Educational Research Approach Research Articles

Impact of Infusing Truth-Seeking and Open-Minded Behaviors on Mathematical Problem-Solving

The aims to investigate the impact of infusing truth-seeking and open-mindedness toward students’ dispositions and achievement. The study employed an educational design research approach, and a total of 20 in-service mathematics teachers from Indonesia were involved in the study. These participants were taught using two different treatments during a one-semester mathematical problem-solving course. In the first treatment, students were encouraged to assume that all provided information in the problems is correct; meanwhile, in the second treatment, students were encouraged to seek the truth and analyze the possible different point of view. Both treatments were employed alternately every week. The result of the study indicated after the infusion period that students tend to show critical thinking dispositions when they have to solve a mathematical problem, and their mathematics achievement also outperforms students who never informed truth-seeking and open-minded behaviors.

Reimagining public science education: the role of lifelong free-choice learning

Profound changes are occurring in society, disrupting current systems and institutions; these disruptions also are affecting science education practice and research. Science learning is becoming a lifelong, self-directed process, dominated by out-of-school, free-choice learning experiences. By necessity these disruptions in the science learning narrative necessitate that societies rethink what constitutes public science education in the twenty-first century. Rather than focusing only on schooling and university/post-secondary training, public science education should include meeting the lifelong science learning needs of all people, at all stages of life, wherever a person is, whenever she faces a learning need. In this context, public science education must be learner-centered and equitable, serving the real lifelong needs, realities and motivations of all people, not just those of children and youth or the most privileged. Such a comprehensive approach to public science education does not currently exist. The key to enacting such a comprehensive approach requires thinking outside of the current educational box, moving beyond Industrial-Age top-down, one-size-fits-all command and control approaches that center on schooling and higher education. A reimagined approach to public science education would embrace more distributed, synergistic, personalized, just-in-time approaches that emphasize and reward lifelong learning, including learning beyond school. This article discusses the scope and scale of free-choice public science learning across a range of informal contexts – museums, zoos and aquariums; broadcast media such as television and radio; hobby groups; electronic media such as social networks, educational games, podcasts and the Internet. In addition, the paper considers the challenges faced by both practitioners and researchers attempting to promote and reform science education in more systemic and comprehensive ways. As the what, where, when, how and with whom of science learning continues to evolve, new educational practices and research approaches will be required; approaches that place the individual and her lifelong, free-choice learning at the center, rather than the periphery of the public’s lifelong science education.

Studying similarities and differences in higher education organisations based on their websites – comparative methodological approaches and research potential

ABSTRACT This article discusses the possible ways in which visual research methodologies can be extended and applied to study similarities and differences in higher education institutions (and systems) in the context of the visual and digital turn in social science methodologies. The article focuses on the methodological potential of the institutional website analysis as a fruitful approach in comparative higher education research. The article futher focuses on two specific comparative methodological issues: different purposes of comparisons and different organisational aspects which can be compared. The review of the current state of research based on university websites found that the analyses are largely cross-sectional and focused on issues related to institutional identities and positioning of individual self-identities towards institutions as well as on representations of different types of students. Organisational aspects of structure and hierarchies, disciplinary differences, leadership and management cultures, organisational aesthetics as well studies which focus on the representation of non-student groups of university members, are rare and represent potential research frontiers. Most of the reviewed articles are guided by linear causal explanation logic, while other comparative purposes like a better description, critique and provision of alternative explanations are less present and potentially could lead to a better understanding of higher education.

3D hologram in futuristic classroom: A review

Holography is a photographic method that records the light dispersed from a body and then produces a realistic image identified as three-dimensional Holograms. The hologram reflects and transmits using a point source of incandescent light or two-channel transmission hologram. In the world of education, 3D holograms can be integrated into mixed reality classrooms to ease the teaching and learning process. The significance of this application is to enable the 21st Century learners to experience the realistic content via 3D Holograms, thereby improving their learning curves. This paper highlights the fundamental concepts of hologram and discusses the diversified implementations of hologram as a mixed reality simulator in the futuristic classrooms. Recent technological advancements in the field of education and evidence from successful implementation of the mixed reality approach in educational research has also been debated. However, the application of Holograms in education is still confined within boundaries.

