Conversation 7 - Methodology and Justification

SOme of what I've written so far. I've found that I'm doing the dissertation in a fairly strange order to match the chronology of my work pattern. I'm doing a lot of reading and know the methodology but wanted to get teh methods written down first as I'm still receiving replies and I wanted to justify my methods before I attempted the methodology in detail.
Seems a bit cack handed but it's working for me.
Carol. How is everyone else doing?

Research methods and their validity

This is a small scale action enquiry research study, undertaken in a limited timeframe. For the purposes of such an enquiry I have chosen a survey as my preferred method of data collection because , as Robson (1993,1995 p 123) points out “ A small-scale survey obviously requires fewer resources and can be completed in a shorter time “[than a large scale survey.] Merriam 1998) asserts that “qualitative research is designed to inductively build rather than to test concepts, hypotheses, and theories”. My research is a positivist, qualitative one connect with values and perceptions and as outlined in the introduction, I have hypotheses which need testing. However, a survey is a useful tool which, if used carefully and correctly can “provide a relatively simple and straightforward approach to the study of attitudes, values , beliefs and motives” (Robson 1993, p128) which exactly fits my purpose.

 I am mindful of the limitations that a questionnaire, however carefully worded, can bring and so, in order to add to the validity and strength of my research, I conducted 3 interviews with expert practitioners of the global dimension: Bernadette Clinton of Middlesex University, Doug Bourn, Director of LREC, Institute of Education, University of London, and the EEDEN Team (Sheila Tucker, Charlotte Page, Dan Gomm and Sam Bennett). I also conducted a telephone interview with Angus Willson of Local4Global. I was in the fortunate position of having either personal contact with the majority of these practitioners, or was introduced to them by colleagues. I had attended a conference hosted by Doug Bourn, an internationally reknowned Global dimension specialist and he kindly agreed to be interviewed by me for an hour.

I felt that it was essential to put these interviews in place as I needed more professional viewpoints on my hypotheses. Very little research has been undertaken in the area of moral leadership and the global dimension and so I wanted first hand opinions from the experts on this “gap” in the knowledge base (Merriam 1993, p47). Burton et al (2008, p74) note the advantages of including interviews in research as “useful for obtaining sensitive or in-depth information from a knowledgeable respondent”, and I wanted to make sure that I had a useful dialogical relationship too as interactivity “allows the interviewer to probe and pursue relevant themes” (Burton et al, ibid). I used a sony recorder to record all interviews, having first obtained the permission of the interviewees and their permission to quote in my disssertation. This was essential in order to observe the ethical requirements of my research. I also used the TIGER transcription package to transcribe the interviews and to facilitate accuracy. I chose not to ask the interviewees the same questions as were on the questionnaire, but to concentrate on the specific issues generated by the open questions and by my hypotheses. This meant that I was able to utilise the interview in the best way possible and “allow for a richer and more probing question format” (Burton et al 2008, p 80).

The questionnaire
I wanted to make sure that the whole questionnaire was on two sides of A4 paper for economy’s sake and also to encourage maximum participation and take up. Too often , potential respondents can be put off by lengthy pages of questions and I wanted people to be happy to participate. I was also aware of the views of Burton et al (2008, p88) whar suggest that “ A well constructed questionnaire is one where the researcher has done the wrok so as to reduce the effort on the part of the respondent”, and wanted to ensure that my questionnaire looked as neat, clutter-free and accessible”.

Hi all- nice one Carol for kicking it off again ;-)
Me too with the fairly strange – have completed reading ( majority of) and made copious notes which are still being formulated into a coherent whole for the reader- but its all there in notes, still.

And also getting questionnaires back and juggling the two sections actually- so also cack- handed.

I’m going to collate my questionnaires over summer and then may plan interviews for early September as this won’t happen now the silly season is in full force ( ie end of years at school)- I would have liked to do them now though.

I also need further clarity on some issues- especially round what schools have done to find out about community cohesion themselves- there seems to be the expectation that they will ‘do a course’ or have stuff provided for them – I wondered what successful schools have done already? I may directly approach those in category 1s ( Ofsteded this year) as they will, I hope! Be happy to share what they do/ or did.

Took some timely advice from you Carol on the questionnaire and your help has , I think, helped very much in the receipt of 63 so far ☺…thank you for that! Really valuable.

Re the above Qs. ‘The tests for truthfulness, reliability and validity that may be applied’- I have found that allowing postal anonymous replies enabled a degree of confidentiality if participants felt that was what was needed, although vast majority chose to email. They did not hold back on their views re perception of support on offer, because I think that school staff feel that they can criticize openly where justified ( this would need following up with further probing). HOWEVER, I DO think that for those schools who felt that they may not have the full understanding of what I was asking, may have revealed a perceived inadequacy ( read this somewhere too) and therefore may have chosen to not respond at all, or to leave Qs blank, or to protect their schools ? Or may have thought also, have not got time, this is not relevant to me etc etc.

