|Latest Update with Complete Solution
research literature - Answer--is the set of published research studies on a particular
topic
various studies with the same result = CONFIDENCE
**Don't trust a single research study as the final word on a topic!**
AERA - Answer--American Educational Research Association - largest and most
prestigious research association in the field of education
abstract - Answer--a brief summary of what is included in the article.
provides a concise breakdown of article goals, methods, and tentative results
researchers choose to include
understanding - Answer--(type of research objective)
attempting to learn about and generate ideas about specific and unique phenomena
How to determine if understanding was the objective of a research study - Answer--ask
yourself these questions:
1. were the researchers studying a phenomenon or some aspect of a phenomenon
about WHICH LITTLE WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN?
,2. Did the researchers choose to study a phenomenon WITHOUT ANY
PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS?
3. Were the researchers trying to "DISCOVER" IMPORTANT FACTORS or "generate"
new ideas for further research?
description - Answer--(type of research objective)
an attempt to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon.
one of the most basic activities in research.
ex. observing a phenomenon and recording what one sees
descriptive research - Answer--(type of research objective)
provide an accurate description or picture of the status or characteristics of a situation
or phenomenon.
**focus is not specifically on searching out cause-and-effect relationships, but rather on
relating the variables that exist in a given situation and any relevant relationships that
exist among them.
Steps in Descriptive Research - Answer--1. randomly select a sample from a defined
population.
2. determine the sample characteristics
3. infer the characteristics of the population based on the sample
explanation - Answer--(type of research objective)
how and why a phenomenon operates as it does
**the objective of the majority of educational research is explanation**
How to determine if Explanation is the primary objective of a research study -
Answer--ask yourself these questions:
,1. Were the researchers trying to DEVELOP A THEORY about a phenomenon to
explain how and why it operates as it does?
2. Were the researchers trying to explain how phenomena operate by IDENTIFYING
CAUSE-AND-EFFECT relationships?
explanatory research - Answer--testing hypotheses and theories that explain the
functions of a phenomenon in detail
**researcher is focused on establishing clear and defensible evidence for
cause-and-effect relationships.
***experimental research is the strongest form of explanatory research for providing
evidence of cause and effect.
prediction - Answer--(type of research objective)
forecast a phenomenon, wherein there is an association made between two points in
time.
**when researchers determine cause-and-effect operations, they can use this
information to form predictions
predictive research - Answer--predict the future of one or more dependent (or criterion)
variables on the basis of one or more independent (or predictor) variables.
**is most applicable when researchers want to see how well they can predict a certain
outcome based on one or more independent or predictor variables.
influence (motivation) - Answer--(type of research objective)
attempting to apply research to make certain outcomes occur
**application of research knowledge to control various aspects of the world
How to determine if influence is the primary objective of a research study - Answer--ask
yourself these questions:
1. Were the researchers applying research knowledge to MAKE SOMETHING USEFUL
HAPPEN in the world?
, 2. Were the researchers checking a "DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM" to see if it works
in practice?
Integration Perspective - Answer--(type of research objective)
Two key perspectives: Emic and Etic
consolidating insights from multiple investigators, theories/perspectives, sets of data,
and methods in order to understand a given entity of study, such as a school, or a
classroom or population.
Emic Perspective (when seeking integration objective) - Answer--- provides insider's
perspective
- gives meaning and views of people being studied
- gets inside the heads of groups members
- includes local languages, forms of expression, and jargon/slang
Etuc Perspective (when seeking integration objective) - Answer--- provides external,
social scientific perspective
- gives perspective of objective researcher
- uses social scientific concepts, terms, and procedures to describe and explain
behavior
- brings research questions from outside
5 General TYPES of research - Answer--1. Basic
2. Evaluation
3. Action
4. Orientational
5. Applied
basic research - Answer--generating fundamental knowledge and theoretical
understanding about primary human functions and other natural processes.