Why do educational research?

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Why do educational research?

• Merrilyn Goos
• The University of Queensland

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A plan

• What is research?
• Why is research worth doing?
• Reflections on the rewards and challenges of
  educational research

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What is research?

• Research and experimental development comprises
  creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in
  order to increase the stock of knowledge,
  including knowledge of humanity, culture and
  society, and the use of this stock of knowledge
  to devise new applications.
• OECD definition

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What is research?

• Research is defined as the creation of new
  knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in
  a new and creative way so as to generate new
  concepts, methodologies and understandings. This
  could include synthesis and analysis of previous
  research to the extent that it leads to new and
  creative outcomes.
• UQ definition

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Why is research worth doing?

• Its fun! (intellectual pleasure of creating new
  knowledge)
• It helps us to understand something
• It helps us to change something (improve,
  influence, make a difference)

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Why is research worth doing?

• Who am I?
• Teaching
• Research
• Professional and community engagement

• Who do I want to influence?
• Teachers (pre-service and in-service)
• Curriculum and assessment authorities
• Policy makers (government)
• Wider community

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A road map of sorts
Who do I want to influence? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Who do I want to influence? Teaching Research Engagement
Curric. assess. authorities 1. New curriculum
Pre-service teachers 2. Transitions
In-service teachers 3. Partnerships
Policy makers 4. Numeracy
Community 5. Advocacy
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Implementing a new curriculum
Who do I want to influence? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Who do I want to influence? Teaching Research Engagement
Curric. assess. authorities 1. New curriculum
Pre-service teachers
In-service teachers
Policy makers
Community
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Using curriculum implementation to drive
professional learning

• Goals of the Mackay Region Action Learning
  Project
• To study the impact of the new Years 1-10
  mathematics syllabus on teaching and assessment
  practices
• To document innovative aspects of, and hindrances
  to, successful syllabus implementation
• To investigate the effectiveness of an Expert
  Mentor PD model that facilitates peer support and
  collaboration within and between schools.

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Mackay project Action learning model
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Mathematical autobiography

• My teaching started out very traditional very
  maths textbook, and I think I did a fairly good
  job where I could stand up the front and explain
  how to do something and show the kids how to do
  it.

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Mathematical autobiography (cont.)

• And you know, they kept on passing the tests
  based on that, but as Ive gone through I think
  Ive gradually realised that maths has got far
  more to it than standing up in front of the
  classroom showing kids how to find the area of a
  circle.

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An investigative approach to mathematics
The focus for planning can be framed in terms of

• a problem to be solved
• a question to be answered
• a significant task to be completed
• an issue to be explored.

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The School Rage Investigation

• Aim to create a top twenty song list for the
  Sugartown State High School radio station.
• Content Census/Sampling
• Surveying formats
• Radio guidelines
• Tables
• Graphs
• Analysing data

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Doing educational research to influence
curriculum implementation

• Making a difference Use curriculum
  implementation to understand teacher professional
  learning and improve teaching practice.
• Challenges Scaling up and maintaining the gains
  made initially.

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Transitions from pre-service to beginning
teaching
Who do I want to influence? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Who do I want to influence? Teaching Research Engagement
Curric. assess. authorities
Pre-service teachers 2. Transitions
In-service teachers
Policy makers
Community
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Beginning teachers Licence to thrill or live
and let die?
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Pre-service curriculum Using technology in
mathematical modelling
Bungee jumping - How far will the rope stretch?
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Pre-service curriculum Using technology in
mathematical modelling
Predicting the transit of Venus
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Pre-service assessmentAuthentic purposes and
audiences
Designing Maths Trails at UQ St Lucia
How much sunshine?
Design a handrail
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Pre-service assessmentAuthentic purposes and
audiences
Designing Maths Trails at UQ St Lucia
How much evaporation?
Writing on the road
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Doing educational research to influence the
professionalisation of beginning teachers

• Making a difference Use pre-service teaching to
  understand and improve the transition from
  university to professional practice.
• Challenges Moving beyond small scale studies
  with ones own students.

