CHAPTER1

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY:
A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING
Chapter 1.3 Research in Educational
Psychology

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 Chapter 1.3 RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL
PSYCHOLOGY
 Why Research Is Important
 Research Methods
 Program Evaluation Research, Action Research, and
the Teacher-as-Researcher
 Quantitative and Qualitative Research

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 WHY RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT
Your personal experience as a teacher can provide you
with valid information about the best ways to teach
children, however, research also can make you a better
teacher.
We all get a great deal of knowledge from personal
experience.
We generalize from what we observe and frequently turn
memorable encounters into lifetime “truths.”
But how valid are these conclusions?
Sometimes we make mistakes in making these personal
observations, misinterpreting what we see and hear.

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 When we base information only on personal
experiences, we also aren’t always totally objective
because we sometimes make judgments that protect our
ego and self-esteem (McMillan & Wergin, 2010).
We get information not only from personal experiences
but also from authorities or experts.
In your teaching career, you will hear many authorities
and experts spell out a “best way” to educate students.

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 But different experts would tell different and conflicting
ideas.
Which one would you believe?
For you to find out which conclusion is more noteworthy,
you have to your own research about the topic.

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 RESEARCH METHODS
Collecting information (or data) is an important aspect of research
The three basic methods used to gather information in educational
psychology are:
1. Descriptive research,
2. Correlational research,
3. Experimental research.

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 1. Descriptive Research
Descriptive research has the purpose of observing and
recording behavior.
By itself, descriptive research cannot prove what causes some
phenomenon, but it can reveal important information about
people’s behavior and attitudes through observation(Stake,
2010).
Observation
We look at things all the time.
Scientific observation is highly systematic.
It requires knowing what you are looking for, conducting
observations in an unbiased manner, accurately recording and
categorizing what you see, and effectively communicating your
observations (Langston, 2011; McBurney & White, 2010).
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 WAYS OF CONDUCTING OBSERVATION:
1. Laboratory
2. Naturalistic observation
3. Participant observation

WAYS TO GET DATA OR INFORMATION IN DESCRIPTIVE

RESEARCH:
4. Interviews and Questionnaires
5. Standardized Tests
6. Case Studies
7. Ethnographic Studies
8. Focus Groups
9. Personal Journals and Diaries
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 WAYS OF CONDUCTING OBSERVATION

laboratory - a controlled setting from which many of the

complex factors of the real world have been removed.
naturalistic observation - observation in the real world
rather than a laboratory.
participant observation - observation conducted at the
same time the teacher-researcher is actively involved as
a participant in the activity or setting.

*(See p.16 for strategies recommended by teachers at different grade levels

regarding how they use participant observation in their classroom)
pdf57

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 WAYS TO GET DATA OR INFORMATION IN DESCRIPTIVE
RESEARCH
interviews and questionnaires - educational
psychologists use interviews and questionnaires
(surveys) to find out about children’s and teachers’
experiences, beliefs, and feelings.
standardized tests - tests with uniform procedures for
administration and scoring.
They assess students’ performance in different domains
and allow a student’s performance to be compared with
the performance of other students at the same age or
grade level on a national basis.

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 case study - an in-depth look at an individual.
ethnographic study - in-depth description and
interpretation of behavior in an ethnic or a cultural group
that includes direct involvement with the participants.
focus groups - people are interviewed in a group setting,
usually to obtain information about a particular topic or
issue
These groups typically consist of five to nine people in
which a group facilitator asks a series of open-ended
questions.
Focus groups can be used to assess the value of a
product, service, or program, such as a newly developed
school website or the benefits of a recently instituted
after-school program for middle school students.
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 personal journals and diaries - individuals may be asked
to keep personal journals or diaries to document
quantitative aspects of their activities (such as how
frequently the individual uses the Internet) or qualitative
aspects of their lives (such as their attitudes and beliefs
about a particular topic or issue)

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 2. Correlational Research
In correlational research, the goal is to describe the strength of the
relation between two or more events or characteristics.
Correlational research is useful because the more strongly two events are
correlated (related or associated), the more effectively we can predict one
from the other (Howell, 2010; Levin & Fox, 2011).
For example, if researchers find that low-involved, permissive teaching is
correlated with a student’s lack of self-control, it suggests that low-
involved, permissive teaching might be one source of the lack of self-
control.

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 3. Experimental Research
Experimental research allows educational
psychologists to determine the causes of behavior.
Educational psychologists accomplish this task by
performing an experiment, a carefully regulated
procedure in which one or more of the factors
believed to influence the behavior being studied is
manipulated and all other factors are held constant.
If the behavior under study changes when a factor is
manipulated, we say that the manipulated factor
causes the behavior to change.

