EDUC 502 Class EDUC 502 Class Session 2Session 2September 12, 2005September 12, 2005

This will be posted on This will be posted on http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~rhttp://faculty.salisbury.edu/~regrothegroth

under the EDUC 502 link under the EDUC 502 link after classafter class

Finding your research Finding your research interestsinterests

Complete the “Developing a Focus of Complete the “Developing a Focus of Inquiry” activity on the handout.Inquiry” activity on the handout.

Spend 10 minutes completing the Spend 10 minutes completing the exercise individually.exercise individually.

At the conclusion of the 10 minutes, At the conclusion of the 10 minutes, write down 2-3 educational research write down 2-3 educational research questions you are interested in questions you are interested in investigating.investigating.

Share your research questions with a Share your research questions with a group of 5-6 classmates.group of 5-6 classmates.

Evaluating research Evaluating research questionsquestions

As classmates read the research questions As classmates read the research questions that interest them, critique the questions that interest them, critique the questions along the following dimensions:along the following dimensions: Are the questions well-written and Are the questions well-written and

understandable?understandable? Can the question be answered empirically Can the question be answered empirically

(through data gathering?)(through data gathering?) Is the question significant to informing Is the question significant to informing

practice in some part of the field of education?practice in some part of the field of education? Suggest improvements in focus or wording Suggest improvements in focus or wording

as you work with classmates. These as you work with classmates. These questions can become the foundation of questions can become the foundation of your term project.your term project.

Sharing research Sharing research questionsquestions

As you were working with your As you were working with your group, were there any especially group, were there any especially intriguing research questions? If so, intriguing research questions? If so, what made the research questions what made the research questions intriguing? intriguing?

Think about how you might refine Think about how you might refine your own research questions now your own research questions now that you have heard some of those that you have heard some of those shared by others.shared by others.

Finding Literature Related Finding Literature Related to Your Research Questionto Your Research Question

There are several types of literature There are several types of literature that you encounter when searching that you encounter when searching electronic databases and other articles:electronic databases and other articles: Research journals (e.g., Research journals (e.g., American American

Education Research JournalEducation Research Journal, , Educational Educational Studies in MathematicsStudies in Mathematics))

Practitioner-oriented journals (e.g., Practitioner-oriented journals (e.g., Educational LeadershipEducational Leadership, , Mathematics Mathematics TeacherTeacher))

Books and book chaptersBooks and book chapters Master’s and doctoral thesesMaster’s and doctoral theses Magazine and Newspaper articlesMagazine and Newspaper articles Unpublished documentsUnpublished documents

Strategies for doing a Strategies for doing a literature reviewliterature review

Find a few journal articles closely Find a few journal articles closely related to your topic and search out related to your topic and search out the articles listed in the referencesthe articles listed in the references

Access the Salisbury University Access the Salisbury University library website library website www.salisbury.eduwww.salisbury.edu and use the available databases.and use the available databases.

Access the ERIC database at Access the ERIC database at www.eric.ed.govwww.eric.ed.gov. .

A good literature review combines A good literature review combines all of these strategies.all of these strategies.

Tonight’s task in the Tonight’s task in the computer labcomputer lab

Use the ERIC database to locate articles Use the ERIC database to locate articles that are closely connected to the that are closely connected to the research questions you have written. research questions you have written.

Locate at least 5 research journal Locate at least 5 research journal articles connected to your topic.articles connected to your topic.

Complete the literature review matrices Complete the literature review matrices for the 5 research journal articles you for the 5 research journal articles you find.find.

The lab assistant in DH 205 will be The lab assistant in DH 205 will be available to help if you don’t know your available to help if you don’t know your login and password to access the system.login and password to access the system.

Sample article matrixSample article matrix

Look at the article on pp. 18-25 in Look at the article on pp. 18-25 in the text.the text.

If you were completing a literature If you were completing a literature review matrix for this article, what review matrix for this article, what would you put in each section? Take would you put in each section? Take a few minutes to do this, and we will a few minutes to do this, and we will gather together ideas as a class. gather together ideas as a class.

A note about article A note about article presentationspresentations

Our first article presentations will Our first article presentations will take place on Sept. 26. If you draw 1, take place on Sept. 26. If you draw 1, 2, or 3, you get to go that day. See the 2, or 3, you get to go that day. See the last page of the syllabus for the last page of the syllabus for the calendar stating when the rest of the calendar stating when the rest of the numbers are due.numbers are due.

See the bottom of the last page of the See the bottom of the last page of the syllabus for what should be included syllabus for what should be included in the article presentation that you in the article presentation that you make. make.

Try to use one of the articles you Try to use one of the articles you locate tonight in DH 205 as the basis locate tonight in DH 205 as the basis for your article presentation.for your article presentation.