers need more
comprehensive and ongoing professional development opportunities.

By using existing technology in new and alternative ways, special education

teachers can help offer students more ways to be successful. Creative
approaches to instruction and differentiation for individual learning styles are
especially important in order to achieve success.

(c). Teacher Licensure.There is a shortage of teachers across the country,

and in some states, it’s becoming a critical shortage. Teachers of special
education are in especially short supply. Reasons for this shortage are varied,
but they include lower enrollments in teacher training programs specific to
special education and an alarmingly high exit rate for special education
teachers.

Because of the significant and growing need for teachers, alternative

licensure programs have evolved. Especially for individuals starting a second
career in teaching, greatly intensified and accelerated summer programs are
replacing traditional four-year licensure programs. While these programs can
help place more teachers in the classroom, some professionals question their
quality and the preparedness of these newly licensed teachers who they
certify.

Some districts have also started to fill special education positions with
teachers having either no prior education experience or having only general
education experience. Provisional or conditional licensure is then provided to
these newly hired teachers. However, due to the unique challenges of special
education and the need for specialized training in the field, teacher retention
and burnout is a common problem with this approach.

Debate also exists over the issue of categorical or non-categorical licensure

for special education teachers. Supporters of categorical licensure argue that
each disability category is significantly different from others, so instructors
should be highly specialized in the area they teach. On the other hand,
supporters of non-categorical licensure argue that teachers should be
prepared to teach all children and have the expertise to address differing
abilities and disabilities as needed.

Compounding both the issues of special education teacher shortage and

licensure, there are grumblings in the higher education world to do away with
a degree in special education and instead fold it into general education
programs. Supporters of this initiative use an extension of the non-categorical
licensure argument that all teachers should be prepared to meet widely
varying student needs.

(d) Placement. The debate about where a student with disabilities is best
served is one of the most volatile issues in special education. The controversy
stems from whether full inclusion in general education classrooms or
placement in a continuum of alternative settings offers a more effective
learning environment. This is a particularly difficult and subjective issue with
compelling arguments on both sides.

In the full-inclusion model, all students—regardless of an identified disability,

health needs, academic ability, unique service needs, and potentially, the
preference of a parent or student—are educated full-time in a general
education classroom in their neighborhood school. Typically, general
education and special education teachers work together in the same
classroom, and in some cases, specialists like occupational or speech
therapists work within the classroom environment as well. Proponents of this
model believe that pulling a child out of the classroom is unequal and deprives
all students of valuable learning opportunities. They focus on the value of
social interaction and argue that the benefits of a full-inclusion classroom
extend to both general and special education students.
On the other side of the debate, proponents of a continuum of alternative
placements call for more emphasis to be placed on differentiation on a child-
by-child basis. This is the model officially mandated by IDEA, with six
generally recognized placements:

 full-time in a general education classroom

 part-time in a special education resource room
 full-time in a special education self-contained classroom
 in a separate special education school
 at a residential facility
 homebound or in a hospital

Inside one of these six placements is the least restrictive environment for a
special education student, where he or she will be best able to achieve
academic gains and success. This continuum agrees that full-time placement
in general education is appropriate and beneficial for many students but not
all. Instead, each child should be evaluated and placed individually.
Proponents believe that it is unconscionable and illegal to view placement as
a universal issue and place every child in the exact same environment without
investigating his or her unique needs.

2. Main research problem

“What the level of competence of public elementary school teachers in

using the 21st Century instructional strategies along the areas, namely a)
Collaboration b) Communication c) Creativity, and d) Critical Thinking?

2.1) Write the title of this study using 12 words.

“THE LEVEL OF COMPETENCE OF PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TEACHERS IN USING 21ST CENTURY INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES”

2.2) Write the specific problems No. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

(a) What is the level of competence of public elementary school teachers

in using the 21st Century instructional strategies along the area of
Collaboration?
 (b) What is the level of competence of public elementary school teachers
in using the 21st Century instructional strategies along the area of
Communication?

(c) What is the level of competence of public elementary school teachers

in using the 21st Century instructional strategies along the area of
Creativity?

(d) What is the level of competence of public elementary school teachers

in using the 21st Century instructional strategies along the areas of Critical
Thinking?

2.3) Define the term “21st Century Instructional Strategies” operationally.

The term “21st century” has become an integral part of educational

thinking and planning for the future. Educators and administrators are actively
searching for ways to prepare students for the future, and the educational
system has been evolving faster than ever before.
Various studies have shown us that rote memorization is not an effective
learning strategy and that teacher-centered classrooms (versus student-
centered classrooms) may not be the most efficiently structured ones for
student engagement.
However, despite learning about the skills that students will need to
develop to become successful in the 21st century, as well as what beliefs
about education may be worth hanging onto or throwing away, schools and
teachers are left trying to figure out what their role needs to be in the
education of their 21st century students.
Once upon a time, the role of the educator was to prepare students for the
specific tasks they would be required to complete (be it a trade, craft, or
profession). Communities were also much more homogenous, and so specific
values and cultures needed to be transmitted and practiced to ensure the
survival of those beliefs.

