Teachers as Researchers
Catalog Description
Enables students to locate, read, and understand current educational research and consider its impact on teaching practice. Students will design and conduct a small research project, write a research report, and present their research findings to their peers.
Course Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- locate current research and read it critically
- formulate research questions for study
- locate and review literature on research question(s)
- understand and practice the following data gathering techniques: observation, interview, survey/questionnaire, document collection
- design and implement a strategy to gather data from the field
- articulate discoveries in writing and oral presentation
- reflect on discoveries and plan further action based on what was learned from study
Topical Outline
1. Educational/teacher research and classroom practice
- Defining characteristics of qualitative, quantitative, and action researchas they are applied in educational settings
- Considering how to read educational research critically; questions to ask
- Examining how educational research is used and its impact on public opinion, school systems, classrooms, teachers, and students
2. Identification of research topic
- Selecting topic
- Writing focus question(s) for research
3. Methodology
- Reviewing literature
- Conducting field observations and/or interviews
- Designing and administering surveys
- Identifying and collecting pertinent documents
4. Human participants consent procedures
- Obtaining permission to conduct research
- Obtaining consent from participants
5. Research writing and oral presentation
- Writing a research proposal
- Writing a research report
- Preparing and delivering an oral presentation
Assessment
Students will be assessed on their ability to:
- use various electronic and traditional library methods for locating literature
- analyze research reports and to hypothesize on the impact of a variety of research
- design and conduct a research project which demonstrates effective use of research techniques for collecting data
- analyze data and write a research report which describes findings related to research question(s) reflect on finding(s) and design a plan of action
Students will also be assessed on:
- the quality of an oral presentation on research findings
- the quality of their writing