Flexible PGCE Generic Seminar

1. Flexible PGCE Generic Seminar RESEARCH METHODS SCHOOL BASED INQUIRY (SBI)

2. Aims of seminar • To understand the purposes and organisation of School Based Inquiry (SBI) • To explore a range of research methods which could be used during SBI and other investigations • To have time to chat and ‘catch up’ • To introduce some WebCT updates

3. Seminar outline: • Why do SBI/Learning in theory and practice essay? • What does SBI involve? • What should a well formulated research question and research proposal look like? • What is a literature review and why is it important? • What are some of the educational research principles? • What research methods can I use? • What ethical issues do I need to consider? • Are my current ideas appropriate for an SBI?

4. Why complete a School Based Inquiry? • Standards • Teacher professionalism • Continued professional development

5. Aspects of Standards for QTS addressed by SBI (and Unit 5 essay) • Have a commitment to collaboration and co-operative working(Q6) • Reflect on and improve their practice, and take responsibility for identifying and meeting their developing professional needs. Identify priorities for their early professional development in the context of induction. (Q7) • Have a creative and constructively critical approach towards innovation, being prepared to adapt their practice where benefits and improvements are identified. (Q8) • Evaluate the impact of their teaching on the progress of all learners, and modify their planning and classroom practice where necessary.(Q29) • Work as a team member and identify opportunities for working with colleagues, sharing the development of effective practice with them.(Q32)

6. ‘… for teaching to assume the mantle of a profession a central tenet of that practice is the ability and willingness of its members to inquire into their own practice; into ways of improving and developing their practice consistent with the unique contexts in which they work and with an appreciation of current trends in education’ [Clarke and Erickson, p.3]

7. ‘make teaching a Masters level profession, with all new teachers able to study for a Masters level qualification through a focus on continued professional development’ Ed Balls, 2007 And this is my belief: that world class performance comes from consistent brilliance from teachers in every classroom, professionals who always seek continuous improvement; who teach better lessons tomorrow than they did yesterday because they are learning all the time; who when a pupil falls behind don't assume it is a lack of ability but instead ask: how could I teach that material better to enable my pupil to master that? Gordon Brown, 31 October 2007

8. SBI projects should: • involve a research or data gathering element • be exploratory and investigative in nature • raise interesting questions • relate existing theory to the study of teacher practices • involve contact with learners in school

9. The outcomes of SBI will be: • a written report of about 3000 words, (assessed according to M level criteria) • a presentation to the school coordinator and/or other interested staff, (assessed informally). • Summary (about 500 words) to upload onto WebCT

10. An Ideal Model of Research Present Findings Analyse Data Collect Information Devise a Plan Decide Approach Select a Topic Literature Review Identify Broad Area

11. SBI Research Process: • Identify the project area/choose a topic • Review the literature • Produce a research proposal • Conduct the enquiry • Select a sample • Collect information i.e. ‘data’ • Process/analyse/code the data • Draw conclusions from the data • Write the report • Prepare and give your presentation

12. Choosing a topic • school-wide issue • any of the topics in Unit 3: Professional Studies • SE school as a context • particularly distinctive feature of the school • ask your coordinator for suggestions

13. Schools crisis over standards and discipline fails children Weaknesses addressed by key targets and clear rules Music lessons are the key to better memory Girls widen GCSE gap further Social class still a barrier to educational success

14. Development, trialling and evaluation of resources Investigations into extra-curricular and enrichment activities Evaluating strategies to support pupils’ individual needs Examples of some whole school SBI projects Investigating achievement of particular groups of pupils Investigating the impact of community or socio-economic factors on pupil achievement Researching pupils’ perceptions of different aspects of schooling

15. Examples of suitable areas • an aspect of the pastoral system • effective use of tutor time; role of the form tutor • anti-bullying initiatives • health education • social justice • social class • multiculturalism • gender-based initiatives • curriculum initiatives eg. Diplomas

16. Aims of a literature review • to show your reader that you have read, and have a good understanding of, the main published work relevant to your project • to build a theoretical structure to support your investigation and the discussion of your findings, i.e. pave the way forward • possibly to identify gaps in the literature and therefore the kind of research that might be appropriate

17. What is a literature review? • a ‘map’ outlining the relevant published work in which you: • identify the main ‘camps’, ‘schools’, ideological stances, positions, themes. • compare and contrast them – explain the relationships • critique them - evaluate their strengths and weaknesses • identify which ones you are going to concentrate on and why

18. Mapping the literature: an example impact on behaviour consider how children learn psychological effect on pupils Literature on ability setting construction of individuals impact on achievement – lower ability pupils higher ability pupils

19. Key points for a literature review • introduction – outline the approach you will adopt • use sub-sections if helpful • look at journal articles for guidance • know when to stop!: • reading – are the same arguments starting to appear? Have you covered the key areas so as to frame your research? • writing – are you starting to repeat yourself? • stay within the word count most importantly, adopt a critical stance

20. A critical stance: DON’T: • simply describe, summarise, list and paraphrase; • accept anything at face value or believe everything that is written DO: • group views together to show patterns • compare and contrast the work • explain key differences • give your opinion on the different views, justify your views and make any personal bias clear • critically analyse and evaluate the research • justify your arguments by drawing on examples and illustrations from your experience

21. Questions to ask yourself … • why am I reading this? • do I find those answers credible? • do I accept that evidence? • do I agree with these conclusions? • what have I learnt? • how can I use it?