Nowadays, we don’t live in the same world. Society is a mix of many

different beliefs and cultures. Globalization has opened up the world and
allowed people to connect in new and exciting ways. We blend traditions and
create unique belief systems that are not taught in any classroom, but are
developed through our life experiences and passions. We transmit our values
and cultures without the expectation of them being adopted by our audience –
just accepted by them.

3. Compare and contrast “primary source” versus “secondary source”.

Discuss in at least 120 words, why you, as a researcher should strive
to use the primary sources, rather than secondary sources.

A primary source provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event,

object, person, or work of art. Primary sources include historical and legal
documents, eyewitness accounts, and results of experiments, statistical data,
pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art
objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via
email, blogs, list serves, and newsgroups are also primary sources. In the
natural and social sciences, primary sources are often empirical studies—
research where an experiment was performed or a direct observation was
made. The results of empirical studies are typically found in scholarly articles
or papers delivered at conferences.

Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze,

evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source
materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie
reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate
someone else's original research.

As a researcher should strive to use the primary sources, rather than

secondary sources because Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand
accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it.

Primary sources can include:

Texts of laws and other original documents.

Newspaper reports, by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote

people who did.

Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews - what the people involved said or
wrote.

Original research.

Datasets, survey data, such as census or economic statistics.

Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event.

 4. What are the three (3) levels of interpretation of the salient findings of a
set of research data? Discuss each level of interpretation in at least 50
words.

The three (3) levels of interpretation of the salient findings of a set of

research data are:

(a)Accepted

At the 'accepted' level the interpretation is one that is commonly made and
is easily accepted by others. When you use the metaphor or interpretation
with others, they are likely to understand what you mean. An accepted
interpretation uses the logic that somebody else has used, assuming this is
valid.

For example if you say 'I'm a bear with sore head today', most people will
understand that you feel pretty grouchy and will be more cautious around
you than usual. Use of the accepted metaphor means people will not think
you believe you are a bear.

In literature or poetry analysis, an accepted interpretation would be one

where the piece being considered has already been analyzed by an
accepted authority. For exams, using accepted interpretations, particularly
those by established commentators, is a safe bet.

(b)Rational

A rational interpretation is one where you have understood something in a

certain way and are able to explain how you came to this conclusion using a
method that most people will understand and may well accept as producing
a reasonable interpretation.

A rational interpretation that is being offered to others may well be followed

by the argument by which it was derived, or else this may emerge through
consequent conversation. For example, if you say a person is like a cake,
this is not a common comparison and you may have to explain to others
how the person in question is all mixed up, like a cake. Even if the other
people do not particularly think your comparison is very erudite, they will
understand your logic and get what you are trying to say.
In literature or poetry analysis, an acceptable interpretation may be one
which uses references other parts of the text to support the conclusions
made. The highest grades are often gained by students who discover new
meaning and are able to justify it in a rational way.

(c)Personal

A personal interpretation is one where an individual finds meaning in

something but cannot provide a rational explanation for this meaning. This
is very common as we find personal meaning in many of our daily
experiences.

Personal meaning may sometimes be turned into rational meaning by

reflection on what unconscious thoughts may have led to the interpretation.
This is a classic subject of conversation, where one person says something
without much thought and the other asks 'Why do you say that?' and the
ensuring discussion draws out the rationale from the original speaker.

In literature or poetry analysis personal interpretation may be accepted in

everyday situations but in exam conditions is likely to get low marks. Saying
'I think Romeo is an idiot' without justifying your thoughts is not the best way
to succeed in gaining English Literature qualifications.

5. Discuss the difference between “Research Method” and Research

Design”, in at least 120 words. Give examples of each them.

Research Methods

Research methods are generalized and established ways of

approaching research questions (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative
methods). Not all methods can be applied to all research questions,
so the choice of method is limited by the area of research that you
wish to explore.

A research method is a general framework guiding a research project.

Different methods can be used to tackle different questions. Research
design is a specific outline detailing how your chosen method will be
applied to answer a particular research question.
Research Design

Research design involves determining how your chosen method will

be applied to answer your research question. The design of your
study can be thought of as a blueprint detailing what will be done and
how this will be accomplished. Key aspects of research design
include: research methodology; participant/sample collection and
assignment (if different conditions are being explored); and data
collection procedures and instruments.

A research method is a general framework guiding a research project.

Different methods can be used to tackle different questions. Research
design is a specific outline detailing how your chosen method will be
applied to answer a particular research question.