Expanding an Action Research framework for an evidence based mentoring program in nursing: an exploration of cooperative inquiry

ABSTRACT This paper explores the development of cooperative inquiry as a methodology for nursing research. It commences with a historical overview of Action Research and its use in nursing. The applicability of Action Research approaches in higher education are then discussed in the context of creating partnerships between universities, students and the wider civic and social community. The concept of partnerships informs discussion of a peer mentoring project for undergraduate nursing students conducted using a cooperative inquiry methodology.

Intensity of emotional energy in situated cultural practices of science education

This study addresses the need for innovative research approaches in science education for understanding better the inter-relationships between emotion and cognition in learning, using a sociological perspective. Our perspective draws upon the concept of emotional energy that is described as an outcome from successful social interactions during micro-social situations. We apply an intensity model of emotional energy to school science contexts to explore the heterogeneity of emotional energy in terms of its dramatic features, evident through emphatic verbal and nonverbal actions. We also explore undramatic features evident in less obtrusive actions such as silences involving shared observation and glances, and evidence of fluctuations in intensity of emotional energy, and the interplay of emotional energy with discrete emotions over time. Drawing on empirical data from video recordings of classroom interactions in ninth- and tenth-grade science classes, we adopt an ethnomethodological orientation to develop a fine-grained description of classroom situations involving emotional energy. Subsequent application of the intensity model enables description of intensity variations in emotional energy across time, as a biological–social experience evident through feelings, ideas, and bodily movements. By emphasizing taken-for-granted undramatic emotional energy, the study contributes to science education by extending the previous research on emotions from sociocultural perspectives. The present study finds co-relatedness between intensity fluctuations in emotional energy and students achieving understanding of scientific ideas. Future research may focus on the refinement of the intensity model, with its evaluation and application in different science learning environments.

Designing Embedded Case Study Research Approach in Educational Research

Despite the case study research method has been widely adopted in qualitative research, few scholarly articles addressed the comprehensive guidance on the use of embedded case study research design. This paper aims to contribute to the literature by demonstrating the use of embedded case study research design in qualitative research. A pseudo case was exemplified by exploring the relationship between a holding company and its subsidiary companies of a corporate group. What construct a case and the rationale for the case being studied is exemplified. The paper further outlines the research protocol, the procedure of inquiry, and the design of the embedded case analysis. A brief explanation of the context of the case enriches the understanding of the investigated cases.

“Lifelong learning Ecologies: Linking formal and informal contexts of learning in the digital era”

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss articles in the issue on topics including lifelong learning, informal education and social media in education.

Researchers' Perception of Statistical Approach in Classical Chinese Education Research

Researchers' Perception of Statistical Approach in Classical Chinese Education Research

Using Phenomenological Inquiry in Pharmacy Education Research

Background: Qualitative research is a process of inquiry bounded by specific methodologies, such as phenomenology and ethnography. While there are common elements, each approach has a distinct focus, research questions and methods. Qualitative methods are useful in pharmacy education research and should be explored. Recently, pharmacy educators have shown increased interest in using these methodologies, and pharmacy education journals have published articles providing overviews of qualitative research methodology. Still there is need for detailed description of specific approaches. Objectives: This article describes phenomenological inquiry - the systemic study of the life world with the goal of uncovering research participants’ experiences. The reader will gain important knowledge about phenomenological inquiry including: (1) theoretical orientation, (2) essential elements of phenomenological inquiry, and (3) publishing phenomenological studies. During phenomenological inquiry, the researcher grounds the methodology in assumptions associated with an interpretive theoretical perspective. Through specific methods, meaning is captured, and through reflective writing, text is created. The text centers around the research question and is full of substantial description. Significance: A thorough illustration of phenomenological inquiry is valuable for pharmacy educators who want an explicit qualitative approach in education research. Pharmacy educators are faced with a plethora of broadly defined phenomena, which can be operationally defined through phenomenological inquiry. These phenomena, plus new and elevated educational expectations in Standards 2016, provide a wealth of phenomenological research opportunities for pharmacy education researchers.

