This course is designed to provide postgraduate students with an in-depth analysis of the methods and procedures of research in education. The course will introduce students to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research approaches in education. Students will develop a broad understanding of these methods and how/when they should be employed. Specific topics will include conceptualizing educational research, constructing measurement instruments, collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, drawing inferences, and writing research proposals. As a depth requirement, students will employ one specific method in the design and possible implementation of a small research study which they will present orally and as a written formal research proposal or article.

1. EDUCATION
RESEARCH METHOD
Presentation By Meidan Xu

2. COURSE INFORMATION
• Type of Course：Compulsory
• Course Credit：2
• Period of Study：4-18 week
• Assessment methods: Paper
Assignment 1: 20%
Assignment 2 (paper): 40%
Attendance: 20%
Classroom Performance: 20%

3. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to provide postgraduate students with an in-depth analysis of the
methods and procedures of research in education. The course will introduce students to
qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research approaches in education. Students will
develop a broad understanding of these methods and how/when they should be employed.
Specific topics will include conceptualizing educational research, constructing measurement
instruments, collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, drawing inferences, and
writing research proposals. As a depth requirement, students will employ one specific method in
the design and possible implementation of a small research study which they will present orally
and as a written formal research proposal or article.

4. COURSE OBJECTIVES
 Understand how the scientific method applies to research in education
 Understand the ethical issues in educational research
 Identify the main components of research problems
 Differentiate between categories of variables
 Distinguish between directional and non-directional hypotheses
 Identify and describe the major categories of research (experimental, single subject, correlational, causal comparative, survey, historical, content analysis, and qualitative)
 Describe the sampling methods and instrumentation techniques used to collect data in the major categories of research
 Understand test reliability and validity and the importance of these concepts when conducting research
 Understand the difference between nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio data and how these differences influence the selection of appropriate statistical procedures
 Understand the differences between descriptive and inferential statistics
 Understand the characteristics of qualitative research and the procedures for gathering qualitative data
 Apply the knowledge gained from this course to evaluate research reports

5. LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge and understanding
1. the range of research methods and
designs that could be used and their
appropriate application in investigating
specific research questions.
2. the ethical issues and challenges that
may arise in the research process.
3. project planning and development a
range of quantitative and qualitative
research methods.
Cognitive skills
5. demonstrate and formulate research
questions or hypotheses that can be
investigated within the time span of the
course.
6. use sophisticated data analysis
software.
7. interpret existing data sets and
analyse collected data and present it
appropriately.
Key skills
8. demonstrate your awareness of
the issues in choice, design and
application of research methods.
9. project planning and presenting
written work within tight time
constraints. Communication 10.
develop writing skills appropriate to
this level of work.
11. present research results to
both academic and professional
audiences.
Application of number
12. interpret existing data sets and
analyse collected data and present
appropriately.
Learning how to learn
13. develop autonomy as a learner.
14. develop skills of reflection.

6. TEXTBOOK/RECOMMENDED READINGS
 Fraenkel, J.R., & Wallen, N.E. (2009). How to design and evaluate
research in education (7th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
 Creswell, J.W. (2003). Research design. Qualitative, quantitative and
mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. (2011). Research
methods, design, and analysis. (11th ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
 APA Format: http://www.apa.org

7. TYPES OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

8. DISCUSSION TOPICS
•Types of research designs
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Analytical
• Mixed methods
•Functions of research

9. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
• Lack of a single, appropriate methodological approach to
study education
• Two major approaches
• Quantitative
• Qualitative

10. QUESTION
Which methods in education you are familiar with ?

11. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
• Differentiating characteristics
• Goals
• Quantitative: tests theory, establishes facts, shows relationships, predicts, or
statistically describes
• Qualitative: develops grounded theory, develops understanding, describes
multiple realities, captures naturally occurring behavior
• Research design
• Quantitative: highly structured, formal, and specific
• Qualitative: unstructured, flexible, evolving

12. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
• Differentiating characteristics
• Participants
• Quantitative: many participants representative of the groups from
which they were chosen using probabilistic sampling techniques
• Qualitative: few participants chosen using non-probabilistic
sampling techniques for specific characteristics of interest to the
researchers
• Data, data collection, and data analysis
• Quantitative: numerical data collected at specific times from tests
or surveys and analyzed statistically
• Qualitative: narrative data collected over a long period of time
from observations and interviews and analyzed using interpretive
techniques

13. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
• Differentiating characteristics
• Researcher’s role
• Quantitative: detached, objective observers of events
• Qualitative: participant observers reporting participant’s perspectives
understood only after developing long-term, close, trusting relationships
with participants
• Context
• Quantitative: manipulated and controlled settings
• Qualitative: naturalistic settings

14. TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGNS
Chart Title
Descriptive
Comparative
Correlational
Causal Comparative
Non-Experimental
True
Quasi
Single Subject
Experimental
Quantitative
Case Study
Phenomenaology
Ethnography
Grounded Theory
Qualitative
Concept Analysis
Historical Analysis
Analytical Study Mixed Method
Research Designs

15. QUANTITATIVE DESIGNS
• Two major categories
• Experimental
• The investigation of causal effects through direct manipulation of an
independent variable and control of extraneous variables
• Non-experimental
• The investigation of the current state of a variable or the relationships,
other than causal, between variables

16. QUANTITATIVE DESIGNS
• An example of an experimental design
• Randomly assign students to one of two classrooms in which the same social
studies unit is being taught. Teach the first class using the traditional lecture
approach, the second class using co-operative learning groups. Examine the
achievement differences between the two groups to see if the type of
“approach” to instruction had an effect.
• This study is characterized by the investigation of cause (instructional
approach) and effect (achievement), manipulation (choice of instructional
approach), and control (same unit being taught, random assignment, etc.)

