A Self-Guided Tour for the Educational Practitioner

1
A Self-Guided Tour for the Educational
Practitioner
Produced by Dana Hall, OCDSB
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Some Friendly First Thoughts

• To copy from one is plagiarismto copy from many
  is research! --Comedian Steve Wright

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• Weve all had to research something at one point
• it wasnt always fun
• sometimes it was hard to get started
• ... sometimes it seemed like there was too much
  information
• but we all got through it and maybe even learned
  a thing or two!

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• The difference between then and now is that
  instead of trying to please a teacher or
  professor, we want to improve something in our
  classrooms and schools.
• We want to make sure that the work we do for our
  kids is of excellent quality--they deserve no
  less!

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Research Is

• The primary goal of research is to establish
  theoretical structures by means of which
  observable phenomena can be described, explained,
  predicted or controlled.
• (Humphries, 2000)
• Ultimately, all research (even purely theoretical
  research) leads us to the point where we can
  improve something. Even if we only read the
  research of others, it is still assumed that
  improvement of something is our goal.

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• For principles and teachers, research topics can
  spring out of everyday events and routines.
• The researcher has to shape the general topic
  into a specific hypothesis that can be verified.

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OKI have a lot of ideaswhere do I start?

• There are a couple of things that need to be
  sorted through in the beginning stages
• Background Work
• Generating a Specific Hypothesis
• Developing a Method

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The Research Project An Overview
9
Remember the Science Lab?

• A good research project is much like a good
  science report.
• It may begin with a moment of inspiration, a
  question or curiosity, or there may be a specific
  problem given to you to explore. Regardless, the
  researcher has to shape the general topic into a
  specific hypothesis that can be verified.

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• In order to create that specific hypothesis, the
  researcher needs to do some background work.
• Background work usually includes reviewing a
  variety of literature
• a) to prevent repetition of already known facts
• b) to build on the work of others and
• c) to help the researcher develop an effective
  methodology

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Sources of Literature

• Literature can be be formal (empirical) or
  informal (non-empirical).
• Informal literature tends to be non-academic. As
  such, it may need to be used judiciously, but
  this does not prevent it from being valuable.
  Magazines and newspaper articles, for example,
  often help establish context. They may help the
  researcher clarify his or her own thinking.
  Specific data cited in informal sources may be
  questionable, however.

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• The Peer-Reviewed Journal is the hallmark of
  formal literature.
• Simply put, peer-reviewed literature has been
  examined and scrutinized by other experts in the
  field for validity, significance, originality and
  clarity.

http//www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/ShortPeerR
eviewGuide.pdf
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Contents of the next group of slides

• Explaining validity, significance, originality
  and clarity
• Segue A more detailed look at Validity and
  Reliability
• Why Validity and Reliability are Important
• The Different Types of Research
• Getting Back to Developing the Hypothesis

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• Validity means that the results are credible and
  the most appropriate methodology was used. (see
  next slide for an elaboration or skip if desired)
• The work needs to be important. Some areas of
  research target very small populations. That
  doesnt mean the information isnt generalizable
  to other situations or provide useful background
  information for other projects. But some work is
  just plain meaningless!
• A researcher must give proper credit to others
  for their work. He or she must be able to prove
  that his or her interpretations of others work
  is accurate. Background research or replication
  of data must be separated from the researchers
  own original work.
• The work presented must be clear enough that it
  will not be misinterpreted by others in the
  future.

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Segue Validity and Reliability

• In statistics, there are two important concepts
  called validity and reliability.
• Prior to 1985, Validity was understood to be that
  the test actually measured what it claimed to
  measure. This definition was the one taught to
  many people who are currently employed in
  education, and it is still somewhat useful. But
  in 1985, The American Psychological Association
  (APA), The American Educational Research
  Association and the National Council on
  Measurement in Education defined validity as the
  appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness
  of the specific inferences made from test
  scoresThe inferences regarding specific uses of
  a test are validated, not the test itself. (in
  Crowl, 1996, p. 110).
• In other words, the researcher creates a design
  for a specific group and for a specific purpose.
  His or her results, if valid, permit inferences
  to be made about that group. (in Crowl, 1996, p.
  102).

