TSL 3133 Action Research I

TOPIC 1

INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS IN EDUCATION.

DEFINITION, AIMS, CHARACTERISTICS AND PURPOSE OF
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

SYNOPSIS
This topic provides you with an overview of the aims of educational research. It
discusses research paradigms and describes the purposes and ethical procedures
that a practitioner follows to generate new knowledge through educational enquiry. It
also provides a brief overview of the different types of educational research: the
positivist approach (quantitative), the interpretive approach (qualitative) and summary
of research ethics will also be given some coverage.
By the end of the module you should have an enhanced understanding of the
principles of educational research and how this operates in a range of educational
contexts. You will also be better equipped to identify opportunities for educational
research in your own practice. You will have the opportunity to explore how you think
the ideas relate to your own practice as a clinical teacher and supervisor, and be
provided with information about how to further develop your and others research
skills.1
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you will be able to:
give the definition of research paradigms in educational research
understand the aims and purposes of educational research
know the different types of educational research

positisit approach (quantitative)

interpretive approach (qualitative)

understand the importance of ethics in educational research

identify the factors that influence educational research.

Cited from (25/9/2012): http://www.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk/e-learning/introduction-to-educational-research/getting-started.

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Framework of Topics
Introduction to educational research

Definitions of
educational
research

Aims and
purposes
educational
research

Types of
educational
research

Ethics of
educational
research

Factors
influencing
ethical
approaches

Preview
Guided discussion
What do I already know about educational research?

What do I want to know/find out about educational research?

Can you list (write down) the main reasons why you might want to do research?

Class discussion questions

What experience do you have with research?

Describe your perception of real research?

In your opinion what is the purpose of educational research?

What are some of the reasons that teachers do educational research?

What do you think are some of the issues or barriers to carrying out
educational research for teachers in the Malaysian classroom?

Definition of Educational Research

Educational research has been designed to investigate practices in order to
fundamentally improve the way we learn, know and describe our world (Cohen,
Manion & Morrison 2007). Merriam (1988: 6) points out:
Every discipline relies on research in order to expand its knowledge base as it
provides an architectural blueprint that helps its participants plan, assemble

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and organize their discoveries and results in a systematic, understandable and
productive way.2

The overall aim of educational research is to provide teachers, clinicians, managers

and learners with systematically obtained information that helps to improve the
quality of the learning process. The difference between doing educational research
and other healthcare research is that often the immediate effects of the intervention
are seen and assessed on the educators or their students, rather than on the
processes and outcomes of patients. Therefore, wherever possible, we should think
about how to measure the effects of an education intervention on the student.
For example, Parsell and Bligh (1999) suggest a number of reasons that stimulate
people to write educational (academic) research.
Intrinsic reasons
To share knowledge

Extrinsic reasons
Academic pressures

For career advancement

To demonstrate a commitment to best

pedagogy

To increase status
To improve practice
For collegial approval
For pleasure
To meet a challenge

To reflect advances in educational

technology
To monitor or evaluate changes in
educational delivery

To improve the learning environment

for teacher and students
Multi-professional team-based practice
(professional learning community PLC)
Obligations
Aims and Purposes of educational research
The educational research available to teacher practitioners can be constructed on the
basis of distinction between third person, second person, and first person research.
Third person research addresses persons as them, or it (Kemmis 1991). The
researcher speaks about these people, describes their actions and activities from
what they believe is an objective point of view.

This type of research is called positivism where the people in the study are treated
as objects and the researcher attempts to establish distinct relationship between
2

Hawkins, ELTC (2011): Strengthening English language pedagogy with action research.

