EDUC 505.44July 22, 2011

Agenda

• Discuss Qcards• Ladder of inference• APA• WITOR – final preparations• Evaluating research questions• WITOR presentations and feedback• Planning the final project

Q-card discussion

• What did I connect with in the text?• What was problematic?• What did I have difficulty

understanding?• How do I apply this to everyday

teaching / life experiences?

Demonstrate that you have read and thought deeply.

Collaboration in research

Ladder of inference– Conclude Take action– Theorize– Evaluate– Interpret– Describe– Select

Pool of available information

Contexts,Assumptions

Values

APA style

• Double-spaced text• Levels of title• Margins• Font and font size• Single space after period

APA style – citation in text

• Research suggests that “there is a link between learning to spell and writing development” (Graham & Harris, 2002, p. 681) and that students who receive explicit spelling instruction “transfer (their learning) to writing, resulting in improvements in text-production skills” (Graham & Harris, 2002, p. 681).

APA style – citation in text

• Theoretical studies done by Register, Darrow, Standby and Swedberg as indicated in the article “The Use of Music to Enhance Reading Skills of Second Grade Students and Students With Reading Disabilities “ show that …

APA style – citation in text

• Research suggests that, “Reading and spelling are both rooted in knowledge of the spelling system and its patterns.” (Graham, 2007)

APA style – reference list

Author.(Date of publication).Title.Information about publication.

APA style – reference list

Journal articleAuthor. (Year). Title of article. Title of

journal, Volume(Number), Page–Page. Book or ReportAuthor. (Year). Title. City of publication:

Publisher.

APA style – reference list

• Graham, S., Harris, K. R., & Chorzempa, B. F. (2002). Contribution of Spelling Instruction to the Spelling, Writing and Reading of Poor Spellers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 669-686.

APA style – reference list

• Newman, L.M., Doctor of Philosophy. (2007). The Effects of Explicit Instruction of Expository Text Structure Incorporating Graphic Organizers on the Comprehension of Third-Grade Students (Dissertation). Available from Digital Repository at the University of Maryland. Http://hdl.handle.net/1903/7579

APA style – reference list

Armbruster, B.B., Anderson, T.H. & Meyer, J.L. (1991). Improving content-area reading using instructional graphics. Reading research Quarterly, 26(4), 393-416. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.stfx.ca/stable/747895

APA style – reference list

Stowell, J.R. & Nelson, J.M. (2007). Benefits of electronic audience response systems on student participation, learning, and emotion. Teaching of Psychology, 34(4), 253-258. doi:10.1080/00986280701700391

Key planning decisions

1. Research question2. Design of study3. Structure of data collection4. Amount of data collection5. Structure of data analysis6. Practicalities7. Collaborative processes

Research design

• Qualitative (descriptive)• Quantitative – Descriptive– Correlational– Quasi-experimental– Experimental

• Mixed– Quantitative and qualitative

• Action Research

Validity

• « effectiveness » vs. « accuracy »?• Reducing bias– Sampling– Confirmation

• Describing accurately– Audit trail– Triangulation– Participant feedback

Ethical decision-makingIdentify the issues

– Decide what the ethical problem is

Prepare an initial position – Prepare to defend your position

Defend a position – Present your understanding of the situation; identify

the issues and what the ethical problem is; give an overview of the discussion that took place; take questions

Revise position– Take a few minutes to consider the position you

presented to the group and if you might reconsider your initial assessment in light of peer comments

Before next class

READ Chapters 6 & 7

DO Q card 4– Chapters 6 & 7

Consider – Research design– Data collection