The Value of Educational Research - Essay Example

The Value of Educational Research This study deals with a discussion on the value of educational research and behavioral management in the context of education and assessment and for the exercise, I would select published journal articles and make an assessment on contemporary educational research and issues that are involved in education. The nature of research and its uses are studied and several aspects of research are highlighted in the discussion. The present and future of education and especially secondary levels of education could be considered along with the role of research within the realms of educational settings. Educational research could be related to scientific analysis or could also be on teacher's role in setting and changing curricula, and on the extent to which individuals have access to high quality education. Educational research thus encompasses general issues on education as well as specific issues on scientific discovery and use of new and advanced technology in education. The value of educational research would be directly related to what lessons are drawn from analysis of general and specific issues on education, both in terms of scientific advancement and administrative policies related to education. Introduction: A recent debate on educational systems and the evaluation of the national curriculum in the UK has moved from general discussions to specific standards of education along with highlighting the role and status of the teacher in promoting education. The teacher is considered a professional and an innovator and reducing them to followers or implementers of certain educational curricula is seen as a mistake. Osborne et al (1988) pointed out to the centralisation of the educational system and the rigidity of the curriculum, funding and assessment against the projected freedom of choice and parental involvement in education planning. Osborne et al suggest that curricula do not develop according to a set of objectives and procedures and behavioural sequences, but that educational objectives are set in accordance with what has already been done and the decisions made on the curricula. Schooling has been criticised as being too focused on offering teacher proof knowledge and packaged rather than what it should be. Of course what education should project is debatable and some have considered it as a moral and ethical activity that would prepare moral agents of society and developing value systems would be one of the important aspects of education. The role of education is to prepare a morally responsible society although it is also true that its effects cannot be predicted. Educational change could be described as an objective planning procedure although issues of morality and ethics would make it less objective and that is how educational systems become loaded with values and is not exactly value free. Osborne et al (1988) suggest that it is important for curricula of schools to be different as all kinds of educational standardisation would make the system too rigid although the value systems and ethical standards followed will have to be similar between schools. However this essay is not particularly focused on value systems within education but the inherent value of research on education. Value systems in education are related to issues of planning and objectives although any research in education would go beyond value systems and ethics or morality to include training, technology, innovation, teacher's role, educational standards, socioeconomic activity, cultural factors and theoretical models of educational change and development. This essay being focused on the values of educational research, the mission or objectives of any educational research institute could be understood in terms of the following conditions laid down by the National Centre for Educational Research in the US MISSION.-The mission of the Research Center is- (1) to sponsor sustained research that will lead to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding of education, to- (A) ensure that all children have access to a high quality education; (B) improve student academic achievement, including through the use of educational technology; (C) close the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing students through the improvement of teaching and learning of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and other academic subjects; and (D) improve access to, and opportunity for, postsecondary education; (2) to support the synthesis and, as appropriate, the integration of education research; (3) to promote quality and integrity through the use of accepted practices of scientific inquiry to obtain knowledge and understanding of the validity of education theories, practices, or conditions; and (4) to promote scientifically valid research findings that can provide the basis for improving academic instruction and lifelong learning.(US Dept. of Education, ed.gov, 2006 - Research Policy) Educational research could be defined in terms of what research is and research could either be applied or basic. As educational congress of US, 2002 stated that applied research is the term used to indicate research that aims to gain knowledge or understanding necessary for determining the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met; and that is specifically directed to the advancement of practice in the field of education (ED.gov, 2002). The term ''basic research'' on the other hand means research used to gain fundamental knowledge or understanding of phenomena and observable facts without specific application towards processes or products and also for advancement in the knowledge in education. Thus research helps advancement of education with new knowledge and providing new insights to scientific and social problems. The other type of educational research would be ''field-initiated research' that means basic research or applied research in which specific questions and