Forms Of Educational Research Research Articles

Action Research in Vietnamese Schools as a Tool for Teacher Professional Development

Educational research skill which is considered as a component of professional development competence of Vietnamese teachers, is an indicator of the Vietnamese teacher professional competences standards approved by the Ministry of Education and Training. Many activities have been organizing to enhance the teacher research skills in Vietnamese schools. The article deals with the possibilities of the incorporation of action research – a form of educational research – into teacher professional development; shows a relative status of Vietnamese teachers’ competence on action research; and thus, proposes some orientations on promoting teacher professional development through developing action research skills in Vietnamese schools.

Who owns educational theory? Big data, algorithms and the expert power of education data science

‘Education data science’ is an emerging methodological field which possesses the algorithm-driven technologies required to generate insights and knowledge from educational big data. This article consists of an analysis of the Lytics Lab, Stanford University’s laboratory for research and development in learning analytics, and the Center for Digital Data, Analytics and Adaptive Learning, a big data research centre of the commercial education company Pearson. These institutions are becoming methodological gatekeepers with the capacity to conduct new forms of educational research using big data and algorithmic data science methods. The central argument is that as educational data science has migrated from the academic lab to the commercial sector, ownership of the means to produce educational data analyses has become concentrated in the activities of for-profit companies. As a consequence, new theories of learning are being built-in to the tools they provide, in the shape of algorithm-driven technologies of personalization, which can be sold to schools and universities. The paper addresses two themes of this special issue: (1) how education is to be theorized in relation to algorithmic methods and data scientific epistemologies and (2) how the political economy of education is shifting as knowledge production becomes concentrated in data-driven commercial organizations.

Teaching and Educational Research in Wales: How Does Teachers' Engagement with Educational Research Differ in Wales from those in England?

The purpose of this study was to better understand how teachers in Wales differ from their counterparts in England in regard to their engagement with educational research. In 2010, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) conducted a study of over 4,000 teachers in England. Many of the questions referred to their engagement in forms of educational research. In 2013, the same questions were posed to 216 teachers in Wales. A comparison of the findings indicate teachers in Wales were more likely to have recently undertaken action research than the England teachers. They also found others' research findings more useful in their teaching. Additionally, the teachers in Wales were more likely than England teachers to agree that they know where to find relevant research to inform their teaching and that they are able to understand and use the research. With recent concerns over educational research and initial teacher education (ITE) in Wales, these findings provide insight into how teachers in Wales perceive and engage with education research and may help to inform policies enabling teachers to produce and implement evidencebased practices into their pedagogy.

Ideals of freedom and the ethics of thought – meaning and mystique

This paper considers prominent forms of discourse in educational research, the nature of their appeal and the force of the idea of freedom within that appeal. For this, two different aspects of research are juxtaposed, aspects in which the value of freedom is articulated in contrasting ways. First, evidence-based education (EBE) is considered as a prominent manifestation of faith in scientific method in education: in this, it might be said, there is an obsession with freedom – the freedom of the research from bias. Second, and by contrast, in humanistic forms of educational research, freedom assumes a position of central importance, in the idea of autonomy. Here are two contrasting ethical priorities, respectively, the supposed neutrality that is achieved by excising individual judgement, and the vision of the good life that prioritises the rational exercise of that judgement. In this paper, I wish to discuss the kind of aura that is attached to these ideas, embedded as they are in a western metaphysics of free will that conditions the ethics of education. It appears to validate these ideas and, in fact imbues them with mystique. In a reading of Martin Heidegger, I offer a positive account of freedom as thinking.

2014 AERA Distinguished Lecture

A chasm is growing between our rapidly rising aspirations for our educational systems and what schools can routinely accomplish. Education needs an improvement paradigm—one that recognizes the complexity of the work of education and the wide variability in outcomes that our systems currently produce. This article sketches out such a paradigm. It joins together the discipline of improvement science with the power of structured networked communities to accelerate learning to improve. These networked improvement communities (NICs) combine analytic thinking and systematic methods to develop and test changes that can achieve better outcomes more reliably. NICs are inclusive in drawing together the expertise of practitioners, researchers, designers, technologists, and many others. And they organize their activities in ways akin to a scientific community. They develop practice-based evidence as an essential complement to findings from other forms of educational research. The point is not just to know what can make things better or worse; it is to develop the know-how necessary to actually make things better.