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cause and effect (Cohen et al., 2007). Traditional third person research is where
expert researchers test their theories on practitioners and describe findings from
outside the event. Spectator research is where the expert comes in from outside to
test, manipulate the environment and observe particular relationships between
phenomena (McNiff & Whitehead 2006).3

Second person or qualitative research rejects the impersonal language of positivism

and engages the research participants cultural values, interpretations and language
used to describe their world. Second person researchers are more interested in
explanations, understanding meanings or exploring feelings and will use far less
structured methods referred to as hermeneutic (interpretation) and reject objectivist
notions of universal truth (positivism) (Cohen et al., 2007; Knight 2002). Second
person researchers recognize that subjects inherent values, cultural beliefs need to
be explored through their particular cultural lens in order to ascertain a clear context
for the research and describe any findings (Stake & Trumbull 2010). Second person
research can be characterized as going native as the researcher attempts to
understand, observe and describe the cultural field the research group interacts
within in the everyday language and cultural context of the group under investigation.
The inherent strength and weakness of each approach is summarized by Burke and
Onwuegbuzie (2004) in Table 1:
Research
Type
3rd Person

Table 1: Educational Research Paradigms

Strength
Weakness

Test and validates how

The researchers categories

Positivist

phenomena occur and discovers

may not reflect local

Quantitative

natural laws.

understanding, traditions,

Can generalize findings with

knowledge.

sufficient sampling.

Knowledge produced may

Findings are reproducible under

be too abstract for direct

similar research conditions.

application.

Control of variable shows cause

Outsider research can lead

and effect relationships.

to massive projection on the

Provides numerical data.

researchers behalf. That

This section from Hawkins (2011).

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Research may have credibility

is, the researcher sees only

with people in power,

what they want to see.

government and people who

fund research.

Useful for studying large

numbers of people.

2nd Person

Data is in the participants own

Produces knowledge that is

Qualitative

categories of meaning, words

specific and valuable to one

Research

and culture.

people or area.

Useful for describing complex

quantitative predictions

Inductively generates theory

from data.

Data analysis is time

consuming praxis.

Data is mined in the field or

natural setting.

It is difficult to make

phenomena in rich detail.

from the ground up.

Results are more easily

Responsive to local situations,

influenced by researchers

conditions and stakeholders

bias and idiosyncrasy.

needs.

Data is difficult to obtain.

Research is flexible can change

Low credibility with

during the study.

governmental and other

funding organizations.

1st Person

Action
Research

Inductively generates theory

Results are more easily

from the ground up.

influenced by researchers

Builds theory in real world

bias and idiosyncrasy.

practice.

Results are only valuable in

Data is mined in the field or

context and are often not

natural setting.

generalisable.

Responsive to local situations,

Produces knowledge that is

conditions and stakeholders

specific and valuable to one

needs.

people or area.

Insider research, change comes

Uses interpretations that

from local knowledge within not

may not be expert or equal

from outside expertise.

and this undermines praxis

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with the study in an inductive

and new knowledge claims.

Research is flexible and evolves

Time constraint on teachers

fashion.

restricts the quality and

Research designed to

rigour of action research.

emancipate, cause improvement

and social action.

Generates critical thinking and

reflection skills that are readily
transferable to teaching and
other situations.

Involves person in solving their

own problems.

Follows a logical sequence of

research cycles.

Uses mix methods of

quantitative and qualitative
approaches to obtain data.

Table 1: Educational Research Paradigms (from Burke & Onwuegbuzie 2004).

Positivism
The positivist paradigm of exploring social reality is based on the philosophical ideas
of the French philosopher August Comte, who emphasized observation and reason
as means of understanding human behaviour. According to him, true knowledge is
based on experience of senses and can be obtained by observation and experiment.
Positivistic thinkers adopt his scientific method as a means of knowledge generation.
Hence, it has to be understood within the framework of the principles and
assumptions of science. These assumptions, as Conen et al (2000) noted, are
determinism, empiricism, parsimony, and generality. 4
Determinism means that events are caused by other circumstances; and hence,
understanding such casual links are necessary for prediction and control.
Empiricism means collection of verifiable empirical evidences in support of theories
or hypotheses. Parsimony refers to the explanation of the phenomena in the most
economic way possible. Generality is the process of generalizing the observation of
4

Quoted from Dash (2005).