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• Reliability means that the method used to measure
  something (e.g., a test) is consistent.
• If you gave a group of people a test, erased
  their memories and gave them the same test, they
  would get the same results-- every time. (in
  Crowl, 1996, p. 102).
• There are many ways to test for reliability.
• Caution
• The novice researcher often creates his or her
  own customized test. When conducting research,
  there is the risk that this test will not provide
  a consistent measure.

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Why is this important?

• Consider a math test that has a lot of word
  problems. Under certain circumstances, this test
  may not be a valid means for assessing math
  skills, particularly among student with language
  difficulties. The test itself might be reliable
  however. (in Crowl, 1996, pp. 102-03).
• Any test that allows the researcher to draw
  appropriate inferences (i.e., it is valid) must
  logically be consistent, and therefore reliable.

(in Crowl, 1996, pp. 102-03).
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OK, OK, but were talking about a grade 5
class.I mean, really

• Most people willingly accept the need for
  thorough testing when it comes to health care or
  new medicines.
• Unfortunately, there is a tendency among teachers
  to downplay new research findings as just
  another new initiative to worry about
• Teachers often report that Ministry or board
  research is too theoretical and doesnt apply to
  authentic classroom settings. Educational experts
  doubt the teachers abilities to do research
  properly. (Lagemann, 2000)

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Solution Know Thine Own Knowledge

• Caveat
• The more we know about research, the more we are
  prepared to engage in it for ourselves, and the
  better we are at scrutinizing the work of others.

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Types of Research
McMillan, 2000, pp 9-14)

• Research is divided intro three broad types
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Mixed Measures.
• Each has certain advantages and disadvantages.
• Each requires a different skill set on the part
  of the researcher.

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• It is also important to know what the findings
  are to be used for.
• Another way of classifying research is based on
  the four functions of research
• Basic
• Applied
• Action
• Evaluation

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Quantitative

• Emphasizes numbers, measurements, deductive
  logic, control, experimentation the hard facts
• Often seen in clinical or laboratory situations
• If non-experimental, then it tends to focus on
  describing existing patterns and relationships,
  or on making comparisons.
• If experimental, then the researcher can control
  one or more variables and then draw conclusions
  about what happened.

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Qualitative

• Emphasizes natural settings, the importance of
  point-of-view and long-term concepts or
  models..
• Intention is to observe and record things as
  realistically as possible.
• Phenomenology tries to understand the essence of
  something ethnography describes a cultural or
  sociological process grounded theory applies
  theory to an existing environment and case
  studies focus in-depth on a particular situation
  with a very specific context.

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Mixed Measures Research

• With increasing acceptance of qualitative
  methods, it would seem a natural next-step for
  qualitative and quantitative methods to be
  combined.

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• Mixed Methods were somewhat slow to catch on
• researcher needs expertise in both areas
• Education and Educational Psychology have lead
  the way in Mixed Measures research
• There are at least 10 advantages to using a mixed
  method. (see Zazie, et al, 2004, pp 9-13)

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• 1. Triangulation In the same way that navigators
  and surveyors use the intersect of two different
  lines to pinpoint a location, researchers can use
  both quantitative and qualitative methods. Each
  method may bring different strengths and
  weaknesses, but if they yield the same results,
  then the researcher can feel confident that he or
  she has pinpointed accurately.
• 2. Pick-Me-Up Justification If a study of one
  type provides unexpected or difficult to explain
  results, then data from the opposing viewpoint
  might offer a plausible explanation or, equally
  importantly, it might confirm that the project is
  flawed. A standardized questionnaire followed by
  more in-depth interviews is a common way to mix
  the methods. If the questionnaire yields
  surprising results, the interview may explain
  why, or it may confirm that the questionnaire was
  poorly designed.

