Utilizing your research question conduct a google scholar search to vet your research question. Is there research in this field that can drawn upon? and/or has this research question already been answered?
Of my three research questions, #1, "How does collaboration with professional scientists affect scientists and students motivation and scientific skills?" seems to be the most extensively studied. Collaborations or partnerships between university researchers and students in K-12 schools are becoming more and more common in all disciplines, not just science. As the Next Generation Science Standards are adopted by states, more and more emphasis will be placed on scientific habits of mind, which are best learned from real-life, practicing scientists. The nature of the studies previously conducted depends on the specific goal of each study, but all involve scientists working with science teachers and students which is helpful for me in terms of learning what has worked (and not worked) in the past with others setting up partnerships and collaborative learning. I have been examining the methods they have used to get ideas for what I can focus on. I am also involved in a project right now that is more teacher-scientist based, the OPIHI Project http://www.hawaii.edu/gk-12/opihi/index.shtml that will be done with my other students (9th graders) which I think I can compare to my experience with my 7th graders who will have direct student-scientist interactions. Research related to topics similar to my questions #2 and #3 does exist and I found a few articles that I will see what I can pull from for my literature review and to get ideas for questions/assessments. Here are some of my initial notes on the articles I read.
Key Points and Ideas from Research Articles
Bowman, C. D., Sherman, D. M., Arvidson, R. E., Nelson, S. V., & Squyres, S. W. (2003). Students and Scientists Test Prototype Mars Rover. Journal of Geoscience Education, 51(1), 29-34.
- LAPIS Program
- active participation designed to mirror the activities of the Athena science team members
- distance learning (teleconferences every two weeks)
- face-to-face interactions with mentor
- science team members act as research partners
- teachers support science learning, coordinate mission tasks and roles, facilitate interactions between students and mentors
- empowerment evaluation
- developing a mission, vision, or unifying purpose
- taking stock or determining where the program stands including strengths and weaknesses)
- planning for the future by establishing goals and helping participants determine their own strategies to accomplish program goals and objectives
Chinn, P. W., Abbott, I. A., & Kanahele-Mossman, H. Ua lele ka manu (The bird has flown): Science education from Indigenous/local/place-based perspectives.
- "In 1999, the US National Research Council
identified 3 research and 5 action priorities for sustainability science. The following are relevant to
Indigenous inquiry in Hawai‘i (pp. 10-13, NRC, 1999):
- Research Priority 1. Develop a research framework that integrates global and local
perspectives to shape a "place-based" understanding of the interactions between
environment and society.
- Research Priority 3. Promote better utilization of existing tools and processes for linking
knowledge to action in pursuit of a sustainability transition.
- Action Priority 5. Restore degraded ecosystems while conserving biodiversity elsewhere.
From 1994 to its removal a few years ago following a review by outside consultants,
- science
teachers and an archeologist/educator exchanged ideas on Hawaiian indigenous inquiry and its
methods for several months
- digitally recorded conversations
- notes on informal
and telephone interviews
- emails exchanged
- Five major themes related to Indigenous inquiry methods and K12 science education.
- 1. Role of hula, chants, ‘ōlelo no‘eau, and mo‘olelo;
- 2. Role of Indigenous identity and cultural expectations;
- 3. Role of place-based cultural practices;
- 4. Role of Indigenous knowledge and practices in curriculum and instruction;
- 5. Institutional, cultural, and societal barriers to Indigenous inquiry.
- suggests a Hawaii-oriented
framework with four process elements: 1) developing a Hawaiian sense of place, 2) mālama, caring
Chinn, et al Ua Lele Ka Manu: Indigenous/local inquiry methods 22
for/monitoring/restoring a familiar place; 3) kuleana, recognizing that the right to use resources
come with responsibility; and 4) conducting inquiry oriented to sustaining a healthy social
ecosystem.
Falloon, G. (2013). Forging School–Scientist Partnerships: A Case of Easier Said than Done?. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22(6), 858-876.
- 6 case studies completed
- 12 schools (19 teachers)
- scientists A-F
- qualitative data
- individual cases, across the cases
- Likert questionnaire
- Predominant themes used to classify across-case data
- effect of partnership design and planning
- partnership breadth and perception of value
- the effect of partnership establishment processes
- partnership viability concerns
- identified principles and processes associated with forming partnerships
- collaborative planning
- mutual benefit
- shared risk, responsibility, and organizational structure
- equal partner status
- establishment of a shared partner space
- account of challenges faced
- limitations of sample size
Hall-Wallace, M., & Regens, N. L. (2003). Impact of K-12 Partnership on Science Teaching. Journal of Geoscience Education, 51(1), 104-113.
- data collected more on GK-12 fellows (college students) and teachers but great descriptions of the methods used and their efficacy for the needs of the evaluation of the study
- mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods
- student journal analysis - most effective means of evaluating quality and progress of program, but most difficult to evaluate quantitatively
- surveys of knowledge
- attitude surveys - measure fellows' attitudes
- exit surveys and interviews - surveyed fellows and teachers who worked with a fellow for more than six weeks
Richards, L. (2013). Hawaiian Culture and High School Biology: Symbiosis.
