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EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH I. ESCUELA: CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACION MENCION: INGLES NOMBRES: Lcda . Alexandra Zúñiga Ojeda PERIODO: Abril - Agosto 2009. Welcome Second Bimester. General Objectives. To analyze various tools of research To construct different types of instruments
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EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH I ESCUELA: CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACION MENCION: INGLES NOMBRES:Lcda. Alexandra Zúñiga Ojeda PERIODO:Abril - Agosto 2009
General Objectives • To analyze various tools of research • To construct different types of instruments • To understand and analyze the different steps of the research proposal
CHAPTER 3 TOOLS OF RESEARCH
SampleA sample is a portion of the population. “Is a subgroup of the target population.” Population Is a group of individuals who have the same characteristics. Identify
Steps in Sampling • Recognize the population • Identify the portion of the population to which one can have access. • From the accessible population, one selects a sample.
Characteristics of the Sample Importance: Enables the researcher to study a portion of the population rather than the entire population. • Representative which means the selection of individuals are from the population under study. • Allows to generalize with confidence from the sample to the population.
1. Random Sampling • All members of the population have an equal and independent chance of being included. Procedure: • Assign a number to each individual of the population. • Use a random table (statistics books) Example in the annex Nº 4 of your guide
2. Stratified Sampling • Researchers divide the population on some specific characteristic. e.g. gender, age, occupation, etc. Procedure: • Divide the population by the stratum. • Sample within each group in the stratum.
The individuals selected are proportional to their representation Random Sampling Population N= 9,0000 Boys N= 6,000 .66 of population 200 Girls N= 3,000 .33 of population 100 Sample =300 By: Creswell J. W. (2008)
“We can see that of the 9,000 Native American children in the state, 3,000 are girls and 6,000 are boys. A researcher decided to choose a sample of 300 from this population of 9,000 children. A simple random sample results in the selection of mostly boys because there are more boys than girls in the population.
To make sure that the researcher selects boys in proportion to their representation in the population, she divides the list of 9,000 children into boys and girls. Then one third of the sample (3,000/9,000) of the sample is chosen to be girls, and two thirds (6,000/9,000), boys. The stratification procedure consist of stratifying by the population into boys and girls and selecting individuals in proportion to their representation in the total population, resulting in 200 boys and 100 girls
3. Cluster Sampling • It is used when the researcher cannot easily identify the population or the population is extremely large. • The researcher would choose a number of schools randomly from a list of schools and then include all the students in those schools in the sample • The unit chosen is not an individual but a group of individuals who are naturally together.
Cluster Sampling Native Spanish students New York Some schools
Example: • A researcher conducting a study involving Native Spanish students in New York. He would probably not have access to a list of the entire population; thus, it would be impossible to draw a simple random sample. So it would be more feasible to randomly select some schools (groups) and obtain a list of native Spanish students in each of those schools . Then the researcher randomly samples. Breaking down the process.
4. Systematic Sampling • This procedure involves drawing a sample by taking every kth case from a list of the population. • It is a slight variation of the simple random sampling. • It is more convenient because individuals do not have to be numbered and it does not require a random number table.
Example • If the total of the population is 1000 (N) • How many individuals I want in my sample? 200 (n) • So I divide N by n to determine the sampling interval 5 (k) For instance: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16… 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16…
Size of Sample • Select as large a sample as possible from the population. (It will be more representative.) • The larger the sample, the less the potential error.(Data will be more accurate and precise.) • Representativeness
Measuring Instruments • It is important to select reliable measuring instruments for the purpose of quantifying the behaviors and attributes he has chosen to study. • One has to select or develop scales and instruments that can measure characteristics such as intelligence, personality, motivation, and attitudes.
Interviews • It is a method of data collection. • It is widely used • It is flexible. • It allows creating a cooperative atmosphere in which truthful information can be obtained.
Structured Interviews • The questions and the alternative answers are predetermined and rigidly followed by all respondents. • The answers can be easily classified.
Unstructured Interviews • These are more informal • Free questioning of the subjects is possible regarding their views, attitudes, beliefs and other info. • These are more flexible. • The interviewees are given freedom to go beyond simple responses.
