First Master’s Class: Research Methods…more than just stats!
Yeah, I may be switching blog hosts as I am having posting issues. Working on it!
Regardless of the issues, here is my first day of classes post from July 2nd, 2009!
Today was my first day of my masters study! My first instructor actually congratulated and welcomed those of us who were first timers as graduate students! Although I completed my ICT course on my PBCE, I feel that my first course I enrolled in as a Masters student is also an important first for me in my lifelong learning journey.
We are using the text Educational Research: Fundamentals for the Consumer byJames McMillan (2008 version). I actually am using the 2004 version from the library and am hoping to compare with a colleague tomorrow to make sure I’m not missing anything. Actually, I’m going to email the author of the textbook at his workplace provided in the forward to ask him what he thinks are the most prolific changes (possibly just to certain chapters…).
I was inspired by my colleagues aspirations for their ideas when we brainstormed our first research hypotheses in class today. I love the diversity and the passion in all of the topics. Volunteers who shared their research topics included: use of school counsellors by students, the effect of class size on student learning, are math standardized test questions valid and reliable for all learners (EAL, immigrant and refugee students) and many more.
As for our assigned reading for tonight, I thought chapter 1 was interesting and hope to answer a few questions from the reading with my classmates or instructor on Friday
(if it is a good seguay to my instructor’s lesson maybe they will use something from my reflection here!):
(if it is a good seguay to my instructor’s lesson maybe they will use something from my reflection here!):
1) Is educational research (on the whole) usually quantitative? (I’m sure there is some number crunching out there on this, I’ll google it.) It seems my morning class with you has a quantitative lean to it while my afternoon class (Exploring the affective goals of the K-8 math curriculum) is leaning towards the qualitative side (we had 2 activities thinking about the assumptions curricula make qualitatively and are curricula socially constructed documents for what purposes?) I feel I picked perfect courses to balance myself this summer session – although the reading is already a time chunk! Luckily, I have a toolbelt of reading strategies at my disposal from colleagues with literacy talents.
2) Does using action research imply there is a deficiency in the classroom or school that you use it in or just imply sharing of best practice is desired?
3) What is a reliability co-efficient (page 21 r = .43 at first in the sample case study)? It’s been too long since my stats undergrad.
4) How can the sample researchers conclude that it isn’t the instructional materials but the students’ interactions with the materials (as determined as acheivement…) that is important…don’t get this yet.
5) Lastly, I thought the Table 1.1 (pg. 6) and Figure 1.1 (pg. 
were instrumental in getting the big picture of the characteristics and framework of scientific inquiry. I love the science and math integration!
were instrumental in getting the big picture of the characteristics and framework of scientific inquiry. I love the science and math integration!Here’s to a happy tomorrow.
