Practical Research Methods for Educators: Becoming an Evidence-Based Practitioner

✍ Scribed by Ennio Cipani PhD

• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 193
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This text offers a fresh perspective on developing research skills for educators as well as for students studying to become educators. Practical Research Methods for Educators is unique in identifying the requirements for conducting pragmatic research for everyday instructional personnel. The book introduces key concepts, such as identifying and measuring dependent and independent variables. It also reviews the three forms of research (descriptive, correlation, and experimental). With this book, educators and students can become well prepared to appropriately conduct research and become wise consumers and critics of research findings. Each chapter presents a brief description of a research design, figures illustrating the design features with hypothetical data, and real research studies that utilized such a design. Each type of single-case design is discussed in relation to its advantages and limitations. Key features: Outlines the requisites for single-case research and methodological designs Explains how to measure the dependent variable in single-case research studies Presents a variety of single-case designs for use in classroom research projects Includes an in-depth explanation of the four types of applied research: demonstration, comparative, parametric, and component analysis

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
What Is Science?......Page 18
Science and the Study of Variables......Page 20
Descriptive Research Studies......Page 23
Correlation Research Studies......Page 28
Experimental Research Studies......Page 37
Methodological Requirements for Measuring Student Behavior......Page 52
Steps to Measuring Student Behavior......Page 55
Measuring Student Learning......Page 70
Summary......Page 73
3 Basics of Single-Case Designs......Page 76
Characteristics of Single-Case Research Designs......Page 77
Requisites for Collecting Single-Case Research Data......Page 83
Determining an Experimental Effect......Page 89
Group Versus Single-Case Experimental Designs......Page 92
Summary......Page 96
AB and Additive Designs......Page 98
Reversal Designs......Page 110
Multiple Baseline Designs......Page 121
Multielement Designs (aka Alternating Treatments Designs)......Page 131
Changing-Criterion Designs......Page 138
Deciding on the Type of Research Study......Page 144
Daily Report Card (DRC)......Page 152
Reinforcement Programs With a Response Cost (RC)......Page 158
Tap Me on the Shoulder!: Teaching Appropriate Attention-Getting Behavior......Page 164
Self-Monitoring of Appropriate or Inappropriate Behavior......Page 168
Sit and Watch (Time Out)......Page 172
Response Cards......Page 177
Appendix A: Reliability Formulas, Interobserver Agreement......Page 184
Appendix B: Raw Frequency Data for Figure 3.1......Page 186
Appendix C: Graphing Data: General Rules for the X, Y Coordinate Plane......Page 188
Appendix D: Raw Frequency Data for Figure 3.3......Page 190
M......Page 192
W......Page 193