Research and the Teacher: A Qualitative Introduction to School-based Research

It offers a clear pathway through the research process and provides a sound basis from which teachers can realistically conduct school-based research projects.
Table of contents

Hitcock, Graham; Hughes, David. Computers, Curriculum, and Cultural Change: An Introduction for Teachers, Second Editionis a comprehensive introduction to using computers in educational settings. How can teachers and administrators be prepared to create partnerships with families and communities? Nationwide, rhetoric in favor of parent This book aims to demystify the principles and practice of school improvement by demonstrating how successful classroom and school improvement This reference is a survey of the major issues in teacher education today in a representative group of 21 countries Please note that the Lexile measures for a small population of books have been recently updated.

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In the process of the study, informed consent was obtained from all the participants and they were ensured of the anonymity of their responses and that the audio files will be removed after use; then, after obtaining permission from the participants, the interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim immediately. The interviews were conducted in a private and quiet place and in convenient time.

Then, verification of documents and coordination for subsequent interviews were done. Another method of data collection in this study was an unstructured observation in the educational setting. The investigator observed the method of interactions among faculty members and students.


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The interviews were conducted from November to April Each participant was interviewed for one or two sessions. The mean duration of the interviews was 60 minutes. Also, we used qualitative content analysis with a conventional approach to analyze the data. The data of the study were directly collected from the experiences of the study participants.

The codes, categories and themes were explored through an inductive process, in which the researchers moved from specific to general. In content analysis at first, semantic units should be specified, and then the related codes should be extracted and categorized based on their similarities. Finally, in the case of having a high degree of abstraction, the themes can be determined.

Research to Practice - "Ethical Teachers, Ethical Researchers"

In the conventional approach, the use of predetermined classes is avoided and classes and their names are allowed to directly come out of the data. To do so, we read the manuscripts and listened to the recorded data for several times until an overall sense was attained. Then, the manuscript was read word by word and the codes were extracted. At the same time, the interviews were continued with other participants and coding of the texts was continued and sub-codes were categorized within the general topics.

Then, the codes were classified in categories based on their similarities 6. Finally, by providing a comprehensive description about the topics, participants, data collection and analysis procedures and limitations of the study, we intend to create transferability so that other researchers clearly follow the research process taken by the researchers.

In addition, the findings were repeatedly assessed and checked by supervisors expert checking 9. In this research, the researcher tried to increase the credibility of the data by keeping prolonged engagement in the process of data collection. To increase the dependability and conformability of data, maximum variation was observed in the sampling. In addition, to increase the power of data transferability, adequate description of the data was provided in the study for critical review of the findings by other researchers.

The aim of the research and interview method was explained to the participants and in the process of the study, informed consent was obtained from all the participants and they were ensured of the anonymity of their responses and that audio files were removed after use. Informed consent for interview and its recording was obtained. The mean age of faculty members in this study was According to the results of the study, the best teaching approach was the mixed method one student-centered with teacher-centered plus educational planning and previous readiness.

Meaning units expressed by professors were divided into 19 codes, 4 categories and 2 themes. In the present study, regarding the Effective Teaching Method in Higher Education, Requirements and Barriers, the experiences and perceptions of general practitioners were explored. As presented in Table 2 , according to data analysis, two themes containing several major categories and codes were extracted. Each code and category is described in more details below.

Research and the teacher : a qualitative introduction to school-based research

Teachers participating in this study believed that teaching and learning in higher education is a shared process, with responsibilities on both student and teacher to contribute to their success. Within this shared process, higher education must engage the students in questioning their preconceived ideas and their models of how the world works, so that they can reach a higher level of understanding.

But students are not always equipped with this challenge, nor are all of them driven by a desire to understand and apply knowledge, but all too often aspire merely to survive the course, or to learn only procedurally in order to get the highest possible marks before rapidly moving on to the next subject. The best teaching helps the students to question their preconceptions, and motivates them to learn, by putting them in a situation in which their existing model does not work and in which they come to see themselves as authors of answers, as agents of responsibility for change.

That means, the students need to be faced with problems which they think are important. Also, they believed that most of the developed countries are attempting to use new teaching methods, such as student-centered active methods, problem-based and project-based approaches in education. For example, the faculty number 3 said:. It is a very interesting technique to arouse interest, motivate students, and enhance their skills Faculty member No. In recent years, this project was used to empower the students.

They will be allowed to accept the roles in a project and, therefore, deeply engage in the process of software development. In Iran, many studies have been conducted about new teaching methods. For example, studies by Momeni Danaie 10 , Noroozi 11 , and Zarshenas 12 , have shown various required methods of teaching. They have also concluded that pure lecture, regardless of any feedback ensuring the students learning, have lost their effectiveness.

The problem-oriented approach in addition to improving communication skills among students not only increased development of critical thinking but also promoted study skills and an interest in their learning In this study, the professors noted that there are some barriers to effective teaching that are mentioned below:. Having a successful and effective teaching that creates long-term learning on the part of the students will require certain feelings and attitudes of the teachers.