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 Cause is the event that is being manipulated.
Effect is the behavior that changes because of
the manipulation.
Experimental research is the only truly reliable method of
establishing cause and effect (Jackson, 2011).
Because correlational research does not involve
manipulation of factors, it is not a dependable way to
isolate cause (Mitchell & Jolley, 2010).

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 PROGRAM EVALUATION RESEARCH, ACTION
RESEARCH, AND THE TEACHER-AS-
RESEARCHER
In discussing research methods so far, we have referred
mainly to methods used to improve our knowledge and
understanding of general educational practices.
The same methods also can be applied to research whose
aim is more specific, such as determining how well a
particular educational strategy or program is working (Plano-
Clark & Creswell, 2010).
This more narrowly targeted work often includes program
evaluation research, action research, and the teacher-as-
researcher.

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 Program Evaluation Research
Research designed to make decisions about the effectiveness of
a particular program is called program evaluation research.
(McMillan & Schumacher, 2010).
It usually focuses on a specific school or school system, in
which case its results are not intended to be generalized to other
settings.
A program evaluation researcher might ask questions like these:
● Has a gifted program started two years ago had positive effects
on students’ creative thinking and academic achievement?
● Has a technology program in place for one year improved
students’ attitudes toward school?
● Which of two reading programs being used in this school
system has improved students’ reading skills the most?

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 Action Research
Research used to solve a specific classroom or school
problem, improve teaching and other educational
strategies, or make a decision at a specific location is
called action research (Johnson, Mims-Cox, & Doyle-
Nichols, 2010; Mills, 2011).
The goal of action research is to improve educational
practices immediately in one or two classrooms, at one
school, or at several schools.
Action research is carried out by teachers and
administrators rather than educational psychology
researchers.

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 Quick definitions:
program evaluation research - research designed to
make decisions about the effectiveness of a particular
program.
action research -research used to solve a specific
classroom or school problem, improve teaching and
other educational strategies, or make a decision at a
specific level.

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 The Teacher-as-Researcher
The concept of teacher-as-researcher (also called
teacher-researcher) is the idea that classroom teachers
can conduct their own studies to improve their teaching
practices (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2010).
To obtain information, the teacher-researcher uses
methods such as:
participant observation
interviews, and
case studies.

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 In addition to participant observation, the teacher might:
 conduct several clinical interviews with a student,
discuss the student’s situation with the child’s parents,
and
consult with a school psychologist about the student’s
behavior

teacher-as-researcher - also called teacher-researcher,

this concept involves classroom teachers conducting
their own studies to improve their teaching practice

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 QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Quantitative research employs numerical calculations in an
effort to discover information about a particular topic.
Experimental and correlational research designs reflect
quantitative research.
So do many of the descriptive measures that were described
earlier, such as observations, interviews, surveys, and
standardized tests, when statistics are used to analyze the
data collected.

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 Qualitative research - involves obtaining information
using descriptive measures such as interviews, case
studies, ethnographic studies, focus groups, and
personal journals and diaries, but not statistically
analyzing the information (Stake, 2010).

Recently there has been a push in educational

psychology to conduct mixed methods research, which
involves research that blends dif erent research designs
and/or methods (McMillan & Wergin, 2010; Plano Clark
& Creswell, 2010).

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 One combination of methods that can be adopted
consists of using both quantitative and qualitative
research designs.
Thus, a researcher might use both a quantitative
measure, such as an experimental design and
statistically analyze the data, and also use a
qualitative measure, such as a focus group or case
study to obtain greater breadth and depth of
information about a particular topic.

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 CHAPTER 1 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (15 pts)
INDIVIDUAL WORK
Answer the following questions WITH YOUR OWN WORDS and submit on USEA-LMS.
(Plagiarism will incur score deductions)
REVIEW QUESTIONS (9 pts)
1. Why is research important in educational psychology? What are the pros and cons of
participant observation? (3 pts)
2. What is the difference between correlational research and experimental research? Give an
example situation for each one. (2 pts)
3. Explain the significance of the concepts of each of the following: (a) program evaluation
research; (b) action research; and (c) the teacher-as-researcher. What would be the
implications if their purposes are not met? (4 pts)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS (6 pts)
4. What kind of teacher do you want to become? What strengths do you
want to have? What kinds of potential weaknesses might you need to
overcome? (3 pts)
5. Think about the grade level you are planning to teach. Consider at
least one way your classroom at that grade level is likely to be
challenging. Write about how you will cope with this. (3 pts)

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