Pedagogy, Education and Praxis: understanding new forms of intersubjectivity through action research and practice theory

The Pedagogy, Education and Praxis (PEP) network is a cross-institutional, collaborative research programme which brings together researchers from Australia, Columbia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Caribbean, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These researchers are investigating the nature, traditions and conditions of pedagogy, education and praxis and how they are understood, developed and sustained in different national contexts and various educational settings. The PEP international network emerged in 2005 out of a series of discussions about the ways in which the bureaucratization and de-professionalization of education were eroding the moral, social and political commitments that informed pedagogical practice until the recent past, and a shared conviction of the need for a form of educational research committed to reviving and restoring these commitments. This article outlines the PEP’s research programme, ‘Action Research and Site Based Education Development’, through the lens of the theory of practice architectures. This theory offers insights into the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political conditions that shape practices, throwing light on contemporary educational issues and suggesting ways forward for site based education development.

Methods and Ethics in a Life History Study of Teacher Thinking

During the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in the use of life history and narrative approaches to study teacher thinking and teacher development. Unlike other forms of educational research, in which relationships between researchers and participants are characterized by business-like transactions that rarely extend into the realm of the personal, life history and narrative research can involve relationships that are personal and complex. Such research can also generate massive amounts of data--in the form of field notes, interview transcripts, and other documents--which are very difficult to synthesize. This article presents some of the methodological and ethical issues encountered by the author during a five-year life history study of an experienced urban high school English teacher.

NGHIÊN CỨU TÁC ĐỘNG CẢI TẠO THỰC TIỄN - MỘT HÌNH THỨC NGHIÊN CỨU KHOA HỌC GIÁO DỤC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN

NGHIÊN CỨU TÁC ĐỘNG CẢI TẠO THỰC TIỄN - MỘT HÌNH THỨC NGHIÊN CỨU KHOA HỌC GIÁO DỤC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN

‘Plays Well with Others’: The engagement of philosophy of education with other educational research

This essay takes up John White’s argument for an engagement and collaboration of philosophy of education with other disciplines, and in particular with other forms of educational research. It examines the benefits and risks of ‘situated’ or ‘embedded’ philosophy as well as Hannah Arendt’s claims about the separation of philosophy from the public world in which people speak and act. Taking the example of the Canadian context, the essay argues for philosophy of education that works with other disciplines to address pressing educational issues distinctive to Canada, notably the educational recognition and success of Canada’s Indigenous people. The essay closes with the caution that a closer engagement and collaboration of philosophers of education with other forms of educational research should maintain the distinctiveness of philosophical questions rather than seeing the philosophical contribution melt into a generic body of ‘theorizing’.

Towards Primary School Physics Teaching and Learning: Design Research Approach

This thesis describes a project to design a primary school physics learning environment which takes into account teachers’ needs, design procedures, properties of the learnig environment, and pupil learning outcomes. The project’s design team has wide experience in research and development work in relation to science education, the use of ICT in education, the way students think about physics, curriculum and teaching method development, and the design of instructional materials. This knowledge base was the starting point for design. The project engaged in design research. Design research is here considered to be a form of educational research, and offers opportunities to study unique educational phenomena. It produces artefacts to be applied directly in an educational setting, and thereby engages the researcher in the direct improvement of educational practice. Design research can even offer a strategy for the development and refinement of educational theory. The first main research result was a design procedure. The procedure contained four phases: 1) needs assessment; 2) definition of the objectives for a design solution; 3) design and production of the material; and 4) evaluation of the material. The phases apply research literature and empirical research. Phases three and four are iterative and include three stages: limited use of the prototype, a pilot test and a field test. The second main result was a designed learning environment as an example of a learning environment. The research showed that an environment should be: 1) concrete and illustrative, offering examples for the classroom; 2) mentally stimulating, for both study and practical work; 3) physically and pedagogically meaningful 4) usable; 5) offer peer and expert support for teachers. In addition, the research uncovered many contextual features that are important concerning the usability of the learning environment. The third main result was that qualitative level models delivered by way of stories offer much potential for learning primary school physics. From the Finnish perspective, the designed learning environment offers a novel phenomenon to investigate primary physics teaching and learning in a new situation where, from the point of view of this research, rather ambitious new National Framework Curriculum for physics education has been introduced.

Education, health and social welfare in the late colonial context: the International Missionary Council and educational transition in the interwar years with specific reference to colonial Africa