- mixed methods action research
- investigate how the integration of cultural concepts into traditional
curriculum impacts students’ learning of science
- quantitative - pre- and post-surveys
- qualitative - focus group, small group, reflections (all students)
- student research project - about the place of study to be organized into five sections: introduction,
cultural background, ecological study, impacts on the ‘äina, and discussion and
conclusions
- Outcomes
- Secondary students recognized the indigenized biology curriculum. By the end of
the study, 97% of students could name at least one example of Hawaiian culture-based
curriculum
- The curriculum supports Native Hawaiian student learning, as evidenced by the
triangulated results which include several types of quantitative and qualitative data.
Five findings (See Table A3) demonstrate positive impact...
- Students reported that as a result of the curriculum integration, they are able to
make connections to the content, understand concepts easier, find relationship
with the material, and learn and process complex biology concepts. In the pre- to
post-survey comparison, students showed an increase in their understanding of
biological concepts through the integration of Hawaiian culture. They were increasingly
able to apply science to their context of self, family, community, and world.
Other articles to read:
DeGrazia, J. L., Sullivan, J. F., Carlson, L. E., & Carlson, D. W. (2001). A K-12/university partnership: Creating tomorrow's engineers. Journal of Engineering Education, 90(4), 557.
Forbes, A., & Skamp, K. (2013). Knowing and learning about science in primary school ‘Communities of Science Practice’: The views of participating scientists in the MyScience initiative. Research in Science Education, 43(3), 1005-1028.
HANSEN, T. A., KELLEY, P. H., & HALL, J. C. (2001, November). The Moonsnail Project: a collaborative research partnership between middle schools and universities. In GSA Annual Meeting, November 5-8, 2001.
Hansen, T. A., Kelley, P. H., & Hall, J. C. (2003). Moonsnail Project: A Scientific Collaborations With Middle School Teachers and Students. Journal of Geoscience Education, 51(1), 35-38.
Inan, F. A., & Lowther, D. L. (2010). Factors affecting technology integration in K-12 classrooms: A path model. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(2), 137-154.
Rye, J., Landenberger, R., & Warner, T. A. (2013). Incorporating concept mapping in project-based learning: Lessons from watershed investigations.Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22(3), 379-392.
Stamp, N., & O'brien, T. (2005). GK—12 Partnership: A Model to Advance Change in Science Education. BioScience, 55(1), 70-77.
Share your research/project question and explain how you have arrived at this specific question
Here are my modified research questions from last week. In Chapter 5 Methods (Maxwell), "Decisions about data collection," are discussed and I felt that the section called "The Relationship Between Research Questions and Data Collection Methods (p. 100-102) really helped me to understand how my research questions relate to the data that I will collect and especially how to use my methods to my advantage in doing so. Maxwell states that there has often been confusion about research questions and data collection methods and that the later will depend strongly on the "actual research situation and on what will work most effectively in that situation to give you the data you need (p. 100)." I now better understand that research questions are what you want to learn and data collection methods are what you ask to gain that understanding (p. 77, 101). This helped me to think about my data collection instruments (questionnaires, pre- and post-assessments, and questioning strategies, and casual observations) more as tools to understanding the big picture through many different lenses. Also in this chapter, I was reminded of the importance of understanding one's place and the places of others when he mentioned that many cultures find the asking of questions to be taboo or in opposition to one's cultural practices and norms (Maxwell, p. 101).
In Chapter 9, Maxwell discusses "Qualitative Procedures" including data collection procedures, which listed data collection types (Table 9.2, p. 179), many of which I had previously thought would be good ways to collect data. This table includes options within each type as well as advantages and limitations, which helped me to narrow down which strategies I will initially use as well as provide me with options in case I begin collecting data and find that I do not have enough information to answer my research questions. My primary data collection will be through documents such as pre- and post-assessments, student work, and journals; audio-visual materials including photographs and videos of students during class; and observations as a participant (by myself and by Dr. Butler and her students).
My research questions from last week with modifications are below. My main changes were to eliminate my assumptions (Maxwell, p. 75) about what I expect to learn during my research. I was previously assuming that in #1 "collaborating with professional scientists," would "improve [my] students' motivation and skills," in #2 that "student learning would be [enhance[d]," and in #3 that the use of Google applications would "facilitate rapid exchange of data and ideas." I feel that my questions are now less biased and more open-ended rather than too narrow, as they should be in qualitative research. I also feel that I will be able to draw conclusions based on the data I collect because I will design my data collection instruments to incorporate a wide variety of measures.
Modified Research Questions (1/27/2016)
- How does collaboration with professional scientists
improve affect scientists and students motivation and scientific skills in ecological sampling techniques as compared to the science teacher alone?
- How does the knowledge of mo'olelo, history, and culture of a place (such as an ahupua'a)
enhance influence student learning in science?
- How does the use of Google applications
facilitate rapid affect exchange of data and ideas with students in other states and countries?