2TiME conference: Education Research - getting started

1. UCL 2TiME:
Trainees in Medical Education Conference
Educational Research – getting started
Dr Anju Verma
NIHR Clinical Research Fellow

2. Educational Research – getting started
Why bother?
• Contributed to understanding the learning process
• How do we know what we are doing is ‘right’?
• Evidence is demanded to guide educational
decision making
• Brings in funding

3. Educational Research – getting started
Educational research vs. ‘scientific’ research
• Single universal ‘truth’, hard data, statistical
methods
• ‘Reality’ is constructed in social interaction
• Quantitative: Large groups, educational trends/
patterns  Surveys/ Questionnaires
• Qualitative research: Understand small groups,
insights  interviews, documents

4. Educational Research – getting started
Educational research vs. ‘scientific’ research
• Social sciences based
• Different language:
“…I found this literature almost impenetrable…I had the
disquieting sensation of moving into alien territory, where
familiar landmarks had disappeared”. (Kneebone , 2002)

5. Educational Research – getting started
Methods other than RCT:
• Focus groups
• Interview
• Survey
• Case study – one person/ organisation
• Ethnography – more of a strategy, ‘technology’ is
the researcher, way of collecting & analysing data
– Boys in White (Becket et al. 1961)
– Making Doctors (Simon Sinclair, 1997)

6. Educational Research – getting started
General & Ethical considerations
• Insider/ Outsider research
• Interviews
– One-to-one
– Telephone
– Survey
– Focus group
– Oral history (finding out about the past)
• Research & power relations

7. Educational Research – getting started
Ethical considerations
British Educational Research Association
(BERA) 2011:
• Respect for the person
• Respect for knowledge
• Respect for democratic values
• Respect for the quality of educational research
• Respect for academic freedom

8. Educational Research – getting started
Funding Support
• ASME
• HEA
• Medical School
• National charities/ Disease groups eg) Arthritis Research
Campaign, Diabetes UK
• MRC, Wellcome Trust
• Pharmaceutical companies eg) Astra Zeneca, GSK, Pfizer
• Royal Colleges
• http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/funding-councils/

9. Educational Research – getting started
The research question…
• What would you like to research?

10. Educational Research – getting started
The research question…
• Different types of questions:
– Proving
– Improving effectiveness
– Outcome-based
– Process orientated cost effectiveness
– Theory development
– Explaining theory

11. Educational Research – getting started
Types of research question…
• What is the situation?
– What do doctors do on their holidays?
– How have the numbers of community teachers changed
in the last 20 years?

12. Educational Research – getting started
Types of research question…
• What is going on here?
– Why does that medical student answer questions when
he doesn’t know the answer?
– Why do doctors like to go to Barbados for their
holidays?

13. Educational Research – getting started
Types of research question…
• What happens when?
– What are the consequences of implementing a whistle-
blowing policy on final year medical students?
– What are the consequences of increasing university
tuition fees?

14. Educational Research – getting started
Types of research question…
• What is related to what?
– What are the relationships between end of year grade
and ethnicity of closest friends in Year 1?
– To what extent does punctuality to Year 1 lectures
affect Final Year achievement?

15. Educational Research – getting started
Possible research themes
 Although your medical school scores well for overall satisfaction in the
National Student Survey, feedback scores poorly
 The GMC has requested more patient involvement in medical student
teaching
 Structured learning events are being introduced into the CMT doctors. How
are these better than the previous WBPA?
 Job satisfaction of doctors at different stages of training
 Why does simulation work?
 Does simulation work?
 Whistle blowing amongst medical students

16. Educational Research – getting started
Any questions?

17. Educational Research – getting started
Summary
• Quick introduction to getting started in medical
educational research
• Differences between scientific/ edl research
• Mentioned different techniques
• Ethical considerations
• Funding support
• Think about & discuss a research proposal

18. Educational Research – getting started
Thank you!
Please complete the feedback forms
Dr Anju Verma