The question may deviate from the original plans and center in points that seem to be important. • The interviews need expert, skillful, and alert interviewers. • Help to generate and clarify the dimension present in the topic.
Questionnaires • Are time-consuming and expensive. • It is typically more efficient and practical than interviewing. • Allow the use of a larger sample. • Are widely used in educational research.
Structured Questionnaires • Contains the questions and the alternative answers to them. • The answers provided should include all possible responses. • They force subjects to choose one of a number of preselected answers.
Unstructured Questionnaires • Do not include suggested answers. • Give the respondents freedom to reveal their opinions and attitudes. • The information that respondents generate is not easy to process and analyze. • Respondents may omit important information or emphasize thing that are of no interest to the researcher.
Validation of Questionnaires • One way to validate a questionnaire is by interviewing a random sample of the respondents and obtain their views on the same topics covered in it. • Some studies use direct observation of behavior as a criterion of the validity of questionnaire responses.
Tests • A test is a set of stimuli presented to an individual in order to elicit responses on the basis of which a numerical score can be assigned. Achievementtests Intelligencetests
Achievement Tests • Measure the mastery and proficiency of individuals in different areas of knowledge. • Types: Standardized Teacher or research made
Standardized tests • Published tests that have resulted from careful and skillful preparation and cover broad academic objectives common to a large number of school systems. • Generalized tests such as the SAT are more often used as one measure among several, when making admissions decisions.
The use of norms gives an educator the basis for comparing his group with an estimate of the mean for all children at that grade level. • Wikipedia “the results can be empirically documented, therefore the test scores can be shown to have a relative degree of validity and reliability, as well as results which are generalizable … “
Teacher or research made • These tests are used when the standardized tests are not appropriate to the specific objectives of a research study. • The teacher or researcher should take grate care in preparing the test in relation to validity and reliability.
Intelligence Tests • They attempt to measure more general skills. • Assess the subjects’ ability to perceive relationships, solve problems, and apply knowledge in a variety of contexts. • A subject’s performance on such tests is partly dependent on his background and schooling.
Scales • A scale is a set of numerical values assigned to subjects, objects, or behaviors for the purpose of quantifying and measuring qualities. • In contrast to tests, scales do not indicate success or failure or strength and weakness.
Sociometric Techniques • Methods for quantitatively assessing and measuring interpersonal and group relationships. • The basic procedure involves requesting the members of a particular group to indicate their first, second, and subsequent choices.
Direct Observation • The researcher has to identify the behavior of interest and devises a systematic procedure for identifying, categorizing, and recording the behavior in either a natural or a staged situation.
Validity • Means that the individual’s scores from an instrument make sense, are meaningful, and enable you, as the researcher, to draw good conclusions from the sample you are studying to the population.
Factors that affect validity • A poor designed study • Participant fatigue, stress, and misunderstanding of questions on the instrument • Inability to make useful predictions from scores.
Content Validity • Is the extent to which the questions on the instrument and the scores from these questions are representative of all the possible questions that a researcher could ask about the content of skills.
Content Validity • Researchers examine the plan and the procedures used in construction the instrument. • They examine the information about the objectives of the instrument, the content areas, and the level of difficulty of the questions.
Face Validity • Is a subjective evaluation by expert judges as to what a measuring instrument appears to measure. Example: • When one makes a judgment as to whether a test is valid for certain purposes by reading over the items but without any objective evaluation.
Sampling Validity • It is based upon expert judgment. • If the content validity of an instrument is based upon an adequate sampling of the potential questions from a defined universe of items.
The experts’ task involves: • Defining carefully the behavior, qualities, or content area to be measured. • Systematically subdividing the total area into categories that represent different aspects of that content area followed by making judgments as to whether or not there are enough items in each category.
Reliability • Means that scores from an instrument are stable and consistent. That is, scores should be nearly the same when researchers administer the instrument multiple times at different times.
Factors that affect reliability • Questions of instruments are ambiguous and unclear. • Procedures of test administration vary and are not standardize. • Participants are fatigued, are nervous, misinterpret questions or guess on tests.
CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH PROPOSAL