The Main Objective of Teaching - Essay Example

?Chapter Three:- Methodology 3 Introduction This chapter outlines the methodology for the completion of the research at hand. Research methodologyattempts to provide a framework within which an enquiry to a given topic is carried out (Simpson, 2011). Kumar (2008) as the overall plan and design for conducting a given research defines the methodology of a research. It includes the tools and techniques used to undertake a given enquiry into a topic under research (Scruggs and Mastropieri, 2006). The research methodology therefore sets the framework for the conduct of a study and defines how the study will be carried out from the initial phases to the conclusion. It gives a clearly defined structure for the enquiry and supports the researcher to stay within a defined set of limits. This methodology provides the scheme for sampling, data collection, data analysis and explanation of findings for the research. For the sake of providing the best understanding, it will be appropriate to summarize important elements of the research in order to make the research methodology meaningful. Research aims The research aims as stated in chapter one are: 1) To understand the main objective of teaching and maintaining art in the curriculum 2) To provide an understanding of the importance of teaching and maintaining art in the curriculum for students in Iraq 3) To identify the role that art has played as a subject in the Iraqi community 4) Compare the approach to the teaching and learning of art in the UK and Iraq 3.3. Validity and reliability in research Validity refers to the use of right and correct methods or systems to conduct a research (Cohen et al, 2007). As such, the use of such methods needs to be justified. On the other hand, reliability is about maintaining confidence in the work by showing that accuracy and other important yardsticks are safeguarded throughout the research (Goodwin, 2009). This research would be conducted with respect to various ethical requirements of research. As such, all relevant ethics in research in the UK would be included in the. In the sense of doing the research, it would be proper then to employ the use of triangulation as a mode of assessing not only the reliability of the data but also the confidence bestowed on the results given by the data. In triangulation different approaches are used in the data collection and analysis in order to evidently observe the coherence and resonance that is depicted by the various methods this explains why it’s believed to communicate the reliability of the data. Triangulation is also subdivided into various castes; triangulation of methods, investigator, data sources and that of theory triangulation (Creswell, 2009). All the components of the data are important in enhancing it reliability and adoption in doing qualitative researches. Just like in statistics, the reliability of the findings is only scientifically and statistically convincing based on the broad base of the various areas consulted. These increased bases do increase the chances of all factors consideration and is entirely imperative in communication the efficacy of a data to be adopted (Creswell, 2009). Even in the service rendered by the triangulation as a method of doing and carrying out a qualitative research, it has been equally defied given the technical challenges associated with it. A part from significantly inflating the total cost of the research, the method is also argued to provide a very difficult approach in trying to understand the various methods given the conflicting approaches considered in the multimethod exercise (Tashakkori, Abbas, and Teddlie, 2009).research. In defining the variables, care would be taken to incorporate the writer's experience and experience of learned persons to attain guidelines on how to calibrate the variables. This will be done through consultation and discussions 3.2. Qualitative and Quantities Research Qualitative methods are meant to provide an observation of social phenomenon from a close analysis of facts and trends with a critical review of information to provide an opinion by the researcher (Silverman, 2004). This means that qualitative research methods are mainly concerned with the assessment of social events with a view of making critical inferences from them. On the other hand, Marshall and Rossman (2010) identify qualitative research as a field of enquiry that cuts across disciplines and fields and examines key concepts. As such, it is theoretical in nature and does not really seem to be related to figures. On the other hand, quantitative research focuses on figures and trends to provide inferences and ideas from empirical studies (Silverman, 2004). This is quite different from qualitative research, which seems to be much more steeped in theories and ideas. 3.3. Research Sample Sampling is an important element for the study of a representative body to acquire information about a subject that can be generalised over a wider population (Dodds, 2011). In order to understand each of the four objectives, there will be the need to study a carefully selected proportion of the relevant populations to come up with findings that would be applicable to the objective identified. Sampling is important because the researcher cannot really study the entire population (Babbie, 2010: Zikmund and Babin, 2011). Since it is practically impossible to study the entire Iraqi secondary school system and the UK educational system in full, the research would only concentrate on a carefully selected sample from the total population. The wider population involves the education authorities in Iraq and the teachers and their classroom activities. In order to examine this, samples will be taken from schools in the UK and in Iraq. For the study in Iraq, students and teachers from secondary school will be chosen from Baghdad. There would also be samples of a secondary school studied in the UK. Based on the responses that will be taken from the school in each country, the research will arrive at conclusions that will be representative of the whole country. Since the samples taken would be representative of the country, the generalisation and theorisation would be more likely to represent people's attitudes towards art education and give information about the state of art education in Iraq. 3.4. Data Collection The main data for the research will be collected from questionnaires and secondary sources. 