Having said that, many have asked for sharing practice type stuff so they appear to see the relevance to their schools.

Hi Lisa, everyone.
Thanks for your kind comments and glad that you're getting lots of replies. Amazingly I've stopped at 50 replies wh ihc is a lovely round number for research - not rigged honestly!!!!1 Thanks f or your help with this. :)
Interesting comments about perceived inadequacy re cc. My experience locally in hertfordhire is that schoosl are aware of cc duties and are slowly putting things into place. They can seem a commonality with other strands in the Curriculum and one comment which was made at a Hertfordhsire conference on sustainability which I went to two weeks ago was v much in favour of CC and they thougfth that it was a v useful umbrella under which to put everything. However, I also received the impression that schools were wary adn wanted to find their feet and see how it was included in current schemes around the school (secondary adn primary) before they committed to anything new. The primary heads I spoke to we keen to read up on the duties - much of which they felt they were doing anyway. Primary teachers seemed more receptive than secondary teachers as it seems that the information is going to headteachers rather than all teachers and so as primary schools are smaller and tend to share things more openly - more staff know about the responsibilities. I get the impression that it's primarily the SLT who kow about it at secondary level adn they are disseminating the responsibility to Heads of department and so dissemination is a relatively slow process.
Sorry if this is a bit meandering - let me know if you need me to be clearer.
C

Thanks Carol- interesting!- schools sound then like they are referring to the CURRICULUM only perhaps - 'broadly, schools’ contribution to community cohesion can be grouped under the three following headings:

• Teaching, learning and curriculum
• Equity and excellence – to ensure equal opportunities for all to succeed at the highest level possible, striving to remove barriers to access and participation in learning and wider activities and working to eliminate variations in outcomes for different groups. ( Bit that they seem to have removed) , and
• Engagement and extended services – to provide reasonable means for children, young people, their friends and families to interact with people from different backgrounds and build positive relations.

Got a reply from ofsted re my findings on comparing their recent ( and constantily changing) guidance docs- whilst they confirm that IMPACT is a newer and more significant part of the criteria, they also sy they cannot confirm or deny my otehr findings and could not help with my other comments ( but did send a nice powerpoint). see here:
Thank you for your e-mail in which you raise some interesting observation about the arrangements for the inspection of schools' duty to promote community cohesion under the framework for the inspection of schools. In it you outline your observations and conclusions following your analysis of the evaluation schedule and ask for comments on this work.
 
Your findings suggest -
 
Emphasis on the impact of a school's work on learners and communities.
 
That despite the geographical dimensions of local, national and global, the inspection criteria has focused on local agendas and makes reference to national ones- with a significant decrease in mention of global communities and dimensions,
 
A lack of reference to the centralised importance of closing attainment gaps for all learners, whatever their backgrounds.
 
While I am able to confirm that the guidance and the evaluation schedule rightly identify the importance of the impact of a school's work on pupils and the community I am not able to comment on all of your findings or on the work that you are doing. I am however able to provide you with our most up to date PowerPoint presentation related to community cohesion.
enjoy!

ps...that was my enjoy comment obviously :-)....dont know if HMI are jokers or not ahem

Hi both.

Great to hear from you and obviously the work is progressing. You are talking here about the methods and not the methodology.

Please do some thinking about the difference between methodology and methodss.


Methods are the procedures you are taking for collecting and analysing data.

Methodology refers to the philosophy behind the research process and how it relates to knowledge. It considers issues of kinds of knowledge, its use, the nature of reality, tests for trustworthiness that are appropriate, the control of variables, the nature of generalisation, and ethical rules.

Hi Ian
I'd put that stuff on the site about methods becasue that was what I'd been writing at the time. Have written some more and almost finished that section and have written the introduction to my methodology section which I will post here. Do not fear - I understand the difference between methods and methodology - it's just that I'm written it all in a cack handed way and I think Lisa is too. I shall be using mostly Action Research methodology with some observation and other bits thrown in. Is this acceptable for a qualitative interpretive study? I've read Burton et al,(2008), Merriam, Cohen et al (2007), Bell, Stringer and others. I shall include what I've written in my next comment.
Carol