methods of study are generated by investigators (including teachers and other practitioners) and that conforms to standards of scientifically valid research (Education Sciences Reform Act, 2002). The term scientifically valid research would include applied research, basic research, and field-initiated research in which the rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in accordance with scientifically based research standards (Education Sciences Reform Act 2002). Research Studies and Background: The background for the theme on the value of educational research would focus on studies on the educational system both in terms of structure, standards, procedures and also functions as in innovation, training and broader socio-cultural role. The value of educational research can be wide ranging and may provide insights on the need for innovation and training, the relevance of curricula prepared and implemented, the central role of teachers in providing the opinions to change the educational system. The broad topics of research as approved and promoted by the Department of Education and Federal Research would be on: (A) Adult literacy. (B) Assessment, standards, and accountability research. (C) Early childhood development and education. (D) English language learners research. (E) Improving low achieving schools. (F) Innovation in education reform. (G) State and local policy. (H) Postsecondary education and training. (I) Rural education. (J) Teacher quality. (K) Reading and literacy.(Education Science Reform Act, 2002) This literature review and background studies are also based primarily on these topics within educational research. In trying to answer why educational research is performed and what is the value of such research, research provides new insights and we discover new variables including personal, contextual and shared meanings of educational research and policies (Court, 2004). Educational research helps in conducting and developing effective programs and teaching methods to help students learn better. Educational research also helps in discovering relationships between variables in educational settings to plan interventions. Finally, the value of educational research also lies in the fact that it helps in understanding cultural contexts of schools and would be instrumental in creating schools that embody justice and reduce prejudice and inequality (Court, 2004). Educational research can be qualitative or quantitative and deals with use of data as well as analytical power to conclude on results and findings and the methodology determines what processes would be known and what kind of interpretation would be drawn to understand the problem. The approach could thus be statistical giving figures and numbers on the population who are affected by or are in need of educational policies, for instance, or research can also be qualitative with data on more subjective aspects of research. Even scientific empirical data can be interpreted using these two methodologies although empirical research is primarily based on observation and direct interpretation of the results obtained through empirical evidence. The value of educational research is thus diverse, having scientific, social and cultural dimensions although its primary use will be based on how authentic the research results are and how these results could be used for future advancement and up gradation of the educational system. Baum (1987) suggested that educational innovation would be essential in any curriculum development project and theoretical models of innovation in education are also important in the training, development and evaluation process. Baum (1987) gives an example of the education, training and skills development programme for teaching, learning and assessment that seem to differ significantly from practise in training programmes and educational training helps in increasing the demand for multi-skilled and hospitality oriented people and applying innovative programmes in the context of educational training environment would be the focus of a changed educational environment. Educational innovation and training as well as focus on changes in the system are some of the issues that could be considered within this discussion on values of educational research. Educational change can have major socio economic implications and Muller et al (2006) discuss the social, human, professional, institutional and economic costs of building a school considering ICT based educational changes. The costs of implementing a model of educational change would be related to the sustainability of innovation, and sustainability of educational change through network building and continuous evaluations. Using interdisciplinary and collaborative projects would be essential to any formal or even informal educational change and this would be related to training and using of communication networks and advanced technology. The case of educational changes in Ireland, on which this study is based provides a comprehensive understanding of the educational system in Ireland and especially with regard to accounting. The structure and nature of accounting education along with systems of higher education in Ireland and secondary level school systems have been studied by Byrne and Flood (2003) who have traced the development of Irish accounting education systems and show contextualized patterns of research and highlights issues and challenges within the educational system. Comparisons have also been drawn with other similar educational patterns and development across sectors and changes in the educational system show that socioeconomic activity would be a key factor in affecting educational change. The question would remain on what values of educational research could be projected within this discussion considering some of the points already discussed here, in terms of communication and technology based educational changes, the central role of socioeconomic activity, the role of education innovation and