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• 3. Using one method as a pilot study to help
  refine the actual study.
• 4. Mixing methods allows one to study the same
  phenomena but at different levels. For example,
  there might be a social/personal split,
  micro/macro, etc., .
• 5. Re-assessment of existing assumptions.
  Traditionally, a focus on quantitative research
  sometimes ran the risk of ignoring gender and
  race. Mixed methods forces the researcher to take
  a deeper look at the theories that have shaped or
  that arise from the work.

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• 6. Better interdisciplinary communication
• 7. Better communication between academics,
  practitioners and children and the community.
• 8. Exploiting methods. Each method can inform
  the other. Quantitative data, for example, often
  needs to be explained qualitatively.
• 9. Mixed methods help convince a hostile or
  reluctant audience. As in triangulation, when two
  different methods point to the same conclusion,
  it is easier to convince the skeptics.
• 10.Improvements in theory If two or more
  theories exist for the same phenomena, then
  obviously the problem hasnt been fully solved.
  More (and different) research needs to be done

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When to Use What Where

• Quantitative The clinical side of education.
• Looking for Causes
• Some examples
• studies involving cognition and memory
• the effects of Ritalin
• visual perception and textbook design

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When to Use What Where

• Qualitative The social side of education.
  Studies on interpersonal communication school
  culture and climate students responses to class
  dynamics, etc., .

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4 Functions of Research

• Basic Research develops, refines and advances
  theories.
• Applied Research builds on theory to improve the
  practice or solve a problem , often within the
  educational field. A psychological study on
  learning may lead to applied research on
  curriculum restructuring.
• Action Research is a specific type of applied
  research that focuses on a specific classroom or
  school problem.
• Evaluation research is used to make judgements
  during the decision-making process (e.g., which
  reading programme is best for our school).

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OKWhat were we talking about again?

• Understanding the types of methods and the
  purpose of research is essential for
• performing research
• judging its quality

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• Consider the following situation
• A teacher in Napanee picks up a magazine article
  and reads about a teacher in New York who has
  been doing something in her classroom that she
  claims is having wonderful results. The teacher
  in Napanee wonders whether she could do something
  similar and decides to try it out. She gets some
  mixed results. She is seeing some improvement, in
  some areas, but not consistently. As part of her
  plan for professional growth, she decides to
  engage in action research and study this problem
  more formally. She writes up her report a year
  later and the ALCDSB publishes it on their
  website. It might be a great project, but it
  might be flawed. What things need to be
  considered in judging the quality of her work?

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• Ethnography. Did the teacher begin with false
  assumptions. Could the NY and Napanee schools be
  so different culturally, economically,
  sociologically, organizationally, etc., as to
  make the New Yorks report non-generalizable?
• Was the teacher in New York honest? Was the
  article published as a human interest story, or
  was there really a project in place.
• Assuming there was an effort to study this
  formally, and assuming the teacher had only good
  intentions, is it possible she saw what she
  wanted to see

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• Assuming there was a method of evaluating her
  success, was it the right method and did she have
  sufficient knowledge to use it?
• Assuming she had had carefully considered her
  methodology, did she make an effort to interpret
  her results in light of existing theory?

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StopYoure Scaring Me Off!!!!

• Isnt it enough that a teacher saw potential in
  something, tried it, observed some improvement
  and then began a way to try and improve it some
  more. If we get so hung up on all this research
  theory, well never get any research going.!

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Yesand No...

