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Research

Action Research

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Action Research is an ongoing systemic examination led by educator/instructional designers to gather information about how their specific school, class, and education operates. Examination of how they teach and how their students, employees, or faculty learn. Action Research is designed to obtain knowledge that can be applied directly to their situation. Action Research consists of four stages: planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. Action research is designed to be cyclical and repetitious.

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Planning Stage – Identify the topic, gather information, review related literature, and develop a research plan

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Acting Stage – Collect data and analyze data

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Developing Stage – develop action plan

 

Reflecting Stage – share results, reflect on the process

Traditional Research

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Traditional Research was the main research method and often generalization about a concern or problem. Typically, this type of research is similar to the scientific method.

 

  • Find the problem

  • Form a question

  • Predict response to question (hypothesis)

  • Perform experiments to verify if data supports hypothesis

 

Typically, a comprehensive written report is made base on data and provides a resolution to the problem.

Quantitative Data​

Quantitative data is information that can be measured and written in numbers. It shows how much, how many, or how often something happens. Examples include things like age, height, weight, time, or test scores. Since it is numerical, this type of data can be counted, compared, and shown in graphs or charts to help us understand patterns or differences.

Example

In a soccer training mobile app, quantitative data could include the number of training sessions completed each week, the total minutes spent practicing, the distance a player runs during drills, the number of goals scored in practice games, or performance scores from fitness tests. This numerical data can then be tracked, compared over time, and displayed in charts or progress reports within the app.

Qualitative Data​

Qualitative data are descriptive in nature and are typically expressed in words. They are often gathered through methods such as observations, interviews, journals, or by analyzing existing documents and records. They are commonly collected using methods such as observations (which may be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured), interviews (often semi-structured or open-ended), personal journals, as well as existing documents and records.

Example

In a soccer training mobile app, qualitative data might be collected through player feedback journals where athletes describe their training experiences, open-ended interviews with players about challenges they face, observations of how they interact with training drills (structured or unstructured), or by reviewing existing records such as coach notes and performance reports stored in the app.

Mixed Methods

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Mixed methods research combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches within a single study. It involves collecting and analyzing numerical data alongside descriptive, narrative data to provide a more complete understanding of the research topic.

ETEC 5430 - Inquiry of Instructional Technology and Learning I

Reflection

In ETEC 5430 my team and I examined the effectiveness of a collaborative teaching technique by the name of Jigsaw in a distance learning environment. This technique is designed for students to work collaboratively on an assignment and be able to teach the topic/assignment to their fellow classmates. Due to COVID-19 many schools have had to resort to class being online. Unfortunately, we were unable to conduct an action research study and had to do a traditional research study. There was still much to learn during our process of this study. We developed a few research questions aiming to discover whether or not the jigsaw technique is effective in a distance learning class. We were able to survey 40+ secondary school teachers their perspective of the effectiveness of this strategy. The data was analyzed, and the results were not really in favor of this strategy being effective, due to the lack of technological resources and training. The research of this topic definitely needs to be conducted after a period of time because of recent events, many teachers haven’t been able to work out the kinks necessary to really determine if this technique is effect. Many of the teachers surveyed are conducting online classes for the first time.

During my time in ETEC 5430 I had the opportunity to work on a research topic that was interesting to me. I learned the difference between action research and traditional research. Action research is geared as an ongoing examination of how one teaches and how one learns. It is designed to obtain knowledge that can be applied directly to their situation. Traditional research is geared more towards a generalization about a concern or problem. After the research is done it provides a resolution to the problem. This class was geared more towards action research but unfortunately my team and I were unable to accomplish this due to accessibility. So, we performed a traditional research project focused on collaborative work for students in an e-learning environment and its effectiveness. We decided to focus on a specific teaching strategy known as jigsaw. The jigsaw strategy is a collaborative work strategy that requires students to study a specific topic and be able to teach their other classmates the material. The overall conclusion was surprising to me because it seemed as though it wasn’t the most effective strategy to use. There were many contributing factors and technology is one of them. This helped me realize how important instructional design and technology is going to be much more popular in the near future.

ETEC 6430 - Inquiry of Instructional Technology and Learning II

Reflection

In ETEC 6430 I planned to explore how mobile apps might enhance motivation, engagement, and performance among high school soccer players. I chose a quantitative design to be able to collect measurable data through surveys, engagement logs, and performance tests, comparing one group using a training app (Train Effective Soccer Academy App) to another training independently. Although I wasn't able to conduct the experiment, the planning process helped me understand how a quasi-experimental design could be used in a real-world setting. I considered key factors like minimizing bias, using pre/post testing, and ensuring ethical protections such as informed consent and confidentiality. Reviewing related literature showed strong potential for technology in sports training, and focusing specifically on soccer made the study more relevant. Overall, this experience deepened my understanding of research design and prepared me for conducting similar studies in the future.

References

  • Mertler, C. A. (2023). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Shane McCormick

e-Portfolio

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