22. Where to look for relevant literature • School policies and documents • Government policies (e.g. www.dcsf.gov.uk, www.teachernet.gov.uk ) • Djanogly Resource Centre – e-library, journal articles, e-books • Course reader • Google scholar • Teacher Training Resource Bank (TTRB) website • Multiverse website – resources, educational achievement of pupils from diverse backgrounds (www.multiverse.ac.uk) • EPPI, reviews in education, (http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/) • TES, Guardian

23. Texts vs. journal articles • Textbooks – general overview, start here • Books by key authors – more specialised, various areas related to the subject • Journal articles – up-to-date thinking, very specialised, rated • Identify key authors • e.g. • Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam - assessment • Stephen Ball – issues of social class and education

24. Proposal for SBI • Work in groups of 3. • Read through the 3 proposals and then each select one to analyse: • what is the research question? • what preparatory reading might be necessary • what are the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal/project in relation to the guidelines • Discuss your views on each proposal as a group.

25. Some key terms used in classroom research Qualitative research Quantitative research Validity Reliability Triangulation Generalisability

26. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH generates numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers, e.g, analysis of a school’s achievement based on exam results, analysis of classroom questioning QUALITATIVE RESEARCH used to explore and understand people's beliefs, experiences, attitudes, behaviour and interactions. It generates non-numerical data, e.g. description of a lesson, account of teacher attitudes Two basic kinds of research:

27. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY • VALIDITY - the degree to which a method, test or instrument actually measures what it is supposed to measure (are your conclusions sound?) • RELIABILITY – degree to which a method, test, instrument produces similar results under constant conditions on all occasions (leads to generalisability of your findings)

28. RELIABILITY • “If an item is unreliable, then it must also lack validity, but a reliable item is not necessarily also valid. It could produce the same or similar responses on all occasions, but not be measuring what it is supposed to measure”. (Bell, 2005, 118) • Will someone else get the same results and draw the same conclusions?

29. TRIANGULATION (or ‘cross-checking’) • To triangulate is to use more than one form of data collection • “The key to triangulation is to see the same thing from different perspectives and thus to be able to confirm or challenge the findings of one method with those of another”. (Laws, 2003, cited in Bell, 2005)

30. MISMATCHES “Accounts collected from different perspectives may not match tidily at all. There may be mismatch and even conflict between them. A mismatch does not necessarily mean that the data collection process is flawed – it could be that people just have very different accounts of similar phenomena. You need to critically examine the meaning of any mismatches and make sense of them” (Laws 2003: 281).

31. Generalisability… • …is the extent to which research findings in one context can be transferred or applied to other contexts or settings. • “The study of single events is a more profitable form of research (judged by the criterion of usefulness to teachers) than searches for generalisations” (Bassey 1984: 105).

32. What kind of data can we gather ? questionnaire -open questionnaire - closed observation interview 'diary' style record video record statistics audio record

33. Four useful research methods: • Interviews (mauve) • Questionnaires (green) • Lesson observation (creme) • Documentary research (blue)

34. ‘Jigsaw’ on four research methods • EXPERT GROUPS: Scan through the extract and identify some key features, strengths and problems associated with this technique. • Ask yourselves: When using this technique in classroom research, how could you maximize its validity and the reliability of your findings? • Plan how to share this information in an effective way in a 5 minute presentation to your home group. • You have 20 minutes for this aspect of the task • HOME GROUPS: Take it in turns to report to your home group on key issues of strengths, weaknesses, validity and reliability at the heart of your technique. You have 5 minutes per person. Allocate a time keeper and give a 1 minute warning.

35. Ethics in classroom research All educational research should be conducted within an ethic of respect for: • The person • Knowledge • Democratic values • The quality of educational research • Academic freedom Revised Ethical Guidelines of the British Educational Research Association (2004)

36. Research plans/reports should follow these ethical procedures: • fully informed consent • anonymity • confidentiality • non-traceablility • protection of participants’ welfare • respect for knowledge • sensitivity to difference • participants’ right to withdraw from research

37. Involving people without their knowledge or consent Coercing them to participate Withholding information about the true nature of the research Diminishing participants’ self-esteem Violating rights of self-determination Exposing participants to stress Invading privacy Withholding benefits to some Not treating participants with fairness and respect Failing to maintain confidentiality or anonymity Video recording without school / parental consent Selective interpretation After Wellington, 1996, p 8 What would be unethical?

38. You ideas for SBI

39. Enjoy! • You will develop skills that you will use throughout your teaching career • You will be contributing to the body of understanding about teaching and learning – a significant reward!