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the particular phenomenon to the world at large. With these assumptions of science,
the ultimate goal of science is to integrate and systematise findings into a meaningful
pattern or theory which is regarded as tentative and not the ultimate truth. Theory is
subject to revision or modification as new evidence is found. Positivistic paradigm
thus systematizes the knowledge generation process with the help of quantification,
which is essential y to enhance precision in the description of parameters and the
discernment of the relationship among them. The examples of positivist paradigm
and quantitative approach are provided in Table 2.
Although positivistic paradigm continued to influence educational research for a long
time in the later half of the twentieth century, it was criticized due to its lack of regard
for the subjective states of individuals. It regards human behaviour as passive,
controlled and determined by external environment. Hence human beings are
dehumanized without their intention, individualism and freedom taken into account in
viewing and interpreting social reality. According to the critics of this paradigm,
objectivity needs to be replaced by subjectivity in the process of scientific inquiry.
This gave rise to naturalistic inquiry.
The positivist approach (quantitative research) relies primarily on numbers as the
main unit of analysis. Although quantitative methods, such as surveys, are used in
educational research, the vast majority of research is relatively small scale, intensive,
focused on change and involves human perceptions. Educational research relies
much more heavily on qualitative methods.

One of the most common instruments to gather numerical data in education

(particularly in evaluation of programmes) is the questionnaire survey, using a series
of closed questions to which responses are given against a Likert or other type of
scale. Open questions can also be included to gather richer data. Large amounts of
data can be gathered from a wide number of people and the results can be analysed
by computer (either by an optical mark reader or through an online survey instrument
such as Survey Monkey), thus making it fairly straightforward to research a large
sample of respondents. Survey questionnaires can be given out and collected face to
face, sent by post or posted online. If achieving a high response rate is important,
then note that the less personal involvement there is with potential respondents, the
lower the response rate. So, typically, online surveys may have a response rate of

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under 20%, whereas if the questionnaires are given out and collected face to face,
you may achieve a very high response rate.

Interpretive approach
The interpretive approach (qualitative research) relies primarily on words as its unit of
analysis and its means of understanding. However, it can also use voice tone,
loudness, cries, sighs, laughs, and many other ways of human communication (the
human context of the story). The words may be spoken in individual interviews (face
to face or on the telephone) or groups, or they may be written, so you may have to
analyse the spoken words of an interview, focus group or conversations (for example
between a student and teacher or student and student), or the written words of an
account or description or journal record.
On the whole, qualitative research tends to be small scale, simply because it is
hugely labour intensive. For example, interviews or focus groups will usually need to
be transcribed before they can be analysed. In addition, the researcher is often more
involved with the person producing the words, and so it is sometimes helpful for
others to conduct the analysis; again this can be costly. Having said that, nothing
else can provide the same level of richness as qualitative data, and at the very least,
adding space for respondents to provide some words to describe what might be
otherwise gathered by numbers is immensely useful to the researcher, and may
even, in some situations, be a help to the subject. Dash (2005) highlights the
educational research field in Figure 4:

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Table 2: Selection of research paradigms and research methods (Dash, 2005)
Research Research
Research
Examples
paradigms approach
methods
Positivism Quantitative Surveys:
- Attitude of distance learners towards
longitudinal,
online based education
cross-sectional,
- Relationship between students
correlational;
motivation and their academic
experimental, and achievement.
quasi-experimental - Effect of intelligence on the academic
and
performances of primary school
ex-post facto
learners
research
Interpretive Qualitative Biographical;
- A study of autobiography of a great
statesman.
Phenomenological;
- A study of dropout among the female
students
Ethnographical;
case study

- A case study of a open distance

learning Institution in a country.

