Writing a Problem Statement

TOPIC: the use of graphing calculators in teaching algebra

As a question: How are graphing calculators
used in teaching grade nine algebra?
As a hypothesis: The achievement of grade nine
students taught algebra with graphing calculators
will equal or exceed that of grade nine students
taught without graphing calculators.
As a null hypothesis: There are no differences in
achievement in algebra for grade nine students
taught with graphing calculators as compared to
those taught with out graphing calculators.
Types of Research
EDUC 500
Is this research?

Consider these examples

During an informal discussion with a group
of students, Ms. Chan heard someone say,
“Teachers always ask the same people to
answer the hard questions.” She began to
wonder if that were really true. To find out
she sat in the back of another teacher’s
class and wrote down each question asked
and the student to whom the question was
directed.
Mr. Ramirez was a beginning nurse. He kept
hearing about Ms. Blaine who was “the best
nurse in the clinic.” In order to find out what
Ms. Blaine did that earned her that
reputation, Mr. Ramirez arranged to shadow
her at work three times each week. He also
talked to patients and other staff about their
reasons for thinking Ms. Blaine was a good
nurse.
Mr. Gordon was interested in the ways
school counsellors thought students learned
about career options. He developed some
tasks that he thought would help
counsellors to talk about their ideas about
student career choices and used the tasks to
interview some colleagues.
Ms. Berliner had just received a new computer for
her classroom. She was curious to find out if
students would learn multiplication facts better
using the computer instead of regular workbook
assignments and class drills. To find out, she
arranged for every other student in her class to use
software designed to teach multiplication, while the
other students used the workbook and participated
in class drills. She gave all the students a pretest and
a posttest to see if the computer group differed
from the regular group. She presented the findings
to the local math teacher association.
Many kinds of research
LOGICAL (mathematics, philosophy)

EVALUATION (judging, appraising)

INVESTIGATIVE (law, government hearings, journalism)

DEMOGRAPHIC (economics, census, polling)

MODUS OPERANDI (forensics, medical diagnosis)

EMPIRICAL/SCIENTIFIC (social science, education, physical science)

 Mixed
Methods

Quantitative Qualitative

Empirical
Research

Post-positivism Constructionism
 Quasi-
Experimental
experimental

Correlational

Single
Quantitative
subject

Descriptive

Meta-
analysis
 Phenomenological

Interpretive
Understanding a Ethnographic
situation from the
participant perspective

Grounded Theory
Qualitative

Action Research
Critical
Understanding and
critiquing power within
society
Dialectics
 QUAL-quant

Mixed
QUANT-qual
Methods

QUAL-QUANT
 Time order decision
Concurrent Sequential

QUAL + QUAN QUAL QUAN

QUAN QUAL

QUAL + quan QUAL quan

Qual QUAN

QUAN + qual QUAN qual

Quan QUAL
 Types of Research
Burnside set out to determine the Historical
number of teachers in Vancouver who Descriptive
planned to retire in the next five years,
their ages, and their main reasons for Correlational
considering retirement.
Causal comparative
Cheung set up a study in Winnipeg Ethnographic
schools to determine the effectiveness
of using computer simulations to teach Experimental
science versus hands-on labs.

Mitchell attempted to describe the

early years of the residential schools in
BC.
 Types of Research
McLachlin investigated a hypothesized Historical
relationship between student
melancholia and grades received. Descriptive

Correlational
Vigneault conducted an in-depth study
of the culture of a religious school in Causal comparative
southern Saskatchewan.
Ethnographic
Naslund investigated the grade point
average of graduating students at Experimental
Eastern University to compare (1)
student who had attended community
college for their first two years versus
(2) students who had gone to Eastern
University all four years.
 Mixed
Methods

Quantitative Qualitative

VALIDITY

• Replicability • Credibility
• Reliability • Verisimilitude
• Probabilistic • Confirmability
• Method & instruments • Researcher
 Mixed
Methods

Quantitative Qualitative

GENERALIZABILITY
Nomothetic statements Idiographic statements
Similarity Similarity & difference
Sample to population Thick description
Justifiability through standard Researcher as instrument
techniques Readers judge the
Researcher makes explicit claim transferability
about generalizability