Bruce W. Tuckman - Conducting Educational Research

Bruce W. Tuckman is professor of educational psychology at The Ohio State University, where he is also founding director of the Walter E. Dennis Learning Center.

Brian E. Harper is associate professor of educational psychology at Cleveland State University.

TABLE I Random Numbers

TABLE I Continued

TABLE I Continued

TABLE II Critical Values of t

TABLE III Critical Values of the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient

TABLE V Critical Values of U in the Mann-Whitney Test

TABLE VI Critical Values of rs, the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient

TABLE VII Critical Values of Chi-Square

Figure I: t-Test Worksheet

Figure II: Correlation Worksheet

Figure III: Analysis of Variance (p q Factorial) Worksheet (with Unequal ns)

Figure IV: Worksheet for Mann-Whitney U-Test

Figure V: Worksheet for a Rank-Order Correlation (rs)

Figure VI: Worksheet for a Chi-Square (2) Test for Two Independent Samples (2 2 Contingency Table)

• Identify the role of internal validity.
• Identify the role of external validity.
• Describe the relationship between internal and external validity.
• Describe the characteristics of the research process.
• Identify the sequence of steps in the research process.
• Describe the ethical rights of participants in research studies.

Research is a systematic attempt to provide answers to questions. It may yield abstract and general answers, as basic research often does, or it may give extremely concrete and specific answers, as demonstration or applied research often does. In both kinds of research, the investigator uncovers facts and then formulates a generalization based on an interpretation of those facts.

Basic research is concerned with the relationship between two or more variables. It is carried out by identifying a problem, examining selected relevant variables through a literature review, constructing a hypothesis where possible, creating a research design to investigate the problem, collecting and analyzing appropriate data, and then drawing conclusions about the relationships of the variables. Basic research does not often provide information with an immediate application for altering the environment. Its purpose, rather, is to develop a model, or theory, that identifies all the relevant variables in a particular environment and hypothesizes about their relationships. Using the findings of basic research, it is possible to develop a producta concept that includes, for example, a given curriculum, a particular teacher-training program, a textbook, or an audiovisual aid.

A further step, often called demonstration, is to test the product. This activity is the province of applied research, which is, in effect, a test or tryout of the application that includes systematic evaluation.

Achieving validity in research is not an easy task, as the following examples demonstrate.

A science educator is designing a new instructional program for fifth-grade science. He has at his disposal films, textbooks, lecture text, lab experiments, and computer software, and he needs to decide which of these approaches to use and in what combination. To make this decision, he plans to teach the first unit, on force, using the lecture-textbook approach; he will teach the second unit, on motion, using films. He can then see which method has the better effect and guide later efforts according to this judgment. But the science educator has created logical pitfalls for himself.