Ethics of educational research

Educational researchers have a duty to ensure that knowledge production is created
in conjunction with a moral responsibility toward participants rights during the
research study. These rights include the right to informed consent, trust, a right to
withdraw and confidentiality (Ryen, 2010). Researchers need to consider the ethical
implications of the research they are planning to carry out prior to finalising a
research plan. Making sure that your research is ethical focuses primarily on the
following.
The first concerns the rights of students, staff (principals, parents, teachers) and
learners to be treated as openly and fairly as possible within the research, and be
sure to obtain informed consent BEFORE taking part in the research study. In other
words, study participants should receive informed consent that their participation is
voluntary and that they had the right to withdraw from the study at any time without
explanation or notice to the research team (McNiff & Whitehead, 2010).
The process of applying for ethical approval is useful in pushing you to clarify the
aims, process and outputs of the research. Ethical considerations may lead to
modification of your planned research: you may decide that the time frame, scale or
scope of the research is unrealistic.

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Another issue that you will need to consider as you plan and carry out educational
research is that of your own position as researcher (personal bias). This is
particularly relevant if you are researching your own organisation or have a position
of influence over research subjects. In educational research, which often involves
qualitative methodologies, this issue is typically brought to the foreground as part of
the methods selected, and in the analysis and discussion.
Informed consent mechanism
Informed consent mechanism
Dear Participant (parent, principal, guardian),

We are undertaking an action research project to study my own practice as a

lecturer(s) in the TESL degree course at IPGKBL Kuching Sarawak Malaysia 2012.
This ethics statement is to assure you that we will observe good ethical practice
throughout the research.
This means that:

Written ethical permission will be secured before the research commences;

Confidentiality will be observed at all times, and no names or identifying

personal features will be revealed during the study;

Participants will be kept informed at all times and will have access to the
research report before it is published;

We will report only that which is in the public domain and in accord with
Malaysian Law;

All participants have the right to withdraw from the research at anytime and all
data relating to them will be destroyed.5

Your signature_________________
Contact information:

IPGKBL Campus Kuching

English Department, Jabatan Bahasa
Dr. Jeff Hawkins: Jeffhawk776@gmail.com
5

McNiff & Whitehead (2010: 81) You and Your Action Research project, SAGE.

TSL 3133 Action Research I

Topic 1: Tutorial Tasks

Answer the following questions with examples from the course reading.
1. Why is it important for teachers to do educational research?

2. What is quantitative research?

3. What is qualitative research?

4. Why are there so many different types of research?

5. What is research ethics and why is it important?

6. What is personal bias and how does that impact research outcomes?

Exercise 2
Work with a partner and think of as many intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for doing
research into your teaching or educational practice.
.My Intrinsic reasons
-helps make informed decisions

My extrinsic reasons
-to receive a high marks in this course

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Types of educational research
There are several types of educational research that have different purposes. Work
with a partner and fill in the chart below:
Table 1: Educational Research Paradigms
Research

Strength

Weakness

Type
3rd Person

Test and validates how

Outsider research can lead

Positivist

phenomena occur and discovers

to massive projection on the

Quantitative

natural laws.

researchers behalf. That

is, the researcher sees only
what they want to see.

2nd Person

Data is in the participants own

Produces knowledge that is

Interpretive

categories of meaning, words

specific and valuable to one

Qualitative

and culture.

people or area.

Research

Exercise 3: Ethics Statement and Informed Consent

1. What is the purpose of ethics in educational research?

2. What is researcher bias and why do we need to be aware of it?

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3. What challenges do you anticipate with creating an informed consent

mechanism?

4. What I want to know about research ethics?

Exercise 4: My Reflection
In the box below reflect on what you have learnt today.
What I learnt today:

What I want to learn (what I want to know):

What action I can take to enhance my learning:

References
Cohen, Louis; Lawrence, Manion and Morrison, Keith (2000). Research Methods in
Education (5 th Ed.). London .
Dash, N.K. (1993). Research Paradigms in Education: Towards a Resolution. Journal
of Indian Education 19(2), pp1-6.
Habermas, J. (1970). Knowledge and Human Interests (J. Shapiro.Trans.). London :
Heinemann.
Keat, R. (1981). The Politics of Social Theory. Oxford : Basil Blackwell.
Kuhn, T.S. (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolution. Chicago : University of
Chicago Press.
Lakomski, G. (1999). Critical theory. In J. P. Keeves and G. Lakomoki (Eds.). Issues
in Educational Research. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd., 174-82.
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