• Experts agree that educational change takes about
  three years to implement and that during those
  three years, change can be difficult and create
  tension. (Fullan, 2000a)
• If the purpose of doing and/or reading research
  is to improve, then there is a need to analyze
  information carefully

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• Our teacher in Napanee is not wrong for wanting
  to try something new, and she is to be commended
  for trying to follow-it through for a long term.
• But when it comes to engaging in research, or
  sharing research, a bit of homework in the first
  place can save time in the long-run can
  increase the quality and usefulness of the
  material can reduce the difficulties associated
  with implementation and most importantly, it
  ethically reduces the risks for the students.
• What if our hypothetical teachers good
  intentions had failed? Would the students
  possibly be missing out on something important?
  All change involves risk, but there is a moral
  obligation to minimize risk for the sake of the
  childrens learning.

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The Good News

• Teachers already collect data, all the time,
  without recognizing that is has value outside of
  the classroom.
• Teachers often mix methods when it comes to
  evaluating students. Lets hear it for
  Triangulation!
• With increasing technology, teachers use a
  variety of information-gathering tools such as
  digital pictures, videos, electronic journals,
  etc., .
• Really, it is a matter of a little work now with
  a big payoff later!

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Getting Back To Hypothesis Generation
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Combining Interest with Feasibility
See Slideshow Notes re references

• Start with a topic or a general area that is
  distinct, such as giftedness or Early French
  Immersion.
• Make sure that you have a genuine interest in the
  topic
• Limit your selection of topics to ones that,
  given your resources, etc., could actually be
  investigated
• Focus on your participants. Who do you have
  access to? And remember, educational research is
  not limited to classrooms. Parents,
  administration, colleges and universities,
  federations, etc., all play a role in the
  educational process.

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Gradually Narrowing a Topic

• Dont just jump into a specific research
  question.
• Explore existing research while still in the
  general topic area of developing the research
  project. Although having many possibilities is
  sometimes confusing, it is better to be
  knowledgeable about the topic as a whole.

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General Topic Student attitudes Possible
narrower topics related to "Student
attitudes" a. Students' attitudes toward
school b. Students' attitudes toward an academic
subject c. Students' attitudes toward disabled
classmates Possible narrower topics related to
"Student attitudes toward school" a. Ninth
graders' attitudes toward school b. Community
college students' attitudes toward school c.
Graduate students' attitudes toward
school Possible narrower topics related to
'Ninth graders' attitudes toward school" a.
Ninth graders' attitudes toward school as a
function of type of school b. Ninth graders'
attitudes toward school as a function of
gender c. Ninth graders' attitudes toward school
as a function of grade point average Possible
questions related to "Ninth graders' attitudes
toward school as a function of type of
school" a. Do ninth graders attending a junior
high school have different attitudes toward
school than ninth graders attending a senior high
school? b. Do ninth graders attending a
vocational high school have different
attitudes toward school than ninth graders
attending an academic high school'? c. Do
ninth graders attending a parochial school have
different attitudes toward school than ninth
graders attending a public
school? (cited verbatim from Crowl, 1996, p 29)
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Generating a Researchable Topic from a Published
Study

• Quality Research often concludes with a section
  on For Further Research
• Sometimes changing the population of existing
  research yields a new study (grade 9 to grade 6)
• Sometimes changing the variables of existing
  research yields a new study (e.g., attitudes to
  self-concept)

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Pseudohypotheses and Hypotheses

• Pseudohypotheses stem from value judgements such
  as Balanced Literacy makes better readers or that
  it is good for students to be read to.
• Pseudohypotheses may make sense intuitively, but
  cannot be tested empirically. Historically, many
  common sense ideas have been found to be
  completely untrue.

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• Hypotheses are usually stated in the form of a
  prediction.
• A hypothesis should stem from the literature
  review, regardless of the researchers personal
  view. For example, a teacher believes A is better
  than B, even though the research says B is
  better. The hypothesis should predict B will do
  better regardless of the researchers interest.
• Hypotheses use clearly defined variables. Other
  researchers may agree or disagree with the
  definitions, but at least they are clear.