Mission schools in Africa in the first half of the twentieth century were in many ways microcosms of the great educational debates of the times. The objectives of policies regarding access, governance and curriculum were part of a historical evolution of mission education but they were also increasingly a reflection of significant new trends that were to reshape the theory and practice of colonial education. New forms of educational research and professional expertise were to play an ever‐increasing role in shaping the forms and content of the education provided. The brief of the mission churches was to meet with the increasing demand for schooling. Church and state gradually expanded their cooperation in the field as the costs of education outstripped the resources of the missions and the demand for mass education came to be linked to nationalist demands for political and economic rights. This paper is concerned to map the background to those international influences that shaped the policy and practices of mission education and the increasing engagement of colonial governments with the field of education. It addresses the question of the worldwide Protestant mission church’s response to the changing political, social and economic environment of the first half of the twentieth century. In particular it seeks to explore how mission initiatives shaped thinking about education in Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America by the 1930s. It also attempts to situate those issues within a wider educational framework by linking them to the emergent debate concerning pragmatism and utilitarianism in regard to progressive education in the USA and the quest for social democratic education in the United Kingdom and Europe as part of a response to socialism, nationalism and totalitarianism. In short, the paper explores the influence of the Christian mission churches with regard to social policy, in general, and the provision of education, in particular, during the interwar years, with special reference to areas influenced by the work of the International Missionary Council. At a time when there was a crisis of support for ‘foreign missions’ how did the debates between fundamentalist‐evangelicals and supporters of a ‘social gospel’ transform themselves into debates regarding the role of missions in non‐Western societies? And how did these essentially ecclesiastical/theological issues come to influence public policy, specifically educational policy, in the long term? The conclusions are that mission churches had a very significant influence on the shaping of educational thinking in the colonial and imperial context at a time when state influence in the sector was still often quite weak. The origins of the conference and research culture that has informed educational policy since the establishment of the United Nations Organization had its roots in the broad context of the Charter of the League of Nations, with a meeting of religious and secular goals, prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. Between 1910 and 1939 there was a significant history of educational reform and community development that has only been partially documented in relation to its global significance. This is an attempt to build a framework for understanding the nature of those changes and what was achieved. The investigation is conducted through an exploration of the three great World Mission Conferences of the International Missionary Council (IMC) held at Edinburgh (1910), Jerusalem (1928) and Tambaram, India (1938). The attempts of Christian churches to engage with dramatic social changes associated with industrialisation, urbanisation, poverty, cultural change and the rise of anti‐colonialism, with specific regard to the field of educational policy, are documented and analysed.

Ricerca educativa e razionalità pratica

Your search - any search - originates and begins with some problems that it seeks to solve. So the problem is the position that directs and guides the solution. The author focuses on those issues that bring us back to the Platonic and Aristotelian tradition, where “the problem” was already considered to be of critical reflection. The general problem in relation to which takes the form of educational research is that of rational control of the practices of education. Always relies on the teaching task to refer to the control of reason, the educational practice, to make rational educational interventions.

Beyond Scientific versus Interpretive: Deweyan Inquiry and Educational Research

Questions like these — investigating the relationship between education and science — have ebbed and flowed throughout this past century, in response to changing political pressures, evolving conceptions of science, and the emergence of education as a particular field of study. While these questions are not new, the debate over what forms of educational research are valid has been resurrected in new forms — and with arguably higher stakes — by recent U.S. federal priorities supporting “scientifically based research” in education. In light of this debate, my essay focuses on the distinction between scientific and interpretive research. After briefly examining the current context of this debate, I explore two central aspects of Dewey’s concept of inquiry: the experimental method and the social context of inquiry. I conclude by looking at some of the ways in which we might — working through Dewey’s pattern — complicate and reconstruct the terms of this emerging debate about educational research.

Critique and Negativity: Towards the Pluralisation of Critique in Educational Practice, Theory and Research

There are many possible ways to approach the topic of educational theory and critique. One could inquire into the meaning of critical phenomena and subject-matter in practical education and instruction, investigate the various forms of critique with the goal of determining the extent to which they assist in clarifying pedagogical action, or one could ask: ‘What is meant by critical educational research?’ and ‘How do the various approaches to this topic relate to one another?’. This article inquires into the relationship between critique and negativity. Such a distinction is relevant for the practical, theoretical and research-oriented use of the various forms and subject matters of critique. This analysis of their relationship aims to clarify how the structure of human learning connects to that of pedagogical action; and, additionally, how the theoretical guidelines and orientation for pedagogical action relate to scientific analyses and research in education in a way that is productive. Distinctions made in thought, judgement and action are not simply delimiting positive characteristics. Such distinctions are at once mediated by the relations of knowledge and ignorance, ability and inability. Although ignorance and inability can be transformed into positive knowledge and ability, they are not superseded in the process. Ignorance and inability are, on the contrary, constitutive elements of learning. The possibility for transitions from ignorance and inability to knowledge and ability—a possibility that itself presupposes knowledge and ability—point to a form of negativity within the process of education (Bildung). This form of negativity relates to the human ability to learn (Bildsamkeit) and provides the definitive basis of human learning. A form of negativity constitutive of learning processes leads to one that grounds pedagogical processes. Pedagogical efficacy is mediated by a double negativity, comprised of both a universal and a particular form of negativity. The relation of negativity to learning and pedagogical efficacy, with specific reference to educational research studies on teaching and learning processes, is considered. A form of educational research that operates beyond fundamentalist criticisms—that is to say, criticisms based on unshakeable beliefs—and utilises issues arising from a pluralisation of critique to confront the pluralism of critical positions, is considered. The article closes with reflections on the relation between the Critical and the Uncritical.