Methodology
In my introduction to this research I explained that I was interested in testing hypotheses based on my observations of leaders of the global dimension in schools. Punch, K 1998;16, cited in Bell, 2005,2008) writes “In theory first research , we start with a theory, deduce hypotheses from it, and design a study to test these hypotheses. This is theory verification”. I do not merely want to design a study, but I want to investigate the issue and its nature and to explore connections thus theory verification and theory first research do not suit my purposes. Neither does theory after research fit my research approach as I do not wish to end up with a theory which results from my data analysis.
Two purposes of my research are that my observations will be useful in the study of global dimension practitioners and add understanding to way in which the global dimension is perceived, lead and taught in schools. In this way it can be seen that knowledge can be “constructed from multiple perspectives” (Burton et al, 2008, p63) and my research study fits into the interpretive paradigm where “theory building is perceived as an ever-developing entity, not a perfect product. It is central to the research process and emerges from the dialogue between theoretical and professional perspectives and the data gathered” (ibid). I have theories which have been based on observation. I will be analysing data from practitioners and will amass a body of evidence which will add to my understanding of my observations about global dimension leaders and the nature of moral leadership and I will be arriving at conclusions which will be concerned with attitudes and values.
Observation has been labelled the “natural” research methodology by Burton et al (2008) and they write that it can be “employed as one element of a blended or mixed methods approach and can be employed as a first research tool that provides the basis for susbsequent positivist research. There is a problem here that my research methodogoy foals firmly into the interpretative category. However it they write that it can also be “operated simultanieously with other research approaches and thus allowed to both inform and be informed byother data gathering techniques. (p96) My observation methodlogy seems to fall into the semis structure d category as “observation will be semi systematic and methods of analyssi are likely to be qualitative , although some basic numeric analsysis may be undertaken”
Where did I get my observations from? When did they begin? What about the ethical validity of them?
Burton et al (2008 p66) state that “The aim of action research is [thus] not primarily to generate knowledge but to improve professional practice within a democratic context of collaboration and inclusion

Hi
I've included my DRAFT methodology and methods sections in my folder and would value your comments on these sections. As you can see, I'm a bit stuck on where the comments about ethical considerations should go.
Thanks
Carol

I’m looking at critically reviewing our pupil tracking system. Immediately there are several issues involved in carrying out the research: the pupil tracking system is one that I manage and run this means that many staff see it as ‘mine’ and indeed I have quite strong opinions about how it operate- this to an extent ‘clouds’ what I expect to get from my research findings-this is an issue in being a practitioner researcher as opposed to an action researcher. I believe that I am very much in the position of being a practioner researcher. There is also the whole issue of me being the deputy head and the power dynamic inherent within that. I believe that people say things as they see them and yet how do I know? This links very much with the test for truthfulness. One thing I’ve been thinking about is that tracking is often seen as a ‘management tool’ looking at larger groups of children – this interests me but to some extent key workers with groups of 6-7 children may not see a particular connection. I may be talking about afternoon place boys underachieving-yet their experience may be that the one afternoon boy they have is doing very well. I think this has quite a lot of research implications, namely my perceptions of how tracking per se works and operates may not be theirs. I suppose this links to research paradigms. (Hughes)suggests that the researcher needs to examine the links between the paradigms, methods and the types of knowledge they might produce before deciding which approach would best suit their research question. A qualitative approach- which I suppose I’m looking at seeks, “insight rather than statistical analysis” (Bell,) Bell says that qualitative researchers are sceptical about whether social facts exist and believe that a scientific approach is inappropriate when dealing with people. This approach is more “fluid and intuitive” (Mac Naughton and Rolfe, Qualititative methods can be located within the interpretivist and post-modern or post-structuralist paradigms. There are weaknesses and strengths in both approaches and many researchers draw on both traditions in their enquiry. I am interested in using more than one method of data collection. Judith Bell (1999) describes the main features of different styles of research. Quantitative research emphasises the collection of facts and figures. It looks at the relationship of sets of facts and attempts to draw generalizable conclusions. I’m also interested to look at issues around triangulation. Triangulation involves the accumulation and comparison of evidence from different sources and perspectives. Cohen and Manion (1989) say that triangulation is particularly important when there is controversy, “Multiple methods are suitable where a controversial aspect of education needs to be evaluated more fully”( Cohen and Manion)
I have been doing informal interviews to seek the views on tracking, its purpose and also how it can be developed-what they’d like from it. I also gave out a questionnaire at a recent centre meeting to look at staff views on assessment-which I believe is fundamentally linked to tracking. I want to try and find out what they believe about assessment. I need to analyse this.
I’m not sure about the generalization aspect of this research- I think there may be broad conclusions, but whether its replicable I very much doubt (is that not one test for research?)
My methodological approach is based around Stakes Matrix

So you want practical knowledge. ie what "works" . You do not really want to knopw much about how it works or why it qworks? Its not knowledge for any other purpose than for practice.
Is that correct?

Does this mean that you dont mind it not being strictly generalisable knowlewedge as lkong as it works for you?

Hi Eric
Robson (Real World Research 1993 p290)has an interesting couple of pages on triangulation. "One important benefit of multiple methods is in the reduction of innapropriate certainty" and he goes onto say that they can also be sued in a complementary fashion to enchance interpretability" - which is where I'm at at the moment. However critics have said that it is "inappropriate to combine methods based on different theoretical positions". You pays your money and you takes your choice I guess.
I always find the methodology section the driest and most ficcult but maybe that's me. Good luck with your researching and hope this helps.
Carol

To what extent are you dealing with social contructs in creating "knowl;edge". Is your research about something that is real or is it a concept that some people have inveneted. For excample, "more equal", "higher acheivement", "better", "excellent", "good practice".