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Teacher-researcher partnerships
Who do I want to influence? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Who do I want to influence? Teaching Research Engagement
Curric. assess. authorities
Pre-service teachers
In-service teachers 3. Partnerships
Policy makers
Community
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Teacher-researcher partnerships
Feature of partnership How it worked
Beginning the partnership How? Motivation? Initiation mutual colleague. Motivation mutual interest in research topic and process.
Participants Roles Expectations Language Trust/relationships Communities Asymmetric needs Separate roles but some blurring explicit expectations. Trust established over extended time. Complementary knowledge explored researcher teacher communicate findings to both communities.
Purposes of the research Topic Research questions Benefits Topic research questions defined by researcher but evolve over time. Mutual academic professional benefits.
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Doing educational research to build
researcher-teacher partnerships

• Making a difference Achieve greater recognition
  by researchers of the roles that teachers play in
  authentic classroom based research.
• Challenges Building mutual trust and respect for
  the different types of knowledge that each
  partner brings to the relationship.

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Making policy matter The case of numeracy
Who do I want to influence? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Who do I want to influence? Teaching Research Engagement
Curric. assess. authorities
Pre-service teachers
In-service teachers
Policy makers 4. Numeracy
Community
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A national numeracy research project

• Aims
• critically review recent Australian and
  international research
• identify, describe, and analyse the current range
  of home, school, and community partnership
  practices in Australia that support childrens
  numeracy learning
• report on the feasibility of, and options for, a
  further stage of research to identify key
  principles and examples of effective practices.

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21st Century Numeracy
Citizenship
Tools
Dispositions
Confidence Flexibility Initiative Risk
Representational Physical Digital
Contexts
Problem Solving Estimation Concepts Skills
Personal and Social
Work
Mathematical Knowledge
Critical Orientation
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Who counts as unemployed?

1. Want to work, actively looking for work,
   available to start work immediately
2. Want to work, actively looking for work,
   available to start work within 4 weeks
3. Want to work, actively looking for work, not
   available to start work within 4 weeks
4. Want to work, not actively looking because they
   believe they wouldnt be able to find a job, but
   would be able to start within 4 weeks
5. Want to work but not actively looking and not
   available to start within 4 weeks
6. Dont want to work
7. Permanently unable to work

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Who counts as unemployed?

1. Want to work, actively looking for work,
   available to start work immediately
2. Want to work, actively looking for work,
   available to start work within 4 weeks
3. Want to work, actively looking for work, not
   available to start work within 4 weeks
4. Want to work, not actively looking because they
   believe they wouldnt be able to find a job, but
   would be able to start within 4 weeks
5. Want to work but not actively looking and not
   available to start within 4 weeks
6. Dont want to work
7. Permanently unable to work

unemployed
marginally attached
no marginal attachment
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Who counts as unemployed?

• How would the unemployment rate change if we
  redefined the labour force to include people
  who are designated as marginally attached to the
  labour force?

marginally attached
unemployed
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Ways of interacting with policy makers

• Ignore them stay on the outside by pursuing
  your research agenda, communicating only with
  fellow researchers or do not get involved in
  syllabus reform.
• Fight them stay on the outside but criticise
  them so as to undermine their agendas.
• Yield to them work on the inside but in ways
  dictated by them, thus losing ones autonomy and
  credibility as a researcher.
• Engage them work on the inside by trying to
  understand their goals and strategies in order to
  influence their agendas in ways consistent with
  our interests and values, while retaining the
  right to criticise as an autonomous researcher.

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Doing educational research to engage with
policy makers

• Making a difference Develop and validate a
  theoretical model of numeracy that can be used by
  teachers in different education systems.
• Challenges Influencing policy agendas where
  narrow definitions of numeracy still hold sway.

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Advocacy for mathematics education in the broader
community
Who do I want to influence? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Who do I want to influence? Teaching Research Engagement
Curric. assess. authorities
Pre-service teachers
In-service teachers
Policy makers
Community 5. Advocacy
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Doing educational research to improve the image
of our discipline

• Making a difference???????
• Challenges accepting and becoming proficient in
  our role as advocates for our educational
  discipline.

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Why do educational research?

• Merrilyn Goos
• The University of Queensland