Can and Should Educational Research be Educative?

Several writers have argued that educational research should be educative; in the sense of being geared directly to improving educational practice. This is proposed on a variety of grounds--from appeals to the meaning of the word 'educational', through claims about the very nature of all social inquiry, to arguments that there is a need for a practical form of educational research that is distinct from social scientific work. This article suggests that while these arguments point to important distinctions among types of research, they do not formulate those distinctions soundly; and a more effective formu lation will be attempted. Moreover, in conclusion, it will be argued that research cannot be educative, only informative.

Design Research: What We Learn When We Engage in Design

Educational researchers are increasingly using design as a means of advancing their understanding. Historically design in educational research has served as a way to implement theories for testing. The emerging design research paradigm treats design as a strategy for developing and refining theories. In this article, I discuss the lessons that can be learned from design. Starting from a model that characterizes designs in terms of problem analyses, design solutions, and design processes, I describe 3 types of theories that can be developed through design research: domain theories, design frameworks, and design methodologies. I present examples from a design research program investigating software supports for reflective inquiry. I argue for design research as form of educational research because (a) design offers opportunities to learn unique lessons, (b) design research yields practical lessons that can be directly applied, and (c) design research engages researchers in the direct improvement of educational practice.

Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research Design: A Plea for Paradigmatic Tolerance in Educational Research

The tension between the generality of approach in causally-driven quantitative educational research and the individuality of particular cases is exemplified in the types of reasoning employed. Unlike the scientific search for antecedents, still popular in some forms of educational research, investigating particular persons and policies necessarily requires a form of practical reasoning. In order to ease this tension between qualitative and quantitative research, this essay asks questions as to what is to be described and how this is to be done. Responding to these questions, it is argued, necessarily draws attention to a range of ethical issues often ignored.

Voices Inside Schools - Historical Perspective as an Important Element of Teachers' Knowledge: A Sonata-Form Case Study of Equity Issues in a Chemistry Classroom

In this article, middle school science teacher Zachary Sconiers and university researcher Jerry Rosiek introduce the sonata-form case study, a narrative structure designed to document teachers' understandings of how subject matter and sociocultural influences intersect in the classroom. Written in collaboration with the Fresno Science Education Equity Teacher Research Project, this case study is told from the perspective of Jerome Jameson, a fictional chemistry teacher, whose story is based on Sconiers's actual teaching experiences. Also integrated into the narrative are Sconiers's in-depth reflections on the connections between his commitment to science education and his commitment to promoting educational equity. The sonata-form case study is followed by an afterword, written by Rosiek and Sconiers, that describes this unique methodology for teacher inquiry in full detail. The writing process for the case study was extensive and iterative: the two authors worked closely over the course of a year to develop the narrative, with Rosiek taking the lead on revising and editing. With this case study, Sconiers and Rosiek highlight the critical need for a new form of educational research, one that "builds bridges between the discourses of educational excellence and educational equity, as well as between theory and practice."

The CoVis Project: Building a Large-Scale Science Education Testbed*

This paper describes the construction and research program of the Learning Through Collaborative Visualization (CoVis) Project, a testbed for exploring science education reform with telecommunications technology. The CoVis testbed is contrasted with other forms of educational research in an “ecology of paradigms,” which argues that testbeds are in fact a new setting for research with different requirements and challenges for the researcher. Two extended examples of telecommunications research are provided as examples of the kind of research that testbeds are well suited to explore. The first example is the evolution of videoconferencing in the CoVis testbed. The second example is the design and development of a networked groupware application called the Collaboratory Notebook.

Philosophy and Educational Research: a reconsideration of epistemological boundaries

This paper examines what logically is or ought to be the relationship between philosophy and educational research. It explores the sense in which philosophising itself constitutes a form of research and notes the role of philosophy in addressing the ethical, epistemological and political issues which underpin other forms of educational research of an empirical character. The paper goes on to examine more fully the role of philosophy in empirical research. It explores the complex interplay of logic and psychology in the history and biography of the development of ideas and suggests that this picture argues for freedom of movement between the two in academic lives and institutions. It then takes a step further and, drawing on Quine and Kuhn, challenges the epistemological status of the dichotomy between a posteriori and a priori reasoning.