Are these real or are they socially contructed?

Does it matter?

is it about interpretation? the meanings people give their environment not the environment itself?? (May 1999)

Hi Everyone

Just to let you all know that I am 'alive and kicking'. Like most of you this half term has been absoloutely exhausting and I seem to have been to working day and night....

I am still trying to read and work on my dissertation although this has been in 'snatches' rather than for long periods of study time... As I am off to somewhere hot and sunny very soon I will post a more full response within the next few days.
 
Here are a few thoughts about where I am in this part of my stuides...I have found this section rather challenging. My initial response was to use a survey for teaching staff then teacher and teaching assistant interviews. Some of the questions that seemed to 'loom large' from this process was trying to determine what did my research mean and whose point of view was I interpeting? (There are issues here such as viewpoint, language etc) Whose point of view were the questions I designed reflect? What factors influenced their interpretation? What about this notion of individual realities? I was going to intepret the answers but is this true reflection of the intended meaning by the respondent??? were they abel to preceive my quesions in the manner that I intended? If I combine methods how do they (or maybe not) fit together..."research that combines methods is relatively infrequently reported" (Gorard, Taylor (eds) 2004).

In some senses I've had to step back from my original ideas which I feel were most probably not very well researched or considered and I needed to understand more. "difference is existential in the sense that 'I' am fundamentally different from 'you' so that my horizon is unique' (schostak 2002)
I also wanted to understand more about the method of triangulation when you used more than one type of data collection... what exactly can this method reveal and how should it be used? I have also discovered that the techniques involved with this process seems to be a far more complex and subtle than I originally envisaged.

In some senses this has caused me to redefine my original rationale for choosing these options.

I will write with more detail soon....

Elaine
Schostack, J. (2002) Understanding Designing and Conducting Qualitative Research in Edcuation framing the project. Berkshire:Open University Press

Gorard, S. and Taylor, C. (2004) Combining Methods in Educational and Social Research.

Schostak, J. (2006) Interviewing and Representation in Qualitative Research. Berkshire:Open University Press

Inevitably you will find the need to reflect on your original ideas and refocus your research, however, at some point, you will need to concentrate and focus on the research for longer periods of time. Perhaps this will be easier after your break? In the meantime, the reading should help.

Is evaluation really justifiable as research? Does it create knowledge, and if so what form or type? Is it generalisable or is it so specific not to be worthwhile knowledge for anyone else? So your evaluation creates the knowlewdge that your school does APP well, or globalk dimension well,or tracks well. So what? Why would anyone else want this knowledge?

How is this thing "well", "better" and "good" defined and by who? EDvaluation uses this sort of terminology- doesn't it? Is it really reseaerch?

Justify it as reseaerrrch then....

Hi,
I've been quiet for a while as it has been manic towards the end of term...but have worked on methods;interviews and questionnaires as its the best time for collecting the data in the year. Like others this has made things a bit back to front. But now its the holidays, I can concentrate on the methodology more. I have been reading and taking notes in snatches. Working on it is more focused now so I will contribute in more detail soon with regards to the headings in this section. In responding to your question about evaluative research it is useful to me to try and justify my methods as my research is mainly evaluative. I feel it is an appropriate approach for my particular type of research as it can be combined/compared or contrasted with other research already done (in the literature) and also be compared with the clear aims of what the CAF has been set up to do. From what the SENCOs say i'd hope to evaluate how they perceive its value- that is not to say it is not valuable but that could reveal their attitudes/experiences towards it within their 'reality' and suggest some possible explanations for some perceived barriers that could lead to suggestions for improvements or change. Some validity for the knowledge created would come from the frequency of common comments from their different 'realities' from a sufficient number of participants (acknowledging that the sample is small).Some understanding should come from some interconnectedness of variables and patterns becoming apparent so that it can be possible to understand why, when and how they are connected. The aim is to improve the process that is being evaluated and that this information will be used to bring about improvement not only within this context; (my own and individual schools across one borough) but for others in similar contexts. The evaluation can be used to see whether there is an indication that how things are currently being done at this particular time within this particular place with these particular people in their institutions is collectively meeting the desired officially stated objectives of the CAF and hopefully what is found out will be illuminative in some way and generisable to others in similar contexts. I intend that what is learned will be generalisable to other schools and institutions using the CAF outside of this particular borough as although there are inherent differences in how it is being used or required there are also many aspects that are in common. If a small change can bring about an improvement then it should be worthwhile for all. Improvement is quite problematic though as it needs to be measurable in outcomes and this is ultimately in improvements for parents and children and this is hard to measure in my research so 'improvement' can only be measured in this case in the 'how' it is being applied to bring about the 'assumed' improved outcomes for parents and children. I am aware of the inherent limitations to anything that is found because of the qualitative nature of the research (small sample)'snapshot' in one particular place and time, too many variables that are complex, difficult to measure accurately or control, my own beliefs and values and need to acknowledge and address possible bias as i am 'involved' in the situation and it is vital to be as objective as possible. The 'human' aspect of the research is a very importamt part of this approach and the collecting of 'data' is not the main objective. The purpose is to try and create a clarity of understanding through a systematic approach to the reality behind any rhetoric to bring about change and improvement in different contexts.
Janet