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• Pseudohypothesis Integrating hands-on technology
  within science lessons is good for the students.
• Why?Its an opinion and it lacks focus!
• Appropriate for different learning styles?
• Career preparation?
• Reduced gender-role stereotyping?
• Which students?
• Be Specific!
• Hypothesis Intermediate students who receive
  science instruction with hands-on technologies
  will exhibit better career preparation skills
  according to the name of index and/or will
  exhibit significantly less gender-role
  stereotyping behaviour than students who are
  taught only the academic material.

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A Brief Word About Sampling

• Researcher strives to have an unbiased
  representation of the population
• Simple random sampling
• each member of the population had an equal chance
  of being selected. (Crowl, 1996, p.9)
• Cluster sampling
• is random sampling that progressively narrows
  down the subjects (e.g., from Districts to Middle
  Schools to schools with EFI, etc., .

Crowl, 1996, p.97
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Sampling contd

• Systematic sampling
• Looking at numbers
• e.g., there are 200 possible subjects
• 50 are needed
• 200/50 4
• pick every 4th students
• Stratified sampling
• when different populations vary drastically in
  size

Crowl, 1996, p.97
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How do I Know If I have Enough Participants

• There is no definitive minimum number!
• Best guideline is that the greater the sample
  size, the more credible the data collected
• Education is full of exceptions
• e.g., Special Education classes, by nature, tend
  to be smaller, so smaller sample size is
  the norm

Crowl, 1996, p.97
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Sample Size

• Group Comparisons
• Aim for a minimum of 15 per group
• Correlational studies
• Aim for at least 30 participants

Crowl, 1996, p.97
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Summing Up
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The Research Project An Overview
54
Criteria for Judging Quality of
Researchexcerpted from The University of North
Carolina http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria
.php

• Quality of conception
• Is there a Theoretical Base?
• Are the research question(s) specific and clear?
• Can the research questions be investigated
• How well did the research investigate and answer
  these questions?

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• The research base
• Is there a research base for the project under
  consideration?
• We often assume that the advice of experts is
  based on the research that they and others have
  conducted. Very often, though, no data are
  involved the authors are simply giving their
  opinions and positions, or citing other experts,
  in a kind of endless loop, giving the appearance
  that there is a substantial body of empirical
  findings.
• What is the quality of the studies making up the
  research base?
• Even though many studies may have investigated
  topics like the one that interests you, the
  quality of the evidence is still open to review
  and questioning. Poorly designed studies can
  result in unjustified claims of effectiveness
  that might not stand up to a more rigorous
  research method.
• How appropriate is the design? Did A cause B, or
  is there simply a pattern worth looking into
  further?
• The design of a study refers to built-in
  comparisons among intervention conditions. In
  experimental and quasi-experimental studies
  design refers to comparison of outcomes (e.g.
  achievement scores) of experimental and one or
  more control groups. Without the appropriate
  design a study cannot answer causal questions.
• Are intervention conditions clearly defined and
  documented?
• Completeness of description is important for
  several reasons.
• (1) A detailed understanding of an intervention
  (as well as control conditions!), can help you to
  form your own judgment about the meaning of
  research findings.
• (2) It can tell you whether the intervention is
  a viable, practical option for the schools you
  are concerned with.
• (3) In order for other researchers to replicate
  a study a detailed description is required.

Quoted from The University of North Carolina
http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria.php
56

• Was the sample size appropriate relative to the
  strength of the claim?
• Did the researcher describe the participants?
• How were participants identified and recruited
  and assigned to groups?
• Was ethnography and demography a factor? Was it
  reported?

excerpted from The University of North Carolina
http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria.php
57

• Are results overgeneralized?
• Are the data analysis methods appropriate?
• Instrumentation and measurement.
• Has validity and reliability been achieved?

excerpted from The University of North Carolina
http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria.php
58