training and theoretical models of educational patterns. Of course, in this discussion, the teacher's or educator's role would be central to understanding the true value of educational research and true nature of change in educational patterns and systems. The teacher's perspectives would be important in providing opinions on what the expectations are from the learning system and what levels of expectations are met for that matter. The opinions about the courseware given, the relevance of teachers' training, and the role of the educator and trainer on actually bringing changes in the educational system are some of the aspects that are considered in this discussion. D'Arcy and Gardner (1988) show teacher perceptions and opinions on education and curricula especially in the context of development and use of microcomputers in the classrooms and the educational worth of training devices and an advanced curriculum in promoting better educational objectives. The acceptance of the technologically advanced equipment and advanced curricula developed in schools and used in education could be aided by providing appropriate teacher education, and actively promoting IT related curricular initiatives along with development of quality materials and using good practice as a means of increasing the value of education. D'Arcy and Gardner (1988) present evidence from Northern Ireland schools and show the strengths and weaknesses in the current strategies of development of courseware and materials, teacher education and software design. The main issues in curricula development as teachers would perceive them are highlighted and these can relate to technological or communication related issues, strictly curricula based points or social and economic aspects of education. The teacher's central role is seen as important as the teacher is considered as an innovator rather than just a communicator and is also seen as an opinion giver and opinion maker and tends to influence all aspects of educational development of students within an educational setting. Teachers have the central role of imparting values and ethics and helping in the overall development of all pupils and thus in doing so the teachers are also engaged in providing opinions on educational change, relevance of the curriculum, technological advancements and advanced equipment used for training that help in bringing about educational change. The role of the teacher as an innovator and communicator is understood along side the fact that the teacher is also a role model in providing a value based educational system and in promoting educational and moral or social standards that would be significant for bringing about positive educational change for an institution or general academic environment. The role of teachers has also been studied in the context of post secondary education and teachers at post secondary institutions are expected to reassess, refine and revise their teachings although gaining professional development and meeting high demands on teaching responsibilities would be a challenge to all teachers and educators in secondary or post secondary educational settings. Schrum et al (2005) discussed a collaborative project between a community college and a university that sees to have developed an online training program for the post secondary education faculty by teaching and learning emphases on the development of online courses. The entire project is known as CREOLE or Creating Optimum Learning Environments and is used for teaching and learning sessions given to educators. The training program shows teaching skills within an online environment and actually aids in professional development of individuals. The strengths and weaknesses of the course determine the pedagogical practice of faculty members who participated in this research by Schrum et al (2005). The changes in participants approach to online learning and training could be explained with learning and motivation theories and online learning strategies. Surveys of participants, interviews, documents, analysis and instructors' reflections showed the high expectations of participants and difficulty in forming a sustained learning community and the continuing challenges in technological aspects. The importance of the teacher and instructor in not just imparting education and training but also in promoting values and ethics and in boosting morale and giving encouragement to the pupils have been highlighted in all research relating to technological advances in online learning and training patterns. The value of educational research may also be understood in terms of cultural or social differences and Tussing (1988) discusses policy oriented research that relates education and health in Ireland and provides research orientation differences between Ireland and USA. Differences in educational policies may be due to size of countries and relatively lower population in one country as compared with another, lack of published data or relatively less data from educational policies in one country, the cultural differences that can affect education and scholarship and the lower levels of competitiveness in certain educational or professional environments. Policy oriented social science and educational research is popular in the media in Ireland and educational policies are made according to several social, cultural, economic and educational factors. This discussion has focused on several issues in educational research including the central role of the teacher, teacher's contribution to encouraging personal development, opinions of teachers in developing curriculum and use of advanced technology and overcoming challenges related to lack of expertise and socio cultural or educational limitations. The other issues that have been highlighted include technological changes, communication and information factors that seem to affect educational systems, socio cultural conditions and educational change brought about by innovation, training and setting