who wants the knowledge? why are we here? why are we all doing this? interesting thought! Surely it all depends upon the reason for the research in the first place, starts as a point of interest to us (the researcher) in order to find out... in order to.. often improve practice in a school situation which so often is validated by pupil performance data. Though is this the only/ most improtant measure? I think not. In our (school based) context it is finding out/ testing / validating/ refuting a hpyotheis in our setting. It is localised and may not be generalised to a wider setting- however that statement could form anther hypothesis to test. I am working upon the principe that it will be new knowledge to me, rooted in evidence gathered over time which explains/ justifies a particular course of action. Povides 'illumination'!

You need to add these views to your methodology account. However, be careful, over relaince on usefulness and practice perhapd coupled with loose terms like "improvement", and "effcetive" can fall in to the trap of being socially contsructed by the professionals (ie really no "better" expcept in their terms)

Hello Ian,

Thanks for your 'reminder' email. Still here and working hard. Will join conversation very soon.

Laura

Laura you're not alone - still trying to finish Literature Review - most of my summer holiday will be used up writing about data collection, methods, methodology, etc.

Jackie

thanks for the pointers & advice in this section. It is very helpful as I feel I may be confused and need to do further research before responding.

Hi....haven't contributed much so far as the more I read and research the more confused I become as it seems that my chosen line of research is already underway somewhere else....! It sort of makes me want to stop reading further - the sort of 'head in the sand' approach. If my research is already happening somewhere else does it matter? If my chosen methodology has been used already does it matter? My area is pretty new (games based learning) and there is currently a flurry of activity in this field as new reports are coming out all the time both at home and abroad. The problem is I had my pathway mapped out which included a mixture of data collection (hard data looking at pre levels of attainment followed by post testing after x number of weeks of the trial). I also want to use questionnaires and interviewing. HOwever there is a 'hot off the press' paper that has done this exact thing....if I hadn't have read it I would have gone ahead (in ignorance)...what is acceptable? Can I carry on as before (in the knowledge that I was unaware that similar research has just happened) or do I need to amend again...in the hope that nothing else gets published before December!!!
Some advice here please from a very confused researcher!

Carry on - and in your analysis compare your findings with the other paper. You will be adding to the body of knowledge. Consider any other recently published papers and use them in your lit review - think of this as an advantage as there must be a need for the research! Alison

agreed- carry on with the research as it directly relates to your pupils/ setting/ context and this study will provide additional evidence to compare/ contrast- generalise etc. As you state, this is a new area that is developing so the more information gained the greater the knowledge about the impact upon pupil learning (one hopes!). In my literature review, I too have just come across a NFER study that was conducted decades ago but it is amazing the similarities with my own study/ focus. I have dipped into this but decided not to look too closely at the data in case it influeneces my own research.
As suggested by Peter, I will email over my methods/ methodology for you to see.

just completed my critical review. it has been insightful reading through other's comments. I now have a clearer view of the diffs between methods and methodolgy (just beginning to read around the area). I intend to collect data using a small scale survey, interviews, and questionare. by the end of the wek I will be able o comment more.
Otherwise I have posted my critical review in my folder.

The methods I have used have been through observations of dyslexia teaching, questionnaires to both students and Dyslexia specialists. Focus group meetings were also an important part of the gathering of information. These were also linked to a SWOT analysis done for the last Ofsted visit of the Additional Learning Support Department’s strengths and weaknesses. The questionnaires have provided some interesting material especially relating to some students’ poor IT skills which in turn can affect their ability to use assistive technology.

The methodology attempts to be scientific in nature relating to the elements which are needed to make for good practice in dyslexia teaching. There are guidelines from Trainers who teach potential dyslexia specialist teachers; from Janet Townend, Martin Turner, the LLU’s book on Good Practice in FE but what do the teachers do, especially in view of the fact that Ofsted are coming to inspect the provision. This all ties in well with Unit 5 Examplar Models (what happened to that?)

Jackie

We will not be discussing the exemplar models. These are the practices that you adopt to be researched. We have to be sure that you are good at doing what you research!

The Action enquiry module guide has some details (limited)

ian

Hello Ian and Gina,

Here is my brief outline of the chosen methodology as an internal practitioner researcher in the area of student directed learning.
 
1. Oliver and Conole, University of North London, state that experience is the best way to make an informed choice as to the methodology used, failing that the experience of others is invaluable. I gained some experience last term when I introduced elements of student directed learning and have had numerous discussion and assistance from teachers who are familiar with this form of learning.