Education as a Complex System: Conceptual and Methodological Implications

Education is a complex system, which has conceptual and methodological implications for education research and policy. In this article, an overview is first provided of the Complex Systems Conceptual Framework for Learning (CSCFL), which consists of a set of conceptual perspectives that are generally shared by educational complex systems, organized into two focus areas: collective behaviors of a system, and behaviors of individual agents in a system. Complexity and research methodologies for education are then considered, and it is observed that commonly used quantitative and qualitative techniques are generally appropriate for studying linear dynamics of educational systems. However, it is proposed that computational modeling approaches, being extensively used for studying nonlinear characteristics of complex systems in other fields, can provide a methodological complement to quantitative and qualitative education research approaches. Two research case studies of this approach are discussed. We conclude with a consideration of how viewing education as a complex system using complex systems’ conceptual and methodological tools can help advance education research and also inform policy.

The object of learning in action research and learning study

ABSTRACTThe Learning study and the Educational Action Research approaches to educational research are compared, not from a third, neutral point of view, but from the perspective of the former. Hence, the comparison is carried out in terms of how the main point of departure of the Learning study (LS), the question of ‘What is to be learned?’, is addressed in the two approaches. Both represent critical stances to Educational objectives, the frequently taken-for-granted answer to the question. Educational objectives communicate, however, what the students are expected to become able to do, but not what they need to learn in order to get there. Hence, what is to be learned cannot be stated in advance, prior to the teacher learning what her students need to learn. The two approaches to educational research agree on the principle that what is to be learned has to be found in the interaction between students and teachers; however, there is an important difference between the two concerning the very point of departure. Educational objectives are too wide and imprecise according to LS, the teachers have to find the critical aspects (necessary to appropriate, but not appropriated as yet by the students) of the object of learning. According to Action research, as formulated by Lawrence Stenhouse, educational objectives are too narrow, too limited and limiting. We shall start looking for what is to be learned amongst inherent aspects of the content itself.

Learning analytics in Latin America present an opportunity not to be missed.

Learning analytics is a novel educational research approach that uses data to help us understand and improve the learning process. Xavier Ochoa explains how Latin America is the perfect showcase for all that learning analytics has to offer in the arena of education.

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION: A TOOL FOR QUALITATIVE INQUIRY

This article focused on to explore the concept, use, strengths and weakness of focus groups discussion. It also provides the ideas about searching qualitative information in field setting. This tool has the potential to become a central approach in sociological and educational research, whether focused on the pragmatic end of evaluation or the abstract goal of theory building. Moreover, focus group discussion is an efficient and effective way to gain insights into social process. During focus group discussion, the moderator facilitates all informants in active participation and dig out the richer information.Researcher: A Research Journal of Culture and Society Vol. 3, No. 3, January 2018, Page: 81-88

Transformative Educational Research: Fleshing Out the Concepts

In reference to this special issue, the idea of transformative educational research (TER) brings into light the integrated meanings on ‘the what’, ‘the why’, ‘the how’, ‘the who’, and ‘what next’ of transformative research approach in education, bringing together the ideas shared in the conference, and existing theoretical referents in this area of knowledge/practice. This concept note, thus, primarily seeks to define transformative research approach in education, taking into consideration what an associated research and practitioner agenda might look like. So as to achieve this purpose, this paper frames TRE practices so far, and creates space to think on future directions for education, and educational research through different sub-headings: (1) TER as multidimensional approach, (2) TER as a response to paradigm shift, (3) TRE as arts-based multi-paradigmatic space, (4) TER for emerging leaders at various spheres of life-world, and (5) TER as imagining the world beyond the given.