standards and patterns within the educational system. Meeting up to challenges within the system would involve understanding the changing needs of society and of people and educational systems will have to change in accordance with knowledge and technology and social and cultural needs that reflect the attributes of time, place and needs of people. The emphasis has been on the role of teachers and educators and this discussion focuses on educational change as a result or complementary to changes in social and cultural conditions and in keeping with technological advances of society. This discussion highlights 1. the role of teachers and educators 2. the role of training and expertise 3. the role of technologically advanced equipment such as microcomputers 4. the role of knowledge and innovation 5. the role of socio cultural as well as economic conditions of the broader educational environment. Analysis of Educational Research Getting deeper into the analysis of contents in teaching, Arkoudis (2005) shows the relationship between content and language teaching using the educational policies of mainstream education. Education of language and a foreign policy on mainstream education caters to language learning needs of ESL within mainstream subject contexts. The relationship between language and content shows the factors that tend to balance the influence of language and content as also the power relations between teachers, and the dichotomy constructed between language and content. Thus teaching of language may be completely different from teaching of other subjects as many issues come to play and power relations as well as the use of English as a mainstream language will show different dynamics than when it is taught as a foreign language. The content in mainstream education shows how the importance of educational policies goes beyond just procedures and also encompasses content and the value of educational research would be to understand the balanced approach and necessity of both content and procedures of the curriculum which are prepared suggesting that the manner in which decisions are taken are as important as on what decisions are being finally taken. Educational research is thus not just about the research process or about the qualitative and quantitative methods or scientific and field research techniques but also about the policies and procedures that seem to affect issues such as learning, training, value systems, innovation, scientific advancement, teaching quality and role playing. This would bring us to policies and procedures in the educational system and within the context of Northern Ireland, several issues could be suggested. Considering religious and social conflicts in Northern Ireland, educational systems have been in many cases described in terms of conflicts and also the peace process in Northern Ireland. Smith (1999) writes that education in Northern Ireland is characterised by segregation as children tend to attend schools that are predominantly Catholic or predominantly Protestant and integrated schools representing both Catholic and Protestant population are very few and the educational system itself represents the structure and the conflicts of society. Curricula, funding and emphases on educational research seem to be different and have different orientations for primary schools in Northern Ireland. However on a higher level of educational institutions, although political conflicts may be seen, different orientations in the curricula would not be prominent at the University level for instance. It is however a strong point of contention as to what are the exact repercussions of political conflicts on educational change and curricula. Although there will be political undertones in the curricula chosen, presenting an unbiased approach toward the social conditions would keep up to the image of a clean objective educational system. Yet within this context, training and innovation as well as issues dealing with socio cultural and economic changes would present a broader picture of change within Northern Ireland's educational system. A recent BBC report has brought forward the overspending of the educational institutions within Northern Ireland and has shown how urgent action needs to be taken to stop any further overspend (BBC, 2004). Managing economic issues and activity and the issues related to budget and spending would relate educational system in accordance with financial changes, thus educational changes may have a direct impact on the financial policies of an institution and in turn the financial spending and budget of institutions tend to affect educational changes as well. The value of an educational system however goes beyond all the points that we have discussed so far including innovation and training, changes and economic activity and includes the value of research in terms of mission of the institutes and its goals and achievements. The mission of any educational research institute would be to improve the condition and progress of education, to encourage practices that improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities and to promote the effectiveness of education programs. The value of educational research lies in its quest for fundamental understanding of phenomenon that may not be studied otherwise. Empirical research is one of the most popular and is the scientific method of observation and data collection that provides objective evidence of the matter or event studied. Research can be very pure and basic or can be use inspired or simply pure applied research. Research is characterised by its value and capacity to bridge the gap between what is known and what is not known. For basic, use inspired and applied research, solutions could be multivariate and contextual although basic research may be necessary in areas such as psychology, economics and management. Most educationists and analysts would describe education as having overly theoretical and academic orientation although certain