This document discusses research in education. It outlines several key points: 1. Research is important for teachers as both consumers of research to inform their teaching practices, and as researchers themselves to study their classrooms. 2. The scientific method provides a framework for conducting valid research through identifying problems, forming hypotheses, collecting data, drawing conclusions, and applying findings. 3. Various research designs are described, including case studies, correlational studies, experiments, naturalistic observations, longitudinal studies, and more. 4. Data collection techniques involve observation, tests, interviews, questionnaires, and life histories. 5. Research ethics regarding subjects like informed consent and confidentiality are important to consider. 6

2. Activity
Read each statement below. Do you agree/disagree with each statement? Put a check
mark (✔) to indicate your answer.
YES NO
1. Research is only for those who plan to take master’s degree or
doctorate degrees.
2. Research is easy to do.
3. Research is all about giving questionnaires and tallying the responses.
4. Research with one or two respondents is not a valid research.
5. Teacher, because they are busy in their classrooms, are expected to use
existing research rather the conduct their own research in the classroom.
6. There is no need to go into research because a lot of researches have
already been conducted.
7. Students are mere users of knowledge arrived at by research. It is not
their task to conduct research.
8. Students do not possess the qualifications to conduct research.
9. It is not worth conducting research considering the time and money it
requires.

3. Teachers as Consumers/End Users of Research
Research enables teachers to come up with
informed decision on what to teach and how to
teach. This involves decisions related to educational
policies, curriculum, effective teaching-learning
process, and even those involving research, too.

4. Teachers as Researchers
The conduct of research does not only belong to
thesis and dissertation writers. It is for students and
teachers, too.

5. The Scientific Method
One important principle of research is adherence to
the scientific method, since research is a systematic
and logical process.
5 steps of the Scientific Method. (John Dewey)
1. Identify and define the problem
2. Determine the hypothesis
3. Collect and analyze data
4. Formulate conclusions
5. Apply conclusions to the original hypothesis

6. Research Design:
1. Case Study
Description: An in-depth look at an individual
Strengths: It provides information about an individual’s
fears, hopes, fantasies, traumatic experiences,
upbringing, family relationship, health, and anything
that helps a psychologist understand that person’s
development.
Weaknesses: Need to exercise caution when generalizing
from the information; the subject of a case study is
unique, with a genetic make-up and experiences no
one else shares; involves judgments of unknown
reliability, in that usually no check is made to see if
other psychologists agree with other observations.

7. 2. Correlational Study
Description: A research design that determines
association.
Strengths: Useful because the more strongly two
events are correlated, the more we can predict one
from the other.
Weaknesses: Because correlational research does not
involve the manipulation of factors, it is not a
dependable way to isolate cause.

8. 3. Experimental
Description: A research design that determines cause-
and-effect relationships.
Strengths: The only true reliable method of
establishing cause and effect.
Weaknesses: Experimental research is limited to what
is observable, testable, and manipulable.

9. 4. Naturalistic Observation
Description: A research design that focuses on
children’s experiences in natural settings.
Strengths: One of the advantages of this type of
research is that it allows the researcher to directly
observe the subject in a natural setting.
Weaknesses: The disadvantages of naturalistic
observation include the fact that it can be difficult to
determine the exact cause of behavior and the
experimenter cannot control outside variables.

10. 5. Longitudinal
Description: This research design studies and follows
through a single group over a period of time.
Strengths: Allows them to record and monitor
development trends.
Weaknesses: they are expensive and time-consuming.

11. 6. Cross-sectional
Description: A research strategy in which individuals of
different ages are compare at one time.
Strengths: Allows them to record and monitor
developmental trends.
Weaknesses: It gives no information about how
individuals change or about the stability of their
characteristics.

12. 7. Sequential
Description: This is the combined cross-sectional and
longitudinal approaches to learn about lifespan
development.
Strengths: It provides information to obtain from cross-
sectional or longitudinal approaches.
Weaknesses: it is complex, expensive, and time
consuming.

13. 8. Action Research
Description: Action research is a reflective process of
progressive problem-solving led by individuals
working with others in teams or as part of a “
community of practice” to improve the way they
address issues and solve problems.
Strengths: Appropriate in a particular setting when the
purpose of study is to “to create changes and gain
information on processes and outcome of the
strategies used”.
Weaknesses: typically take place in one organisation
only at a particular time and could not be interpreted
within different organisations in the same way.
Therefore, research findings are hard to generalize.

14. Data-Gathering Techniques
1. Observation
Observations can be made in either laboratory or
materialistic settings. In naturalistic observation,
behavior is observed in the real world like
classroom, home in neighborhood.
2. Psychological Measures
Certain indicators of children’s development such
as, among others, heart rate, hormonal levels,
bone growth, body weight, and brain activity are
measured.

15. 3. Standardized Tests
These are prepared tests that assess individuals’ performance in
different domains. These tests are administered in a consistent
manner.
4. Interviews and Questionnaires
Involves asking the participants to provide information about
themselves based on the interview or questionnaire given by the
researchers.
Gathering of data may be conducted through a printed questionnaire,
over the telephone, by mail, in person, or on-line.
Information is obtained by utilizing standardized procedures so that
every participant is asked the same questions in the same manner. It
entails asking participants for information in some structured format.

16. 5. Life-History Records
These are records of information about a lifetime
chronology of events and activities. They often
involve a combination of data records on education,
work, family, and residence. These include public
records or historical documents or interviews with
respondent.

17. Ethical Principles
Ethical principles provide a generalized framework within
which particular ethical dilemmas may be analyzed.
Details of these ethical principles are found in documents:
1. Ethical standards of the American Educational
Research Association
2. Ethical Standards for Research with Children – Society
for Research in Child Development
3. Standards of the American Psychological Association
Concerning Research

18. The following consideration for researches conducted
with young children and other vulnerable population -
National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC).
Some key points are:
1. Research procedures must never harm children,
physically or psychologically.
2. Children and their families have the right to full
information about the research in which they may
participate, including possible risks and benefits. Their
decision to participate must be based on what is called
“informed consent”.

19. 3. Children’s questions about the research should be
answered in a truthful manner and in ways that
children can understand.
4. There should be respect for privacy. Information
obtained through research with children should
remain confidential.

20. Impact of Teachers’ Research Involvement
on Teachers
1. Teachers who have been involved in research may
become more reflective, more critical and analytical in
their teaching, and more open and committed to
professional development (Oja & Pine 1989; Herson
1996; Keyes 2000; Rust 2007).
2. Participating in teacher research also helps teachers
become more deliberate in their decision-making and
actions in the classroom.

21. 3. Teacher research develops the professional dispositions
of lifelong learning, reflective and mindful teaching, and
self-transformation (Mills 2000; Stringer 2007).
4. Engaging in teaching research at any level may lead to
rethinking and reconstructing what it means to be a
teacher or teacher educator and, consequently, the way
teachers relate to children and students.
5. Teacher research has the potential to demonstrate to
teachers and prospective teachers that learning to teach
is inherently connected to learning to inquire (Borko et al.
2007)