2. Qualitative methodologies will best suit my research as I want to understand ‘why’ the children progress as they do using student directed studies. This will be undertaken through interviews, notes, questionnaires and observations. The aim is to understand why the children have particular attitudes and thoughts about the way in which they are studying; this will lead to improved future planning on my part.

3. Control over variables will be difficult, however, this research is on a very small scale and although the children come from different ethnic groups they are part of the same establishment so there should be some degree of control over the variables.

4. “An action research project is usually restricted to improving one workgroup's practices within one organization.” Emerald. European Journal of Marketing, 2004. Volume, 34. Just as inter-organizational generalisation is difficult to quantify I feel that the research I am undertaking will also be difficult to generalise. The reason being that the process of learning is extremely individual, thus, each student will perform differently. However, Bassey described how small-scale practitioner research might be generalisable to people in a similar context.
 
5. The tests for truthfulness, reliability and validity that may be applied:-
The aim of trustworthiness in a qualitative inquiry is to support the argument that the inquiry’s findings are “worth paying attention to.” Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p.290. Good to hear but alongside my observations I will report on interviews, submit questionnaires and feedback forms completed by the children. The terms attainment record will also be documented and compared with last term’s.

6. There must be a mutual respect between the researcher and subject to facilitate a relaxed and confident environment to work in. If the subject is hesitant, or disinterested, then they will not perform to the best of their ability and the results will be unreliable. Both researcher and subject must be involved in the area I have chosen to research as I must learn from, and understand, the students’ experiences in order to plan accordingly.

Needless to say, all comments welcome!

Laura

A good overview of your methodology - don't forget to keep in mind the purpose of the research and attribute other's thinking. Number 6 - this could be a challenge if students are not interested in the subject matter, but you seem to be aware of the difficulties. Good luck. Alison

Thanks Alison,

Have now posted draft Methodology of AR and Justification

Hope you and Ian will comment.

Regards.

Hi Ian,

I ve began my lit review as I explained to you earlier I will do this unit during the hols. After reading for two weeks on this unit I am trying to get through the enormity of the task OR have I taken on too much unnecessarily for the purpose of my first action research module. As you know the title of my research is to ‘critically review the schools behaviour policy’, now so far I ve planned to write my lit review in three main sections.

1. Existing research (and there’s an ocean load of it)
2. Behaviour management strategies in class, by HOY and whole school,
3. Writing the behaviour policy (reviewing our current one and others from local schools and the net etc).

I feel swamped with the amount of material, two of the steer reports are over 300 pages long, and then all the other big organizations such as dcsf reports, naswut reports, teacher net etc including the books, the articles, I also have DVDS and Videos for the behaviour strategies.

Am I taking on too much – need some advice?

Nasima Menni

Namsima

If you are concerned about feeling swamped and taking on too much then perhaps you could focus on one aspect of the behaviour policy? Alison

Good work, you have justified your methodology - don't be afraid to be critical though. Discussions around the pros and cons shows that you are also aware of possible weaknesses . . . well done.

Thanks for your reply - The aim of my research to look at our schools behaviour policy and see how the whole thing can be improved - So please can you expand on what you mean by taking on one aspect.

Nasima Menni

You are being swamped by the amount of behaviour material- yes its a big field. Alison suggest that you select some specific aspects that are relvant.

It's advice- you can take it or find alternatives. In the end you have to pass the module by selecting what you can do in a 60 credit - year long module.


perhaps it will help if you separated in your mind the practical work from the research/MA.

The policy development you mention is practice.

For the MA we need you to show your knowledge of the key works in the field. Alison is suggesting that the MA aspect might slect out a few specific themes or aspects. It could be for examples 1. rewards 2 sanctions and 3. Consistency.


But there are many other aspects you could decide on focusing on


I hope this helps

I've done more reading and notes and hope this outline's OK. I'd appreciate any comments - sorry its probably a bit long.
Context:
By evaluating how other SENCOs are using/implementing/interpreting/experiencing the CAF, it is hoped that the research will shed light on anything that might help with the implementation of the CAF within the context of a particular borough. As the research is small-scale and the set of circumstances will be unique it won’t be occurring in the same way in another borough. The research will take place in different contexts and institutions in one borough.

Socially constructed ideas are apparent in my research
The research will try to reflect how SENCOs are meeting the requirements in their contexts. It is based on how they see the implementation of the CAF in their world and how they are trying to do this. There is social construction in that the research is dealing with perceptual data and attitudes portraying multiple perspectives in different contexts.
.
What methodology best fits the context and scale of my research
The over-arching choice of methodology needs to be linked to its ‘fitness for purpose’ as stated by Cohen Manion and Morrison (2007 p.149)
A qualitative methodology is the best approach for the research as inherent within the research question are many variables that would be too difficult to quantify. The aim is to provide illumination and ‘thick description’. A case study approach will be the focus by interviewing 4 SENCOs with the aim as Brock-Utne states (1996)… ‘that qualitative research, being holistic, strives to record the multiple interpretations of, intention in and meanings given to situations and events. (Cohen Manion and Morrison) p.149

