Assignment 4, Lauer Chapters 5 and 6 focus questions

1. Locate a quantitative study. Then provide the following:

a) Correct APA style Bibliographical reference and URL for the study.

Kasian, M. (Ed.). (2006). Programming remediation and intervention for students in mathematics. Ottawa, Ontario: Ontario Provincial Ministry of Education.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/lms/files/PRISMquantitative.pdf

b) List and Explain the research method

The research plan involved grouping teachers into four different categories. Three of the four groups of teachers would receive different types of training on different math intervention programs; the fourth group would receive no training (the control group)

c) Explain the research method, any instruments and how they were developed or chosen. Be sure to indicate the type of instrument (survey, interview, focus group etc.)

Information in the form of survey would be collected on teacher experience, attitudes, and student attitudes towards math and career goals. Additionally, pre-tests and post-tests were performed for each set of students to determine a correlation in student improvement within each program that teachers were trained for.

d) List the research questions and the answers the study arrived at for those questions.

This study included numerous sureveys; included is some of the questions and answer results from one such survey below:

Table 3: Examples of Teacher Attitudes/ Teaching Style

Teaching Attitude/ Style % agreeing
Value diversity in solving problems 71
Present real life applications 50
Integrate concepts 52
Focus on student success 82
Communicate with parents 48
Communicate with other teachers 73
Focus on process as well as product 76
Use open-ended explorations 63
Use technology 73


Do you want a career that involves
mathematics?
Yes 21%
No 17%
Maybe 24%
Not sure what career I want. 24%
Not sure if the career I want
involves Math. 16%

e) Evaluate the effectiveness of the research design, methods and instrument(s) of this study.

I thought the design was effective to an extent because several considerations were measured, including teacher experience and attitude, as well as students' attitude and testing data. A limitation to this experiment included is that teachers had to volunteer to participate in the program; if these programs were to be incorporated schoolwide, less enthusiastic teachers who did not want to bother implemeting a program may not be as successful with programs.


2. Locate a qualitative study. Then provide the following:

a. Correct APA style Bibliographical references and URL for the study

Hall, L. (2006). Modeling technology integration for preservice teachers: A PT3 case study. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 6(4).

Available: http://www.citejournal.org/vol6/iss4/currentpractice/article1.cfm

b) List and Explain the research method

The research method involved taking case studies of various teachers to determine the effectiveness of incorporating new technology that was funded through a grant over four years.

c) Explain the research method and how it was developed or chosen.

The case study methodology offered the opportunity to better understand the context and subsections involved in integrating technology (e.g., individuals, groups, events, and issues, relating to this grant). The case studies included college professors and K-12 teachers who model the use and implementation of technology for preservice teacers as a factor for its successful implementation. The use of culminating surveys and interview were used after the second and fourth year of the research.

d) List the research questions and the answers the study arrived at for those questions.

Though no specific questions are provided in the abstract, list of professional development skills obtained from collected information are summarized. They demonstrate the growth in staff between 2000-2002 and 2002-2004:

2000-2002
Summer minigrants
Presentations on technology topics
Workshops during academic year
One-week intensive workshops

2002-2004

Copies of textbook used in preservice technology course
Selected faculty members
Group discussions on critical issues concerning technology integration in K-12 schools
Educational specialist—workshops and discussions
Small group discussions with national experts
University-wide panel discussion by national experts
Copies of National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers
Copies of software used in pre-service technology course
On-demand, one-on-one support during academic year
Summer funding for curriculum and skill development

e) Evaluate the effectiveness of the research design, methods and instrument(s) of this study.

I believe the research design to be effective for two reasons: first, because integrating technology in education is still relatively new, it is important to understand the components that are necessary to improve the implementation of technology. Second, as specific components of implementing technology emerge, it will lay the base to determine the ground work for performing quantitative studies to better refine this process.


3. Describe a quantitative approach to answer the question: What is the effect of using only a podcast for content transmission on student learning in graduate classes?

For a research method, I would have a control group and experimental group. The control group would be a traditional class setting; the experimental group would be use the podcast in lieu of attending a classroom. The students included in the study (ideally) would be randomly selected to enter into the control and experimental group. Surveys of student attituides towards traditional and podcast classes should be developed to determine potential strengths and weaknesses in each program. Each class should receive the same syllabs, assignments and final tests. Tests should be developed that are either multiple choice or have rubrics to assign points for open-ended questions to quantify student work. Once students tests are scored, information for each test should be compared to determine differences in student learning between the control and experimental group.


4. Describe a qualitative approach to answer the question: What are the effects of using podcasts for content transmission on student learning in graduate classes?

For a study, I believe that students who are currently enrolled in online classes would be a good starting point. Case studies of students attitudes and experiences with learning online should be conducted through the course. The use of a discussion board would be a tool to enable students to exchange ideas, but as themes appeared in the discussion, this may lead to more poignant questions to be asked to better refine information collected from students. A survey could also be given in the beginning, middle and end of the course to determine how students' learning changes, as well as to determine feedback for improving the online learning experience.