TCH-539 Introduction to Educational Research
Hello!
I am teaching TCH-539, Introduction to Educational Research, for the first time. I LOVE this course. But, I am seeking some more guidance on how to best support my students with developing their action research proposal. I'm assuming the proposal is an iterative process so they can change components as they learn more and begin reading current literature. I do not want to steer my students in the wrong direction or cause them to have to change things because I didn't fully provide them with correct guidance.
Most of my students are teachers in the field and want to do research with their students. From just defending my dissertation, I understand we have many ethical considerations with looking at research with vulnerable populations. Also, many of my students want to do a mixed methods approach. I know I was steered away from that methodology as it is like doing 2 studies in one.
Has anyone taught this course who is willing to share with me any tips or resources? I would greatly appreciate it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
8 Replies
Dusty, I have not taught this course at GCU, (I haven't seen this course description), but I have taught what I think is a similar one while teaching at another university. I recommend buying the book Action Research 6th Ed., Mertler. It was pretty good. Although my course focused on Introduction to Research with a focus on Action Research, this resource would be a significant help to you. I used it as a guide from my 1st week until the end of the course.
Reference:
Mertler, C. A. (2009). Action Research: Teachers as Researchers in the Classroom . Sage.
Dusty, I also worry that school is ending, and are they setting up a research plan that they will do this fall? (Since your course will be an intro). Is this part of a graduate program that requires completing a few courses to write a graduate-level research paper or thesis?
In my feedback for the course I taught, I suggested longer courses for research, such as 10-12 weeks, as opposed to the standard 6-8 weeks.
My teachers all participated in Action Research in their schools or classrooms; most were classroom teachers, while one was a specialist, and all had to gain permission from both their school and the university's IRB process.
Some were given an IRB waiver if no human subjects were directly involved. However, all teachers had to obtain permission from their school and adhere to the university's policy.
In mixed-methods research, I would also steer them away if there are time constraints. Still, if part of the data is already provided (by the school district or school), then the quantitative portion of the research would only involve analyzing existing data. The qualitative portion would be more tedious. It depends on the nature of the study. Overall, MM may be a significantly more time-consuming process.
Do these students need to update their CITI? My students were required to do it in the course before the one I taught.
I hope this helps.
Hopefully, someone who has taught this course or a similar one will contact you soon.
Mirta
Mirta Ramirez-Espinola thank you! I have already cautioned my students about the time and rigor involved with mixed methods. I do not know where this class falls in their program but my students seem to have no prior knowledge of research. I would love to know what comes before and after this course as well as the final outcome requirements for this course. From my understanding, this is just a rough draft proposal of the first 2 stages of research. They will plan for data collection and analysis in another course. I'm assuming this is an iterative process and students will evolve their proposal as they learn more about research and their topic, but I do not want to misguide my students from the start.
My students seem to be in different programs so this course appears to span across programs. I hope someone who has taught this course can provide me some direction. I have searched all over CIRT and in the syllabus, but haven't found much.
Thank you for the book suggestion and guidance. I appreciate you!
Dusty Sanchez , the book is progressive, building upon research, examples, and other relevant material . I was impressed with it. It helped me so much. Like you, I have done a couple of research papers and my dissertation, but teaching the course was a challenge. There was a lot to grade, and I had about 20 students, which made it very overwhelming. Unless I have 10 students or fewer, I would not teach it again. However, I would teach it if there were a co-faculty and we both worked side by side. That is important, much like a D committee.
Were there any links attached to assignments or in the course that offered examples of format for students to follow? I didn't have that either, so I used the OWL Purdue website for my research paper and thesis. Review the assignments to see if there are any links the course requires students to use; perhaps there's something faculty can review.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/graduate_writing/thesis_and_dissertation/University_Thesis_and_Dissertation_Templates.html
Mirta
Mirta Ramirez-Espinola thank you! I have 19 students and it is a lot. There is very limited support in the course. I have a feeling this is meant as only an intro course. But, I know how frustrating it is to develop something only to be told later you can't do it that way. I changed my methodology and design 3 times. Changing something like that is a lot of work to keep alignment. I'm doing my best to guide my students and telling them this is an iterative process so do not be discouraged.
Thank you again for your advice! Have a wonderful weekend!
Dusty Sanchez : Yes, that is a lot. I felt the same way when I taught something similar. For graduate courses that involve research, I think there should be either a committee, much like a dissertation committee, or at least co-faculty or co-teachers. It's easier to grade together and bounce feedback off to students between faculty members. I suggested that to the other university, maybe we can do the same at GCU. There should also be a handbook for graduate research courses that faculty can follow, which offers outlines and example papers. I'm not sure how that would impact salary, but for faculty and student retention, I believe it is necessary. -Mirta
Mirta Ramirez-Espinola it would be nice to have a co-professor to help with supporting these students. I definitely would appreciate a handbook as a guide when letting students know what is acceptable for research and what is not. I LOVE this course. It is a lot of fun to read about the various topics students are interested in studying. I would just appreciate a format to follow, a checklist, a handbook...something so I do not steer these students in the wrong direction. I'm doing my best with what I learned in my dissertation journey, but not sure if it is the same as action research.
Thank you for all of your help! Have a wonderful day!
Dusty Sanchez , I agree. I also enjoyed reading about the various topics, even though it was an education graduate course; there was still a level of versatility. When we offer feedback on courses, they may take your suggestions to heart. If we have a curriculum department, we should give them input regarding our needs. Those are good suggestions. I made those suggestions to the other UNI I worked with for that period. I also think your recent experience with the dissertation process will come in useful. Good Luck!
Mirta