Revitalise Educational Research: Ideas for Consideration

Presuppositions made by Vivian and Karen:

We differentiated our ideas about the research agenda from the evaluation efforts of Horizon. We see the evaluation process as dealing with two issues: monitoring the project for the purpose of refinement (formative) and assessing the extent to which the project meets its goals (summative).

We see the educational research as an attempt to gather information that would be interesting to the educational community at large (perhaps publishable) beyond the focus of the evaluation. Within that context, we distinguish between (1) research conducted by the university faculty and (2) research conducted by the participants (action research) in collaboration with the university faculty.

Possible Research Problems for Faculty Researchers

Teacher Learning/Content (cognitive)

1. What misconceptions in teachers’ understandings were addressed effectively through the use of technology?
   --concept maps
2. How did teachers’ understandings of the nature of science change through the process? What aspects of the project addressed those understandings?
   --teacher interviews/questionnaires

Teacher Attitudes/Technology (affective)

1. What were the concerns/conflicts expressed by teachers through the process?

-CBAM (?)

2. How the did the teachers’ views of technology as tools of science change through the process?
   --questionnaire
   
   

Through a case study of the teachers, determine aspects of professional development that effect change in teachers’ knowledge and/or skills.

Choose a sample of participants. Through a series of interviews, learn their history of professional development—what they learned, what was effective, what was ineffective, what they would choose if they could design their own professional development. What features of their programs of professional development (including Revitalise) were effective/ineffective?

Describe characteristics/create profiles of master teachers/mentors in the project

1. What characteristics do they exhibit that cause them to emerge as leaders?
1. Are they early adopters?
2. Are they particularly savvy in content or technology?
2. What experiences have enabled them to emerge as leaders?
1. Support from administrators, peers, or others?
2. Effective professional development?

Aspects of project that reduce sense of isolation. Since this is such an important goal of the project, it might be valuable to address it at a deeper level than what will be possible in the evaluation effort by Horizon.

Research Problems for Participants (Action Research)

1. Facilitate design and implementation of classroom research by teacher participants (to be determined in collaboration with them).