How much control over variables do I have
There is no reliable control over the variables as there are so many. For meeting the purposes of the research question the most important aim is to gain illuminative information. Through the methodology/methods some interconnectedness and patterns might emerge and inferences might be drawn from these.
I assume certain givens in that all SENCOs are qualified and therefore have some expertise and that they will have some understanding of the purpose of a CAF

How can I generalise the research to other cases
Generally, other schools in similar contexts will recognise the responses made to a similar situation.
As the interviewees will be purposefully selected for experience they will not be representative of all the SENCOs in the study. The purpose is to provide insight and therefore it is necessary to select purposefully. This means that it will be ‘unique’ experiences and cannot be generalisable to other situations in a scientific sense.

What tests for truthfulness, reliability and validity can be applied?
Whilst it is an advantage in this research to be part of the situation in having a full understanding of the issues from within, there is also the need to acknowledge that the possibility of bias cannot be totally eliminated from any qualitative research. This means having to maintain the integrity of the work by being able to identify and acknowledge any bias and then work hard to ensure it does not contaminate the findings through methods or analysis. There is a need to be open-minded and critical of all opinions and be open to other interpretations. A systematic and considered approach should help with reliability. It must be acknowledged that embedded within the nature of this research is that the exact research cannot be repeated in a “scientific” way as there will be different people or different authorities and the results are unlikely to come out exactly the same elsewhere. Some of the truthfulness and validity will come from other practitioners recognising its authenticity when provided with the summary and feedback at the end of the research.
Triangulation methods in the form of a questionnaire will be used to see if what is said by the interviewees is echoed in the other SENCOs’ responses, whilst acknowledging the limits of illuminative information that can be gathered from this method, some elements of repetition could be significant and useful for increasing truthfulness and validity.
It will be for the respondents and others to judge or use what might come from the findings for their usefulness.
My interpretation of findings will need to minimise any subjectivity by being logical and objective as well as self-aware at all times by questioning and fully analysing any inferences made and in that way try to be balanced and fair by seeing all possibilities.

Involvement between researcher and subjects.
When interviewing and carrying out the questionnaire I must respect confidentiality and ethics issues. The subjects will benefit from what is discovered and that might be used to help in their own contexts. It could also be useful at a borough/policy level. I must also be sensitive to a political dimension within the subject matter. I will not be generating theory but the emphasis is more upon description as evaluation.

p.46 Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2007) - Research methods in Education

Thank you for sharing this - it will be very useful to others in the group. You have responded to each suggested heading and this is a sound way of meeting the needs of this section.

Hi Ian/Gina
These are some of the variables that I think will influence my findings. is this info relevant?
• Hawthorne effect
‘’ Hawthorne effect refers to situation where subjects’ awareness of being in an experimental group motivates them to perform better’’ p.110 Mugenda & Mugenda (1999)
It is important to inform the students about my intentions though I will keep this to the bare minimum to reduce the Hawthorne effect.
• Pygmalion effect
The research findings may also be affected by the Pygmalion effect in which the subjects may want to perform better in order to match the researcher’s expectations. The learners may want to please the teachers hence will not give the true picture of their ability.
• Halo effect
This is a situation in which the researcher’s ratings will be influenced by their initial impression of the subject. I know the teachers can be biased towards a certain subject but this would be dealt with by using standardized tests.

Wow!

This is great stuff and is very relevant. You should discuss in the methodology and methods/procedures section how you will attaempt to gurad against these effcets. In the results section you should have a self evaluative and self critical section in which you again look at these effcets and assess how much they may have affected your data.

Hi All,

Just had a fortnight off and managed to get the shockingly late lit review completed and a prof autobiography. I have completed all reserach Questioannaires and am now attemtping to get back to the published timeline.STill behind but not nearly as bad now. Good luck all.
Lisa

Great stuff. Plenty of time to catch up.

My study is about whether the regular use of a success criteria improves the standards in boys writing. I have been reading about the different research methods that researchers can use to retrieve information but I think I would like to use one method for my study. I would like to hand out questionnaires to the children. But Im afraid this is not enough. Help!

Hi all- my query is this: Kinds of Data- Survey responses, OFSTED report data, and ? ( Any help with further triangulation needed!)

and my methodology thinking so far this:
Methodology
The need for this research is the national and local context and should hopefully impact on me, my practice, and hopefully the LAs I’m working with by informing them- also providing further research and adding to a body of evidence for perhaps Ofsted, DCSF and others. See below.
Contributing to a Form of Knowledge: Practitioner Knowledge:
I am trying to create the kind of knowledge that would be useful to colleagues and practitioners in general in schools and LAs.
Asking what primary leaders understanding of community cohesion is reveals a perception of the situation from which suggestions for improving it ( if it needs it!) can be made. These could be taken further by others as recommendations, or as the basis for future research.
The research is unlikely to reveal bigger issues for all schools as it has a local context. By self-selecting whether to participate in the survey, only a selection of responses would have been gathered. These cannot be assumed to be truly representative, as I mentioned before, schools (individual respondents) may have felt that that had a weak grasp of community cohesion and this ‘perceived inadequacy’ may have affected their choice to participate or not. Therefore, I may only have confident respondents replies.