• Replication
• Are the major findings replicated across a
  number of studies? No one study ever settles an
  issue definitively. A research finding, in order
  to be of practical value, should be repeated in a
  variety of demographic settings, with different
  student and teacher populations. Every
  replication helps to lower the likelihood of the
  findings arising by chance, and to raise the
  credibility of instructional decisions based on
  the finding.
  Quoted from The University of North Carolina
• 
  http//www.serve.org/EdResearch
  /criteria.php
• Additional considerations
• Can judgments about the meaningfulness, validity,
  and reliability of the study be made easily from
  the information presented?
• Are the similarities and differences between the
  study findings and findings from similar studies
  discussed?
• Are the limitations and alternative explanations
  for the findings discussed?

excerpted from The University of North Carolina
http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria.php
59
A Final, Encouraging Thought...
60
An Excellent Example of Why We Have to Ensure
Quality

• The following American reference outlines the
  importance of a scientific approach to education.
  From a teaching point of view, it is a surprising
  just how far the legislative and financial
  implications of research can run. The article's
  abstract is quoted verbatim and the full paper
  can be found at http//www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/is
  sues/envrnmnt/go/go900.htm
• ISSUE The No Child Left Behind Act requires
  educational programs and practices to be based on
  scientifically based research. The federal policy
  impacts practicing educators in the curriculum
  areas of reading, mathematics, and science...

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• It also impacts instructional strategies,
  professional development, parent involvement, and
  all federally funded programs. The intent of
  these requirements is for teachers and
  administrators to improve their schools based on
  scientific knowledge as well as professional
  wisdom.

62

• "The charisma of a speaker or the attachment of
  an educational leader to an unproven innovation
  drives staff development in far too many schools.
  Staff development in these situations is often
  subject to the fad du jour and does not live up
  to its promise of improved teaching and higher
  student achievement. Consequently, it is
  essential that teachers and administrators become
  informed consumers of educational research when
  selecting both the content and professional
  learning processes of staff development efforts."
  (NSDC, 2004)
• http//www.nsdc.org/standards/researchbased.cfm

63
Resource List
Text References Boyden, J and Ennew, J. (1997).
Children in focus A manual for participatory
research with children. Stockholm Lennart
Reinius/Agneta Gunnarsson Christensen, P.
James, A. (Eds.). (2000) Research with children
Perspectives and practices. London Falmer
Press. Crowl, Thomas K (1996) Fundamentals of
Educational Research Second edition. Boston,
McGraw-Hill. Fullan, M. (2000a). Change forces.
The sequel. Philadelphia Falmer Press. Green,
J.L., Camilli, G., Elmore, P. B. (Eds.).
(2006). Handbook of complementary methods in
education research. Mahwah, New Jersey Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates/AERA, Publishers. Humphries,
B (Ed.). (2000). Research in Social Care and
social welfare Issues and debates for
practice, London Jessica Kingsley. Kozma, R.
B., (Ed.). (2003) Technology, innovation and
educational change A global perspective.
International Society for Technology in
Education. Lagemann, E.C. (200). An elusive
science The Troubling history of education
research. Chicago University of Chicago Press
in Green, J.L., Camilli, G., Elmore, P. B.
(Eds.). (2006). Handbook of complementary
methods in education research. Mahwah, New
Jersey Lawrence Erlbaum Associates/AERA,
Publishers.
64
Texts contd
McMillan, James H. (2000). Educational research
Fundamentals for the consumer Third Edition.
New York Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Williams,
D, Howell, S.L., Hricko, M. (2006). Online
assessment, measurement and evaluation
Emerging practices. Hershey, PA Information
Science Publishing. Zazie, T., Nerlich, B.,
McKeown, S. (2004). Introduction, Part
1Theoretical and historical foundations in
Zazie, T., Nerlich, B., McKeown, S. Clarke, D
(Eds.). (2004). Mixing methods in psychology
The integration of qualitative and quantitative
methods in theory and practice. Hove Psychology
Press.
65
Electronic References
Margolin, J., Buchler, B. Critical Issue Using
Scientifically Based Research to Guide
Educational Decisions Retrieved August 19, 2006
at http//www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt
/go/go900.htm Serve Centre, University of North
Carolina Educational research What are the
criteria for judging the quality of
research Retrieved August 21, 2006
from http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria.php
The Peer Review Process Making Sense of
Science Retrieved August 21, 2006
at http//www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/ShortPe
erReviewGuide.pdf
66
Electronic Resources
A list of useful sites will be followed by screen
images of some of the more relevant sites with
active hyperlinks

