EDIT 7320 Borrowed from M. Fitzgerald

1. What IS Research Anyway? EDIT 7320 Borrowed from M. Fitzgerald

2. The purpose of this slideshow is to set the context for the research discussions we will be having in this class.

3. Everybody does research. • Everyone faces problems in everyday life, often solved by trial and error • Here is a simple example: • I used to have trouble opening jars, like pickle jars. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t open them manually. My mother taught me to run hot water over the lid or to hit the edge sharply with a knife handle. Still, I had trouble. One of my school friends described how she would whack the lid on the edge of the bathtub. The first time I tried this, I hurt my thumb. The next time, it worked! I have used this strategy ever since.

4. So, to solve my problem… • I used these strategies: • Information seeking (from other people) • Trial and error • Experimentation • In order to survive, we all must solve problems – and we usually do some form of research to do so. • Discussion point: What about our context? • Think and hold your thoughts for later.

5. As a student, have you - • …written “reports” (single-source information dumps)? • …written “term papers” (multi-source investigations of single topics)? This literature-based type of research is important, buy only a part of the work in this course. We are talking about something bigger.

6. The word “Research” has several connotations: • something you do in the library with books and journals • scientist in the white coat • drug trials, mice, monkeys • market research • space exploration Common thread: gathering information

7. Related idea: Inquiry • Especially in science • Researchers actively ask questions, find known information, gather data, and draw conclusions • They learn lots of content information as they go along • The I-Search uses this approach, applied to any topic of interest (EDIT 6360)

8. Another related idea: Problem Solving In any field, there is a problem to be solved, and the investigator uses a disciplined approach to find answers. Example: you have a child in your class who can’t read on grade level. As the teacher, you try to diagnose the problem, and search for known approaches that might work (like Reading Recovery). Then, you apply the approaches one by one until the child begins to make progress.

9. Closely related: • journalism • forensic investigation Think about: what are the differences between these 2 professional activities and research?

10. When you need to know something -- • sometimes the information is already there, and you simply must find it • other times, no one knows the answer

11. Your research project… • Should discover new information AND/OR • Should involve a specific context (like your school, media center, or computer lab) about which you will be discovering new information… • Especially for the purpose of solving a problem OR evaluating progress toward a goal.

12. What good does research do? • According to some - none. What good does it really do for man to be able to walk on the moon? • On the other hand: as NASA figured out how to get us to the moon, inventions were made – like Tang. • Research is a disciplined way of gaining new knowledge. It’s a form of human development.

13. Some obvious benefits of research and development • sticky note – was supposed to be a new adhesive, but it wouldn’t stay stuck • the computer revolution • cures, treatments, and preventatives for diseases: polio, bacterial infections, heart disease… • relationship between smoking and cancer (not cause and effect, but strong statistical correlation)

14. Problems with research • Sometimes it seems like EVERYTHING causes cancer and/or high cholesterol • Open classrooms – a failed innovation • Hormone Replacement Therapy – once thought helpful, now considered slightly harmful

15. In education: • Educational research and LIS research falls under the category of social science • Social science tends to be messy and inexact. You can’t easily control factors. Imagine treating children like lab rats – wouldn’t work, would it? • Anytime humans are involved, research is a challenge.

16. A matter of perspective In education, we have serious problems. Or do we? Our educational system is failing. Or is it? It depends on how you look at it. For example: this year, Georgia ranks #50 in SAT scores. Does this mean that we have almost the poorest educational system in the country? What does this statistic REALLY mean?

17. So why bother? Each of us wants the best for our students and patrons. We each see things about our educational system that don’t work well. How can we help students learn better? This is the purpose of educational research.

18. When you do a research project based in your own professional practice - • Your practice improves. • You learn a great deal.

19. And... • Ideally, your learning spreads in your location. • Ideally, you discover and apply improvements that help students learn better. • Ideally, you share your discovery with a wide audience, so that others may benefit as well.

20. Start watching out for these terms: • applied versus basic • epistemology • problems, questions, hypotheses • methodology • design • technique

21. Extension Start thinking about problems in school library media, school and educational technology, libraries, and even in schools in general. Research should start out with a problem in mind, or at least a strong curiosity!