Day 3 Table of Contents

• Review topics from last week
• Peer review of research problems
• Review of Hypothesis Activity, Week 2
• Establishing a research plan
• Ethics of educational research
• Legal issues in educational research
• Closure: Review and assignments

Review

Quantitative Research

• Descriptive
  Often done through a questionnaire, interview or observation. Purpose is to describe the status of the subject of study.
  
  
• Correlational
  To determine if a relationship exists between two or more quantifiable variables, or if a prediction can be made. If highly related, may want to look at causal-comparative or experimental study. Individual subjects are units of study.
  
  
• Causal-comparative
  Involves group comparisons. The "cause" (independent variable) is already set or can't be manipulated. Produces tentative results.
  
  
• Experimental
  Involves group comparisons. The "cause" is manipulated to see how it effects the dependent variable.

Questions to review:

• What are main characteristics of a good research problem?
  What are the main components of a good literature review?
  What should be included in notes from lit review?
  What are components of a good hypothesis?
  What is the difference between directional and nondirectional hypothesis?

Establishing a research plan

Like the pre-production in a video---or the objectives in an instructional product---the plan lays the groundwork for activities to come.

The research process tends to follow the following steps:

• Introduction
  Statement of problem, review of literature, and hypothesis
• Methods
  Subjects, instruments, materials, design (structure of study), procedure
• Data analysis
  Statistical techniques to be used
• Time schedule
  Major activities and completion date in Gantt chart
• Budget
  projected costs

Your research plan will be due on Week 13, but without a budget.

Ethical concerns in educational research

Four major areas of concern

• Informed consent
  The researcher must obtain the individual's consent (or the parents) before gathering data on the person.
• Confidentiality
  Make certain that no one has access to the data except the researcher and possibly a few co-investigators. Use codes instead of names for subjects.
• Deception
  Occasionally needed to elicit spontaneous and natural behavior so findings are generalized to natural situations. Only consider if potential results are high enough to justify. Subjects should be debriefed.
• Dehoaxing
  Dehoaxing if deception used.

Legal issues in educational research

Laws now require the researcher to follow procedures to protect subjects. Interpretation by courts changes over the years.

• Buckley Amendment (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974)
  Protects the privacy of students' educational records. Written consent must be signed and must include a specification of records to be disclosed, the purpose for the disclosure, and the persons for whom it will be available.
• National Research Act of 1974
  Provides for review by an Institutional Review Board of behavioral research that involves human subjects. Examines the protection of humans by weighing risk versus research potential. Informed consent is usually needed.

Closure; Review and Assignments

Review questions: (To find the answers, click the question mark icon)

• 
  What does the Introduction section of a research plan contain?
  What should be included in the Methods section of a research plan?
  What does the Data Analysis section of a research plan describe?
  What components should be included in the Time Schedule section of a research plan?
  What should be included in the Budget section of a research plan?
  What is the purpose of a pilot study?
  Describe two pieces of legislation affecting educational research

Before next week:

• Write a hypothesis for your study (bring four copies)
• Begin review of literature in library (due Week 7)
• Read Chapter 4 in book