Classroom Research & Research Question

Goals• Introduce terminology

• Problem• Question• Taxonomy of questions

• Draft a research question• Determine your research hypothesis• Begin to think about your research

design• Start to develop a strong research

design

Your BSP Research Journey So Far• Application• Assignments• Reading of the seminal papers in

SoTL • Bass: problem• Hutchings: taxonomy of

questions• Preparation for conducting your

study: IRB application information• Examined work on teaching and

learning that has been made public: annotated bibliography

Defining the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL)

When you think of the term “scholarship of teaching & learning”, what terms immediately come to your mind?AffectiveAssessmentBiasedClassroomControlledEvidenceEvaluativeObjectivePeer Reviewed

PublishableQualitativeRigorousShared StatisticsStudent attitudesSystematicValued

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) - A Brief History

According to Boyer:• "Excellence in the

classroom is all too often undervalued." • SoTL means applying to

teaching the same exacting standards of evaluation that are used in research.

The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning• Many definitions, many names (SoTL, DBER, AR, ER)• Some are discipline, institution specific

The Scholarship of Teaching & LearningHowever, no matter what term is used……

Two requirements:• Systematic investigation

of a selected aspect of student learning where data are gathered and analyzed

• Results are made public• Making work public

makes SoTL different from scholarly teaching

The Thinking to Design a SoTL Project

Problem Question Hypothesis

In scholarship and research, having a “problem” is at the heart of the investigative process. …. But in one’s teaching, a “problem” is something you don’t’ want to have and if you have one, you probably want to fix it.”

Randy Bass. 1999. “The Scholarship of Teaching: What’s the Problem?” Inventio

Problem

Moving from Problem to Question

“Changing the status of the problem in teaching from terminal remediation to ongoing investigation is precisely what the movement for a scholarship of teaching is all about.”

Randy Bass. 1999. “The Scholarship of Teaching: What’s the Problem?” Inventio

Taxonomy of SoTL Questions

What works?-measure of effectiveness of an approach

What is?-examination of a process-describe how students learn

What’s possible?-exploration -goals that have yet to be met

What unifies?-defining models & conceptual frameworks that influence practice-frameworks that can be used by other disciplines

Examplehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCxPttq_e_Y

Activity- Examining ArticlesArticle 2Segura-Totten & Dalman (2013) “The CREATE Method Does Not Result in Greater Gains in Critical Thinking than a More Traditional Method of Analyzing Primary Literature”. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. 14: 166-175.

Your task is to determine:• What is the research problem?• What is the research question?• What type of question based on Hutchings’

Taxonomy of SoTL Questions?

Article 1Hoskins, Lopatto, & Stevens (2011) “The CREATE Approach to Primary Literature Shifts Undergraduates’ Self-Assessed Ability to Read and Analyze Journal Articles, Attitudes about Science, & Epistemological Beliefs”. CBE-Life Sciences Education. 10: 368-378.

Your Turn…..

•What is your teaching/learning problem?•What is/are your research question(s)?

Steps Towards Defining the Problem

Ask yourself:1. What learning/teaching problem do I have2. What is the evidence the problem exists?3. Is my evidence strong? Are my assumptions

few?4. Is my problem local, nationwide, or global?

Properties of a Good Research Question

• Something you care about • Connects with things others care about

• Annotated bibliography will help you• Helps open “the black box of student

learning”• Focused and manageable• Leads to other questions

Your Turn…..

•What is your teaching/learning problem?•What is/are your research question(s)?

The Thinking to Design a SoTL Project

Problem

Question

Hypothesis

Checklist of things to think about when identifying your research questionIs the scope of your project reasonable?Is the question one that can be answered? How much time can you realistically devote to

this research?Have you done a literature review that helps

further define your research question?Do you have expertise in the methods you plan

to use? Do you have colleagues to support you?Who can help you if you get stuck?

Places to find your answer

• Exams• Reading of student papers• Student reflections• Student portfolio• Classroom assessments• Think alouds• Survey• Focus groups• Case study of a single student over time• Tracking patterns or achievement