3.5 Research methods 3.4.1. Secondary sources (Documents) Due to the remote factor in generate data the researcher had to rely on secondary sources of data gathering from schools in Iraq. For this study, secondary sources will include the collection of information about important documents, which relate to the position of art education in Iraq and the United Kingdom. This will be done through the perusal of important documents that describe the position of art education in both countries. This will include an examination of current educational policies and important arrangements towards studies in both countries. The use of the sources of the data is important in this study in the very fact that it is a comparison research on the qualitative data. This comparison cannot take place without reliable, authentic and convectional sources of data (Boslaugh, 2007).. Research involves the use of data, these data must be in conformity to the subject under investigation and ultimately contributes in discerning the objectives stipulated for the research. Moreover, the research is not only going to use the instant available information to make a rational , balanced and objective verdict, but will also want to establish the trend for the last period of time like a decade ago (Boslaugh, 2007). In this case, the information can only be obtained from the documented secondary documents, which can be quoted with authority. The secondary sources are also sources of data to be used in the research provided they remain relevant to the study. It is in the secondary sources that again one can formulate questions for responses in a questionnaire if need be (Stebbins, 2006). They can as well endow one with the necessary requisites to establish the ground for which the research is done. The literature review is always based on the precedent created and this can only be obtained in the secondary sources. In such, the role of the secondary sources cannot be overemphasised as it is the cornerstone of the research it terms of the provision of the very important tenets in the whole research paper (Stebbins, 2006). Source analysis involves the collation of information in a manner that enables it to be aligned with the topic at hand (Cohen et al, 2009). This means that secondary methods require some degree of careful and critical analyses. The secondary sources will be analysed through a summary format. This will involve the compilation of summarized information about how the policy framework of the Iraqi system relates to the teaching and study of Art in secondary schools. Also, there will be the summary of secondary sources on the role that Art has played in the Iraqi community. In the examination of secondary sources, relevance will be the main guiding principle. In other words documents that provide relevant information about the state of Art education at the secondary level in the UK and Iraq will form the basis of the choice of documents to be studied in the research. Although the research would attempt to use reliable and good books, there is the risk that the books used would have some inherent biases and weaknesses. In order to avoid replicating them, there would be counter evidence and comparisons to ensure that only reliable and justifiable information is included in the research Interviews Although interviews are a good method to gather qualitative data, this method was not appropriate because of not being able to see people face to face. The use of interviews the present advantages and disadvantages in equal measure. The inherent advantage of collecting data through interviews would be that, it saves time and can significantly reduce the workload of collecting data. In some cases also, interviews requires that only the relevant class are interviewed hence the reliability of the data. This is partly related to the fact that in this case, the questions can be clarified and that the targeted recipient is in a position of unequivocally comprehending the question for a discreet and most relevant answer (Harrell, & Bradley, 2009). The other most cherished advantage that comes with interviews is that the response from the interviewee can be recorded for further internalization and as proof that they are not influenced for conformity. Finally, it has also been proven that interviews are not prone to group pressure that always-lead to duplicitous nature in other methods of data collection (Harrell, & Bradley, 2009). Even with the avalanche of the advantages, this method still retain some of the disadvantages in that they might turn out to be very costly and some time, the it can also be time consuming if the intended groups are scattered and have to internalize the questions, think and the respond (Rubin, & Rubin, 2005). The reasons as to why this method could not be used in undertaking this study is the fact that most of the targeted groups that would give the most accurate information were seriously scattered in the sense of collecting an even data that it would have turned to be quite time consuming as well as expensive. Since the study was considering as trend too, some of the interviewee would not be conversant with some questions that needs to establish previous issues and this would prove to be a waste of time (Rubin, & Rubin, 2005). 3.4.2. Questionnaires Questionnaires will be handed out to the teachers and students that will be chosen in the sample stage from the school in the UK and the school in Iraq. According to the proverb “Questionnaires are a part of our everyday lives” (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2009).This will enable the researcher to identify significant information. The questions asked are available below in Appendix 1 and 2. The questionnaires are styled in a close ended format to provide quick and easy information about what the respondents think and state in their research. The questionnaires will be sent out to various respondents and their responses will be collected. For the purpose of easy analysis, the same questionnaires will be distributed both in the UK and in Iraq. This will ensure that the comparison would be easy and analyses can be completed at a much faster pace. The results of the questionnaires will be collated statistics and presented in a visual format. This will show the percentage of respondents that gave particular answers. This will be presented in a format that will give a visual impression to the viewer. This will be supported by strong descriptions of the trends and very obvious features to provide an aid to how teachers and students view the teaching and learning of Art in secondary schools in both Iraq and the UK. Although questionnaires are ideal for this research, it comes with its own inherent weaknesses. This is because some of the respondents might be a little subjective and this could lead to biases. In order to prevent this problem, the questionnaires would be designed to take straightforward answers and