Conducting Educational Research

CHAPTER 1
Descriptive quantitative studies gather information about a group so that it is
easier to understand the nature of the group. The purpose of the study is not to
compare groups or to understand the impact of an intervention, but simply to have
a clearer picture of the characteristics of a group. As an example, you might want
to track changes in your school district’s yearly expenditures over time to understand
changing funding sources. In this case you are asking a descriptive question about
the group being studied and not comparing groups.
A form of descriptive research is survey research. As the name suggests,
survey research relies on answers to questions. Unlike qualitative descriptions, the
data collected in this type of design are quantitative. Those in the sample respond
to provided statements such as “choose from the following” or “rate on a scale
from one to five.” Typical data collection instruments include tests and questionnaires;
pencil and paper forms that the respondents can complete on their own (or via
telemarketers).
Qualitative categories. Qualitative research can be categorized in a myriad of
ways, but the main types typically are grounded theory, ethnography, case
study, phenomenology, and historical research. (See Figure 1-5) In a grounded
theory approach, the purpose is to collect and analyze data with the intent of
coming up with a theory that explains the research situation. It is considered
“grounded” because it develops out of—or is grounded in—collected data. You
would use this approach when existing theories do not apply to your situation or
context and when studying new phenomena. You are basically trying to understand
a research situation; that is, what is happening and how those involved feel about
it. As an example, you may be interested in understanding why conflict exists
between parents of children in special education programs and school officials
or how to best integrate the use of interactive white boards in a classroom. For
grounded theory, the data collection and analysis process is an iterative cycle of
collecting information, identifying commonalities in the data, and verifying those
commonalities, narrowing the key components as you repeat the cycle. The
outcome is a potential theory that explains the relationship.
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• Grounded theory – generating a theory to understand a
problem/situation
• Ethnography – examines the “culture” of a group
• Case study – detailed account of an individual or group
• Phenomenology – looking at something through the eyes of those being
observed
• Historical Research – understand events that have already occurred
Figure 1-5. Selected types of qualitative research designs.
Another common qualitative approach is an ethnography. In an ethnography,
you are interested in studying the “culture” of a group. You might examine how
a group is formed, how the members interact, and what type of interactions occur.