issues that are important and have been highlighted by the educational analysts would be: Effective instructional practices in reading, math, and science , Standards and assessment , Education finance and Closing achievement gaps Research and educational Policies given by the Department of Education in the US indicate the following: (US dept of education, ed.gov, research policy, accessed 2006) "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Higher Education Act of 1965 emphasize on (1) closing the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing children, especially achievement gaps between minority and non-minority children and between disadvantaged children and such children's more advantaged peers; and (2) ensuring- (A) that all children have the ability to obtain a high quality education (from early childhood through postsecondary education) and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and State academic assessments, particularly in mathematics, science, and reading or language arts; (B) access to, and opportunities for, postsecondary education; And (C) the efficacy, impact on academic achievement, and cost-effectiveness of technology use within the Nation's schools." Research involves both evaluation of students and examination and evaluation of programs or educational curricula offered. The curricula offered should be in accordance with the 21st century and should focus on scientific achievements, mathematics and social sciences and this has been the emphasis of all objectives and mission to make education more technically suitable and upgraded for the new age. Educational research is also based on identifying achievements and rewarding and even encouraging achievements in pupils within the educational framework. Educational achievements would be marked by understanding the needs of the students and teachers alike and along with achievements, emphases should also be given on the technological superiority and advancement of the equipment or training materials used in the learning and teaching process. Remaining updated in the technological orientation and providing state of the art facilities with upgraded learning materials, modern methods of instruction and advanced tools and products, is essential for success of any educational program and has direct connections with the value placed or achieved from educational research. This discussion thus deals with several aspects of research and also suggests how research should be done, whether it should be just basic observation or whether it should involve some use of the research products or findings in a larger social, environmental or educational context. Research done and the findings attained can also be applied for technological use and in this essay we discussed these three types of research which seem to have here different kinds of uses. Would this mean that the use of educational research and the value of such research would be different or are they similar in any respect This would be point of contention as use of research would be categorized according to whether the uses are basic or applied and the value of research would involve a large number of other variables considering the issues we have already mentioned as in training, innovation, socioeconomic issues, cultural issues etc. Thus value of research would be related to a large number of other factors although whether a research is valuable or not would depend on how well the research is carried out and how well it is applied to finally provide insights on the nature of the research and its placement in the curricula or even broader knowledge and social or general understanding. Dolton and Vignoles (2002) argue whether a broader curriculum is better and in this context considers returns of a student to an additional year of education to show the impact of different types of education on students' labour market success. The curricula options on students' subsequent earnings have been studied by the authors to examine whether a broader curriculum between the ages 16-19 can bring out a higher returns in terms of salary than a narrow curriculum. The breadth of the curriculum would indicate knowledge of the student and many researchers have tried to understand that whether students with a broad curriculum and knowing a relatively large number of subjects have better overall skills for the general competitive labour market than students who focus on fewer subjects at school and at secondary levels. The UK students survey taken here sought to indicate whether students who earn more also know more and whether they have had a broader curriculum in their school life compared with others who may have had a narrower range of subjects. The findings show that a broader curriculum does not really help in attaining a job and that more focused curriculum or specific knowledge may at times be preferred. The value of educational research could thus be related to innovation or finding out new and advanced means of imparting knowledge. Scientific achievement as related to discovery of new theories and even philosophical or social theories could add to the value of research as new insights are drawn and new analysis is provided increasing knowledge in certain areas. The role of educational objectives and mission would be to Provide information on the condition and progress of education Provide information on the practices improving academic achievement and education opportunities Provide information on the effectiveness of the educational programs Conclusion: This analysis touched on several issues in educational research and highlighted the mission of research centres, the objectives of educational research, the central role of the teacher in changing educational policies, the choice of policies according to socio-cultural and financial conditions, training matters within an institute and the role of creativity and innovation in education and research. The different types of research and scientific value of such research could be understood in terms of how these research findings are perceived and in some cases these research findings my produce results that could be applied for social benefits and may be highly beneficial for further understanding of science or general expansion of knowledge. Yet it may have to be kept in mind that research findings may lead to spurious claims and some of the negative aspects of research would be incorrect data and false claims that completely seems to go against the purpose of research. In fact there may be a lot of truth to Professor Gallagher's statement that there is absolutely zero value and quality to education research. Bibliography: Harber Clive 1989 Education and policy in Northern Ireland : R.D. Osborne, R.J. Cormack and R.L. Miller (eds). Policy Research Institute, Belfast, 1987. 