These attitudes and emotions strongly influence their behavior and teaching.

In this section, the attitudes of successful teachers are discussed. Teachers have to focus on mental differences, interest, and sense of belonging, emotional stability, practical experience and scientific level of students in training. Class curriculum planning includes preparation, effective transition of content, and the use of learning and evaluating teaching To connect with students and impact their lives personally and professionally, teachers must be student-centered and demonstrate respect for their background, ideologies, beliefs, and learning styles.

The limitation in this research was little access to other nationally recognized university faculty members; also their tight schedule was among other limitations in this study that kept us several times from interviewing such faculties. To overcome such a problem, they were briefed about the importance of this study and then some appointments were set with them. This study revealed the effective teaching methods, requirements and barriers in Iranian Higher Education.

They believed that to grow successful people to deal with the challenges in evolving the society, most developed countries are attempting to use new teaching methods in higher education. All these methods are student-centered and are the result of pivotal projects. Research conducted by Momeni Danaei and colleagues also showed that using a combination of various teaching methods together will lead to more effective learning while implementing just one teaching model cannot effectively promote learning In this study, barriers according to codes were divided two major categories: However, teachers who are aware of the necessity of engaging the student for a better understanding of their content try to use this method as a combination that is class speech presentation and involving students in teaching and learning.

This result is consistent with the research findings of Momeni Danaei and colleagues 10 , Zarshenas et al. Using student-centered methods in higher education needs some requirements that according to faculty members who were interviewed, and according to the codes, such requirements for effective teaching can be divided into two categories: First, things to exist in the outlook of faculties about the students and faculties' responsibility towards them, to guide them towards effective teaching methods, the most important of which are adaptation to the organizational strategies, interest in the students and trust in their abilities, systemic approach in higher education, and interest in their discipline.

This category emerged from some codes, including having lesson plan; using appropriate educational strategies and metacognition training and self-assessment of students during teaching; using concept and pre-organizer maps in training, knowledge; and explaining how to resolve problems in professional career through teaching discussion, documenting of experience and having satisfactory interaction with the students.

This result is consistent with the findings of Klug et al. In addition and according to the results, we can conclude that a major challenge for universities, especially at a time of resource constraints, is to organize teaching so as to maximize learning effectiveness. As mentioned earlier, a major barrier to change is the fact that most faculty members are not trained for their teaching role and are largely ignorant of the research literature on effective pedagogy.

These findings are in agreement with the research of Knapper, indicating that the best ideas for effective teaching include: In the present study, it was illustrated that a good teaching method helps the students to question their preconceptions, and motivates them to learn, by putting them in a situation in which they come to see themselves as the authors of answers and the agents of responsibility for change. But whenever the teachers can teach by this method, they are faced with some barriers and requirements. Therefore, to have an effective teaching, the faculty members of universities should be aware of these barriers and requirements as a way to improve the teaching quality.

Effective teaching also requires structural changes that can only be brought about by academic leaders. These changes include hiring practices reward structures that recognize the importance of teaching expertise, quality assurance approaches that measure learning processes, outcomes in a much more sophisticated way than routine methods, and changing the way of attaining university accreditation. This will help other university teachers to be familiar with effective teaching and learning procedures. Therefore, curriculum planners and faculty members can improve their teaching methods.

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The authors would like to thank all research participants of Isfahan University of Technology faculties who contributed to this study and spent their time to share their experiences through interviews. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.


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    Effective Teaching Methods in Higher Education: Requirements and Barriers

    This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Introduction Rapid changes of modern world have caused the Higher Education System to face a great variety of challenges. Methods The study was conducted with a qualitative method using content analysis approach. Open in a separate window. Ethical considerations The aim of the research and interview method was explained to the participants and in the process of the study, informed consent was obtained from all the participants and they were ensured of the anonymity of their responses and that audio files were removed after use.

    Results The mean age of faculty members in this study was Table 2 Examples of extracting codes, categories and themes from raw data.

    Effective Teaching Methods in Higher Education: Requirements and Barriers

    Meaning unit Code Category Theme "If faculties know themselves as an inseparable part of the university, and proud of their employment in the university …". The large number of students in classes. High volume theoretical principles Associated with laws and regulations Barriers "If at least in the form of teacher evaluation, some questions were allocated to the use of project-based and problem-based approaches, and student-centered learning, teachers would try to use them further". New teaching methods and barriers to the use of these methods Teachers participating in this study believed that teaching and learning in higher education is a shared process, with responsibilities on both student and teacher to contribute to their success.

    For example, the faculty number 3 said: In this study, the professors noted that there are some barriers to effective teaching that are mentioned below: The requirements defined curriculum and resources in the teaching, the large number of students in classes, and High volume theoretical principles. As to the use of new methods of training such as problem-based methods or project-based approach, faculty members No. Do not take a problem-based learning and student-centered learning in their evaluation as a bonus for teachers.