Tests for Truthfulness Reliable and Validity
The research could be repeated in other schools/areas/phases, although naturally the outcomes will be very different.
The intention is to research what the current state of play is in local primary schools, and to provide a clearer picture for myself and in my work, to feed into LA work and to and for schools themselves, and to gather information and ideas how the situation could be improved, by gathering ideas for CPD for example, if necessary.
Participants responses could be truthful and as they see fit, however, they are personal views and cannot really represent the state of affairs in the entire school- another persons response might be quite different. Equally and importantly schools are all unique institutions- so this research can only give a picture of what its like. Responses reveal beliefs, attitudes and values- my interpretation of the survey will also do the same. It is not the same as observational evidence, for example.

Beliefs and Values
My beliefs and values undoubtedly impacted on the entire design of my study and later my interpretation of the results. My professional autobiography reveals this, and has strong (political, according to Alison ☺ ) influences and beliefs. I do not deny this and see it as preferable to declare them.

The Importance of Context
I have undertaken a rather ambitious piece of research surveying primary schools in two London Boroughs. These two boroughs are neighboring and share similarities in that both have strong East/West socio economic divides where the east of each borough is socially more deprived while the west has relatively mixed but far more affluent schools and neighbourhoods. Both are North London borough but Haringey is considered to have more ‘inner city’ characteristics.

Interpretavist Tradition: Dealing with Perceptions in a Socially Constructed World
I am trying to show or represent the voices of the schools who have participated in this research to build up a picture of how it is and how things can be improved. As such, it could be considered naturalistic as I am trying to represent what it seems to be- it is socially constructed.

The methodology of research for my study is Naturalistic or Interpretative Research although the data collection and coding, to be done yet, is more quantitative and scientific. This seems to be most suitable best fit as it fulfils the assumptions (in Ian’s TWO PARADIGMS OF RESEARCH ON TEACHING :

Reality is socially constructed
• There are many truths and many meanings to one event
• Variables are complex, interconnected and difficult to measure or control.
• Roots are in sociology, linguistics, and anthropology
• Research is inherently subjective

It is scientific as I am hoping to be able to measure and count responses- although the answers are interpretations.

Likewise, the goals fit with my research- eg
• To understand reality from the subjects’ or insiders’ perspectives and contexts (the actors)
• To understand the significance of differences in various contexts

Variables:
The individuals responding are variables- I could have requested only head teachers to respond or only EMA managers- I thought it was important to allow the person responsible for community cohesion to be allowed to respond- and this was a variety of people in each unique context.

Involvement
I am involved as a researcher and less so a practitioner in schools themselves. I hope that the research will be useful to practitioners and will be available for policy makers and other academics. This has implications for power relationships which I have been highly aware of since the planning stage- as an employee of the LA working in school standards and improvement, my professional position is one of belonging to ‘the Authority’ which might be perceived as being in a more of different perception of power. I was aware of this when designing the questions in particular, so that participants did not think there was judgment being passed, and I was careful to include confidentiality information as part of the ethics. It was also very important to make sure that anonymity could be assured by providing ways to respond in complete anonymity. Only a handful chose to do this.

Timing of the research was also important for response rate. Research by the University of Surrey suggests that timing is a major factor in response rates for school participants. ( This refers to mainly DCSF research)

    ‘Qualitative interviews with Head teachers in schools …indicate that schools are now receiving very large numbers of requests to participate in research. In deciding whether to agree to such requests, Head teachers mainly focus on the relevance and benefit of participating to their particular school.

A small probability survey of schools in England and Wales confirms the general
picture to emerge from the qualitative interviews; schools feel ‘over-surveyed’,
believe that educational research is poorly coordinated, is often of no relevance or
benefit to pupils, and requires scarce time and resource.

Some schools felt that the follow up letters and phone calls requesting
participation were patronising and irritating. This was particularly so when the
head teacher had made a carefully considered decision not to participate’

Are we to plan these seperately for the dissertation?

Good stuff.

I was interested to see that in Lisa's area of "social cohesion" there is no well defined consensus about hat it is, and how to see "good" practice. Such definsitions and measures have been affceted by OFSTED , but unfortunately they have changed the minds and reduced the importnace of the "global dimension" part!

This is a good example of research in an area where the topic is socially constructed, politically infleunced, changes etc.

I would have thought a research journal (constantly) and observation would add to asking questions of children. You also have assessmnet data?

You are not "using success criteria" but giving feedback and setting criteria. You are setting, negotiating, explianing success criteria and then setting negotiating targets.It would help your reserarch to clarify how you "use success criteria with learners>