Learning Analytics as an Educational Research Approach

Learning Analytics as an Educational Research Approach

Ecological Design-Based Research for Computer Science Education: Affordances and Effectivities for Elementary School Students

This article integrates an ecological approach and design-based research in computer science education research by following the simultaneous development of a computer programming environment and curriculum for elementary school age children over 2-1/2 years. We studied the alignment of the affordances provided by the programming environment and curriculum with the effectivities of students in 4th through 6th grade (9-12 years old). We used the computer science concept of initializing as a tracer idea and both qualitative and quantitative data to identify mismatches between the affordances provided by our programming environment and the learners’ effectivities. These included requisite mathematical skills, confusion between resetting and setting up, and incorrectly assuming that features of the programming environment conveyed information. We then describe how we addressed the mismatches by removing or adding functionality to the programming environment, adding signifiers, adapting the curriculum to include scaffolding related to the effectivities, or removing activities.

Education for Sustainable Development: The Choice of Pedagogical Approaches and Methods for the Implementation of Pedagogical Tasks in the Anthropocene Age

Abstract Sustainable education and education for sustainable development (ESD) have witnessed a deserved number of research studies in the recent years. The present article proposes a holistic research framework for the research on sustainable education and education for sustainable development in the 21st century. The article aims to choose a more holistic research perspective by avoiding a piecemeal approach in education research. Moreover, it proposes some strategically important ideas about the use of approaches and methods for sustaining the generational readiness for sustainable development. The paper proposes a general framework for pedagogy and practice for ESD research which is open, holistic, strategic, sustainable, and integrated. A broader perspective has been developed as the relation of the ecological–cultural–social environment aspects seen in a broader adaptive evolutionary sense as a condition necessary for the development of a human species and the development of these conditions in the evolutionary process. The choice of a broader perspective is proposed by relating it to an observational study on Generation Z that many educators, social scientists and the populations have already started recognising as one of the participants in the intergenerational process. The phenomenon of Generation Z is new; its features have not fully revealed in their apparent form, yet. Furthermore, the generation has not reached its maturity yet, but the development of this phenomenon is inextricably related to the issue of generational commitment, which is also related to the evolutionary development. The observational study has been carried out by involving participants from VECC Daugavpils Vocational School. The evaluation of the participants’ real experience in a wider and broader framework has been used to draw strategic conclusions, which will help keep focus on the need to sustain generational readiness for sustainable development in the harmonisation of the choice of pedagogical approaches and methods.

Bridging the Research-to-Practice Gap: Implementing the Research-to-Practice Model

In recent years, researchers have worked closely with parents, teachers, other school staff, and external stakeholders to increase knowledge on ways to effectively teach children and adolescents with disabilities in mainstream school settings. State, national, and global directives have encouraged the implementation of research-based practices and contributed to advocacy efforts for students with and without disabilities. In a longitudinal comparative case study, Grima-Farrell (2017) responded to these movements by striving to enhance teacher knowledge on how to effectively implement and sustain the use of validated teaching approaches to maximise the student engagement and success of all students. This paper specifically reports on the school-based efforts of 6 experienced teachers as they strive to implement research-based practices to respond to the diverse needs of their students. Results are presented using the research-to-practice model (Grima-Farrell, 2017) as a conceptual framework for guiding instructional decision-making through the implementation and sustained use of validated educational research approaches.

The Case Study in Educational Research: A Review of Selected Literature

There is a growing interest in using a case study approach in educational research where questions of meaning and process can be answered only through understanding the context in which they exist. Unfortunately, most basic research courses do not deal with the case study in any substantive way. Consequently, persons interested in using this approach must become apprentices to someone experienced in the method and/or search out material that will offer them guidance in the use of this method. The purpose of this article is to review selected materials on the case study so that readers can access sources most relevant to their needs. The following three topics are addressed in this review: (I) characteristics of, and philosophical assumption ions underlying, the case study; (2) the mechanics of conducting a case study; and (3) concerns about reliability, validity, and generalizability in using the case study method.