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Casto Donna J. and Walls Richard T. 2007 Learning with versus without technology in elementary and secondary school Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 23, Issue 1, Pages 798-811 Wen Jia Rong and Shih Wen Ling 2006 Exploring the information literacy competence standards for elementary and high school teachers Computers & Education, 2 November Mller, Jrg Juana Sancho Gil, M. Hernndez, Fernando Gir Xavier and Bosco Alejandra 2006 The socio-economic dimensions of ICT-driven educational change Computers & Education, Schrum,Lynne Burbank, Mary D. Engle, Jonathan Chambers Jack A. and Glassett Kelly F. (2005) Post-secondary educators' professional development: Investigation of an online approach to enhancing teaching and learning The Internet and Higher Education, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages 279-289 Arkoudis Sophie 2005 Fusing pedagogic horizons: Language and content teaching in the mainstream Linguistics and Education, Volume 16, Issue 2, Pages 173-187 Glick Jennifer E. and White Michael J. 2004 Post-secondary school participation of immigrant and native youth: the role of familial resources and educational expectations Social Science Research, Volume 33, Issue 2, Pages 272-299 A. Martnez, Y. Dimitriadis, B. Rubia, E. Gmez and P. de la Fuente 2003 Combining qualitative evaluation and social network analysis for the study of classroom social interactions Computers & Education, Volume 41, Issue 4, Pages 353-368 Jodene Goldenring Fine and John M. Davis , 2003 Grade retention and enrollment in post-secondary education Journal of School Psychology, Volume 41, Issue 6Pages 401-411 P. J. Dolton and A. Vignoles (2002) Is a broader curriculum better Economics of Education Review, Volume 21, Issue 5, Pages 415-429 Barbara M. Kinach 2002 A cognitive strategy for developing pedagogical content knowledge in the secondary mathematics methods course: toward a model of effective practice Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 18, Issue 1, Pages 51-71 Sally Hudson-Ross 2001 Intertwining opportunities: : participants' perceptions of professional growth within a multiple-site teacher education network at the secondary level Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 433-454 Claxton,Guy Edwards Louise and Scale-Constantinou Victoria 2006 Cultivating creative mentalities: A framework for education Thinking Skills and Creativity, Volume 1, Issue 1, Pages 57-61 Day Christopher, Elliot Bob and Kington Alison 2005 Reform, standards and teacher identity: Challenges of sustaining commitment Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 21, Issue 5, Pages 563-577 Hartley Roger and Almuhaidib Saud M.Y. (2007) User oriented techniques to support interaction and decision making with large educational databases Computers & Education, Volume 48, Issue 2, February Pages 268-284 Collins Jannette (2005) The Needs of an Educator Journal of the American College of Radiology, Volume 2, Issue 11, Pages 914-918 Court Deborah (2004) The Quest for Meaning in Educational Research Academic Exchange Quarterly Volume 8, Issue 3 Gallagher Tony (1989) The evaluation function of the commonwealth tertiary education commission Studies In Educational Evaluation, Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 151-159 Excerpt from a BBC News Report:2004 Education overspends inquiry Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4000643.stm Presentation by Glover Whitehurst, director of the institute of educational sciences (US department of education) at the 2003 conference of the American Educational Research Association (AREA) downloaded from http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/ies.html, 2006 Appendix I - Education overspends inquiry An official government inquiry has been announced into the financial management of two education and library boards. Northern Ireland Education Minister Barry Gardiner has vowed to get to the bottom of how both the Belfast and the South Eastern area boards ran up huge deficits. He said that figures he had received show the boards overspent in the last financial year by more than 5m each. Without urgent action they are in danger of running up another 23m overspend, the minister said. Accounting responsibilities The statutory inquiry will be led by Dr Bill Jack, the former comptroller and auditor general at the Northern Ireland Audit Office. It will look at how the deficits came about without any apparent forewarning to the members of each board. Both boards have been meeting over recent weeks in an effort to approve savings which would reduce the deficits. Frontline services The BELB, which has an annual budget of about 200m, suspended its chief executive David Cargo two weeks ago as a "precautionary" measure which it stressed was not a "presumption of any guilt". It issued a statement which said that the deficit was due to increased demands in special education, home to school transport, school deficits and job evaluation. The SEELB, which has a budget of almost 220m, announced cuts in a number of areas including temporary and agency staff and the provision of transport services. Read More