• General Resources
• The ERIC index of journals/CIJE
• http//www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_
  nfpbtrue_pageLabelJournalPage
• Accessing ERIC through the CSA
• http//www.csa.com/factsheets/eric-set-c.php
• ERIC and the CSA via Queens University
• http//library.queensu.ca/webedu/guides/howto/eri
  csa.htm

67

• The Canadian Journal of Education
• The leading, bilingual journal of educational
  scholarship
• in Canada
• http//www.csse.ca/CJE/General.htm
• Current Issues in Education (Arizona State
  College of Education)
• http//cie.asu.edu/
• University of the State of New York The New
  York State Dept. of Education
• On-line Resources
• http//usny.nysed.gov/teachers/genres.html
• Phi Delta Kappa
• An organization devoted to professional
  education
• (access to both peer-reviewed and non reviewed
  literature)
• http//www.pdkintl.org/

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• Action Research Links
• ARI Action Research International
• Action research international is a refereed
  on-line journal of
• action research. It is sponsored by Southern
  Cross University
• http//www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/arphome.
  html
• The On-Line Conference on Community Organizing
  and Development (COMM-ORG))
• COMM-ORG was founded in 1995 to link academics
  and activists, and theory and practice,
• toward the goal of improving community
  organizing and its related crafts. The project is
  
• supported by the University of Wisconsin and
  Economic Development.
• http//comm-org.wisc.edu/research.htm
• Center of Applied Linguistics Online Resources
• http//www.cal.org/resources/digest/0308donato.ht
  ml

69

• Quality of Research Links
• The Handedness Institute at Indiana University
  contains scholarly guides as well as content on
  quality of research
• http//handedness.org/help/researchguide.html
• The Peer Review Process Making Sense of
  Science http//www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/
  ShortPeerReviewGuide.pdf
• Resources for Methods in Evaluation and Social
  Research free online resources
• http//gsociology.icaap.org/methods/qual.htm
• Serve Centre, UNC The criteria for judging the
  quality of research
• http//www.serve.org/EdResearch/criteria.php

70

• Style Guides and
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• APA Guidelines can be obtained online at the
  official APA website.
• They can also be ordered (for a cost) and/or
  downloaded
• http//www.apastyle.org/
• http//www.apa.org/journals/authors/guide.htmlre
  fer
• Several other academic institutions post APA
  guidelines as well,
• such as Purdue University
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01
  /

71
CIJE Current Index to Journals in Education

• http//www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_
  nfpbtrue_pageLabelJour nalPage

72
ERIC via CSA

• http//www.csa.com/factsheets/eric-set-c.php

73

• http//library.queensu.ca/webedu/guides/howto/eric
  sa.htm

74
Canadian Journal of Education
http//www.csse.ca/CJE/General.htm
75
Current Issues in Education -A peer-reviewed
journal from the Arizona State College of
Education
http//cie.asu.edu/
76
Professional Organizations Phi Delta Kappa

• http//www.pdkintl.org/

77
http//usny.nysed.gov/teachers/genres.html
78
http//www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/arp/arphome.h
tml
79
http//handedness.org/help/researchguide.html
80
http//www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/ShortPeerR
eviewGuide.pdf
The Peer-Review Process
81
http//www.apastyle.org/
APA Referencing
82
http//www.apa.org/journals/authors/guide.htmlref
er
APA Referencing
83
APA Referencing
http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/