Education
601
Research in Education
Dr. James Divine
Spring 02
Coarse Description:
Introduces the field of educational research. The course emphasizes
the understanding
of quantitative and qualitative research, teacher action research, and the
evaluation of research reports.
Evaluation: This class was a great introduction to my graduate
studies. It is the first of three research classes culminating in my final
action research project. I learned about both qualitative and quantitative
research after reading and critiquing many examples of both. It made me
realize that there is no research that is flawless and mine will not be
either. I enjoyed the discussions in my small group of teachers and I benefited
from their perspective. A great tool for me was the training at the library
on ERIC and other databases. By the end of the semester, after collecting
and reviewing much data, I was able to begin to narrow down my future research
topic.
I found a
fascinating research article that related to my concerns of the use of the
calculator in the classroom. The idea behind the study was great, but as
I critiqued the study I found many flaws with the way the experiment was
conducted and assessed. This exercise taught me a lot about my own future
research and how I can avoid the same ambiguity.
After tutoring high school students for 20 years, I am concerned about
the dependency of the students on the
calculator. There are
many benefits in using the calculator in the classroom, but first the student
must be taught to use the calculator as a tool, not as a crutch. Calculator
usage begins usually in elementary school, and therefore elementary school
is the place to begin teaching students how to use the calculator effectively
and at the same time increasing their confidence in their own thinking skills.
To have the greatest impact on elementary students, one must begin with the
training of elementary teachers. If pre-service elementary teachers are encouraged
to use the calculator as a tool and are given skills to increase their own
confidence in their problem solving skills, then they will hopefully pass
that information onto their students. This is where my own research begins.
The
Survey within the Research Proposal
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