make it difficult for wrong and biased comments to be made. 3.4. Data Analysis The findings of both the secondary source and the questionnaires will be collected and summarized to show the trends and correlations. Again, the analysis will be done in a sequence that will reflect the two data forms that are drawn from the two interested areas of research. In the analysis of the data, The statistical package for social sciences, SPSS will be used to analyze the date in the desired ways. All the statistical relation that will inform decisions in this research will be largely traceable from the figures drawn from the SPSS results. This is not limited to the possible graphs, regration and correlation graphs that will be communication any findings from the results regarding this data (Janert, 2011). In considering the statistical tool to use in drawing a conclusion from the data that will be collected, the most appropriate and relevant one will be considered to avoid communication of information that is misanalysed (Gelman, 2004). For example, in comparing the means of three means in an effort to establish whether they are from the same groups or population, the use of ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) will be used to communicate the sane since it is the most appropriate one to use (Gelman, 2004). More emphasis will be given in this stage, as it is the heart of the whole exercise lest it be of futility. This is well from the keying in of the available data and the selection of the process to analyze the data. 3.5. Ethical consideration Ethical considerations are very important issue for any research, especially when the research relevant to the people. According to Opie definition “Ethics has to do with the application of moral principles to prevent harming or wrong others, to promote the good, to be respectful and to be fair” (Opie, 2006, p25). The researcher have follow ethical guidelines, such as the well conducting, authorisation to do the research, the confident of the participants, suitable approach should be taken, and the privacy of the information (Chalcraft, Hansen and Twiselton, 2008). The good research should be links all the components of the ethical research wheel like formulate and simplify our issue, plan our questioner, store and analyse data, and finally write up or research in honest and responsible way (Chalcraft, Hansen and Twiselton, 2008). The researcher have to be up to the responsibility to maintain the information obtained from research and not be selective in dealing with the results only serves his research. In addition, the researcher must be aware the results from his research may lead to decisions be a negative impacts on participants in his research, so it is moral to mention that in his approach (Saunders, Lwis, and Thornhill, 2009). In data collection, one may require some of the information that are very sensitive and may possible require that the respondent be disguised by using serialization against their contribution. In this sense, you will be cushioning these respondents from possible vilification (Kitchener, 2000). So during the entire period of the research, the most important considered aspect is the reliability of the information given and thus in the research it will be remotely be considered to indicate the reference name to any contribution thereof. Anonymity will be sought for all the respondent in a deliberate attempt conform to the confidentiality of the interviewee and that their contributions will not be possible to peg on any of the participant in the process of the data collection (Sales, & Folkman, 2000). The processes of this research are not aimed at breaching any legal or private life of any person directly or indirectly thus the stringent adherence to the matters of confidentiality. However, this research would be conducted with respect to various ethical requirements of research. All relevant ethics in research in the UK would be included in the research. The relevant laws that will be honoured in this research are the Data Protection Act 1998. This will require the agreement of every respondent will be respected. Our obligations will be clear in the data collection process that will be show in every question. The strict rules of the UK Data Protection Act will be respected in the Iraqi studies. Ethical requirements will be honoured, especially with assessment for secondary sources. This means that the researcher will take sufficient care to cite sources according to the Harvard Referencing rules. Also, efforts will be made to prevent plagiarism and other matters. A participants approach will be used. This will try to recognize all the relevant for participants and their demands and need in the recommendations. 3.6. Summary In this research, there primary approach wwas to be theoretical in nature, hence more of a qualitative research, examining patterns and trends in people's perception and tendencies towards Art Education at the secondary school level in both Iraq and the UK. The comparative element would contain some elements of statistical analysis but that would be meant to provide a pattern and tone that is quite quantitative in nature. The methods used to generate date for this study will create the broad framework through which the researcher will identify the position of Art in secondary education in Iraq. References Creswell, John W., and John W. Creswell, 2009, Research design, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd ed. Los Angeles, Sage. Tashakkori, Abbas, and Charles Teddlie, 2003, Handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research, Thousand Oaks, Calif, SAGE Publications. Boslaugh, S. 2007, Secondary data sources for public health, a practical guide, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stebbins, L. F. 2006, Student guide to research in the digital age: how to locate and evaluate information sources, Westport, Conn, Libraries Unlimited. Harrell, M. C., & Bradley, M. 2009, Data collection methods, semi-structured interviews and focus groups, Santa Monica, CA, RAND. Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. 2005, Qualitative interviewing, the art of hearing data (2nd ed.), Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications. Gelman, A. 2004, Bayesian data analysis (2nd ed.), Boca Raton, Fla. Chapman & Hall/CRC. Janert, P. K. 2011, Data analysis with open source tools, Sebastopol, CA, O'Reilly. Kitchener, K. S. 2000), Foundations of ethical practice, research, and teaching in psychology, Mahwah, N.J., L. Erlbaum Associates. Sales, B. D., & Folkman, S. 2000, Ethics in research with human participants, Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association. Read More