17. WHAT YOU SEE FROM THIS VIDEO?
QUESTION

18. QUANTITATIVE DESIGNS
• Differentiating the three types of experimental
designs
• True experimental
• Random assignment of subjects to groups
• Quasi-experimental
• Non-random assignment of subjects to groups
• Single subject
• Non-random selection of a single subject

19. QUANTITATIVE DESIGNS
• Examples of non-experimental designs
• Approximately 10% of public school students do not finish high school.
• The achievement of students participating in extra-curricular activities is higher than
that of student who do not participate
• Student attitude is moderately related to achievement
• Several factors are related to the high dropout rate in public school. These include the
student’s age, academic record, repetition of grade(s), gender, and ethnicity.
• These studies are characterized by descriptions (dropout rate, achievment
differences, opinions) or relationships (attitudes and achievement, factors
related to dropping out)

20. QUANTITATIVE DESIGNS
• Differentiating the four types of non-
experimental designs
• Descriptive
• Makes careful descriptions of the current situation or status of a
variable(s) of interest
• Comparative
• Compares two or more groups on some variable of interest
• Correlational
• Establishes a relationship (i.e., non-causal) between or among
variables
• Ex-post-facto
• Explores possible causes and effects among variables that
cannot be manipulated by the researcher.

21. QUALITATIVE DESIGNS
• Much less precision in the definitions of and distinctions between
qualitative designs in comparison to quantitative designs
• Four major categories of designs
• Case study
• Phenomenology
• Ethnography
• Grounded theory

22. QUALITATIVE DESIGNS
• Case Study
• An examination of a specific instance of a phenomena in its natural
context viewed from the perspective of the participants
• This study explored the meaning of “inclusion” for three
disabled students who had been placed in a regular education
setting.
• This study examines in-depth a phenomena of interest to the
researcher (i.e., the meaning of inclusion) in a natural context
viewing it from the participant’s perspectives

23. QUALITATIVE DESIGNS
• Phenomenology
• A description of the meaning of an experience
• The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning of
being “left out” for an adolescent
• This study examines in-depth the experiences of being “left
out” from the perspectives of the adolescent experiencing this
phenomena

24. QUALITATIVE DESIGNS
• Ethnography
• A description the beliefs and practices of a cultural or social
group or system
• The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the conflicts
that experienced second-grade teachers encountered as they
switched from a traditional approach to teaching mathematics to a
constructivist-sociological approach
• This study examines the beliefs and practices of second grade
teachers experiencing a common phenomena related to their
approach to teaching

25. QUALITATIVE DESIGNS
• Grounded theory
• A description of a conceptual understanding of a
particular phenomenon
• The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship
of the bar to the teachers who frequented it on Friday
evenings. We found that teachers used the bar to facilitate
their movement from “professional” to “personal” self.
• This study examined a phenomena of interest to the
researcher (i.e., teachers congregating at a particular bar on
Friday evenings) and developed a conceptual understanding
of it.

26. ANALYTICAL DESIGNS
• Descriptions of historical, legal, or policy issues
through an analysis of documents, oral histories, and
relics
• Two basic approaches
• Concept analysis – the study of educational concepts
(e.g., co-operative learning, leadership, etc.) to describe
the different meanings and the uses of the concept
• Historical analysis – the systematic collection and
criticism of documents that describe past events of
relevance to education

27. ANALYTICAL DESIGNS
• An example of a concept analysis
• The purpose of this study is to examine the
meanings and uses of the term standards-based
curriculum.
• This study examined the varied meanings,
interpretations, and uses of an important curricular
concept.

28. ANALYTICAL DESIGNS
• An example of an historical analysis
• The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in
standardized testing over the last 40 years.
• This study addresses the historical developments characterizing
the use of standardized tests over a 40 year period.

29. MIXED METHOD DESIGNS
• The use of quantitative and qualitative designs and
methods within a single study
• Allows the researcher to better match the approach to
gathering and analyzing data to the research questions
• Relative emphasis given to any particular method varies
widely

30. ACTION RESEARCH DESIGN
•Systematic investigation
•Emphasis on teachers, counselors, and
administrators
•Brings together characteristics of systematic
inquiry and practice

31. FOUR FUNCTIONS OF RESEARCH
•Basic: research designed to test or refine
theory
•Applied: research conducted in a field of
common practice and concerned with the
application and development of research
based knowledge

32. FOUR FUNCTIONS OF RESEARCH
• Action: research designed to solve a specific
classroom or school problem, improve practice, or
make a decision at a single local site
• Evaluation: research designed to assess the merit
and worth or a specific practice in terms of the
values operating at a site

33. Acknowledgments and further links
• Some content borrowed from SkillsYouNeed website
(http://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/research-methods.html)
Other useful links:
• Introduction to Quantitative and Qualitative Research Models (William
Bardebes). PDF at http://tinyurl.com/qq-models
• Methods Map: http://www.methodsmap.org
• Ready To Research: http://readytoresearch.ac.uk
• Methods@Manchester:
http://www.methods.manchester.ac.uk/resources/categories
• Research Data Management training: http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/

34. Thank You!!!