Descriptive Research Article Essay

descriptive seek wreaks an important role in tuitional seek because it has greatly increased our knowledge about what happens in the classroom. What is descriptive interrogation? descriptive inquiry stand involve collecting quantitative instruction, or it contribute describe categories of information such as patterns of interaction when use engineering in the classroom. Although it whitethorn employ fundamentals of both quantitative and soft query, descriptive enquiry does not fit neatly into the definition of any quantitative or qualitative research methodology. descriptive research takes a what is approach. Types of questions that may be addressed using descriptive research accommodate What is the best steering to aloneow for access to computer equipment in schools? Do teachers hold favorable attitudes toward using computers in schools? What ca-ca been the reactions of school administrators to expert innovations in teaching? Using descriptive research methodo logies with the educational context of use may be advantageous for several reasons.Educational research and experiences may contain some(prenominal) variables that kittynot be realistically controlled, educational research may require ceremonial occasions of life experiences, and data appeal may be interpenetrate over a large number of state over a large geographic ara. Descriptive research may be apply most effectively within the educational setting because educational research experiences potentiometernot be as realistically controlled as laboratory experiments. In melodic phrase to laboratory experiences, descriptive research is valuable because it conquers for the human element of research. foursome of the most common ways to collect information for descriptive research allow in surveys, interviews, observations, and portfolios. These may be utilize singly or in various combinations depending on the research question to be addressed.Used in the simplest way, surve ys may be use to reveal summary statistics by wake receptions to all possible questionnaire items. For instance, 30% of the participants agreed, 50% disagreed, and 20% had no opinion. Descriptive results of this type are typical of survey research in education and often provide leads in identifying needed changes. Survey data may also be used to explore relationships between two or to a greater extent variables. Rather than limit their research to one variable, police detectives can analyze relationships in the survey data and have a more(prenominal) veridical research contribution. Two critical components of survey research are audio relative frequency methodology and well- designed data collection putzs. Data collection instruments should be designed to collect information in a way that volition yield quantifiable results, and they should be distributed to all subjects so that data can be summarized and compared.Surveys can be in the form of written questionnaires, adm it(prenominal) interviews, or telephone interviews. Factors to be considered in choosing a data collection method include sampling, type of population, question form, question content, response rates, costs, unattached facilities, length of data collection, and computer-assisted techniques for data collection. Face-to-face interviews and telephone interviews are a second method of data collection. Interviews are more cartridge holder efficient, allow the research to establish a rapport with the respondent, and allow the acquisition of more in-depth information. They also allow the interviewer to ob armed service the respondent and obtain visual cues. Disadvantages of person-to-person interviews are that they require more staff meter and travel. Telephone interviews may be particularly advantageous because they are little expensive and less time consuming. They can also employ random dialing for a more random survey sample.However, limitations exist because of limited telephone access and the interviewers in exponent to observe the respondent and obtain visual cues. Mailed questionnaires provide some particularly important advantages, including the ability to reach large be of people across a wide geographic region. Other advantages include the ease and low cost of distribution, the minimal amount of staff and facilities needed, and the ability of respondents to respond in their own time frame. Disadvantages include lower response rate and the need to take design a survey instrument with a simple format. A letter of transmittal should accompany mailed questionnaires. The letter of transmittal should state the purpose and importance of the research, the importance of responding to the research, a time frame to respond, a confidentiality statement, an offer to share results, and a thank-you to the respondent. To obtain the best results, good surveys should use good questioning techniques.They should use recognise sentences and offer a limited set of answe rs. Surveys should be interesting and should be worded so that the questions mean the same to everyone. They should inform participants about the kinds of answers that are conquer and should provide definitions for any terms that might be confusing. The third way to collect information for descriptive research, empirical research methods, has long been used across a number of disciplines. Observational methods are concerned with course occurring behaviors observed in natural contexts or in contexts that are plan to be realistic. Since empiric research methods require direct observation of behavior, many consider it superior to other methods because the data are gather presently without intermediary instruments such as tests or questionnaires. Observational research methods can yield a wealth of valuable information, but it can be a complicated border.Some problems associated with observational research include shaping and developing coding schemes, training observers, experie ncing technical errors. Yet observational research can yield invaluable descriptions that other research methodologies cannot. Observational research methods can be employed productively to support many purposes in the area of educational technology. It can be used to charm how people interact with technology in various stages of design and implementation. Research questions may consist of questions such as How do learners interact with a new hardware system? How do learners respond to and interact with a specialised program? Observation makes it possible both to explore the implementation of a particular technological innovation and assess the instructional outcomes. Two types of observational research are structured observations and unstructured observations. Structured observations are set and controlled.A hypothesis, methods for recording data and analyzing data, as well as, what, how, when, and where to observe are established before the observation takes place. Unstructure d observations are used to determine unselective, detailed, continuous description of behavior. Unintended effects are best notice through unstructured observation. However, a disadvantage of unstructured observation is the time and labor required to collect and analyze sets of extensive observations. Once observational variables are identified, an observation form can be developed. These may be paper and pencil or electronic forms. With some observation forms, the observer must evaluate behavior on a rating scale. If a rating scale is used as part of the scoring procedure, a 3-point rating scale with categories such as above- average, average, and below-average, are often sufficient. Newer negotiate observation techniques are now available.Behaviors can be recorded using audio and/or videotape. Computers offer the advantage of on-line monitoring which is the process of capturing characteristics of the human-computer interaction automatically. Keystroke records, audit trails, and logging data are terms used to describe on-line monitoring. Position-tracking devices make it possible to record human surgical procedure precisely and in great detail. In the naturalistic contrived research approach, unbeknownst to the subject, the researcher manipulates the situation to ensure that certain events will occur. representational observations can require many hours of observation to record a short, 2-minute event. For example, you postulate to observe teachers responses to deviant student behavior such as cheating, fighting, or abusing computer equipment.Since these behaviors occur at a very low frequency in most classrooms, a great deal of observer time would be needed to gather data on a presumable sample of such behavior. Situational testing is another form of contrived observation in which the subjects are aware that they are playing a role. The researcher devises a situation and assigns appropriate roles to the subjects, who are asked to play the roles to the best of their ability. Typically, all participants except the person being tested have been trained to play their roles. The situations are manipulated to observe the specific behavior that the researcher is interested in observing. An advantage to situational testing is that by setting up the situation, the behavior can be controlled. The fourth descriptive measure of student work found on actual performance is the student portfolio.Portfolios consist of learner-created products that reflect the processes of cultivation and development over time. Portfolios have been recommended as a way to conflate learning and assessment since portfolios offer students an opportunity to learn about their own learning while they require active student responsibility and self- assessment. Portfolios serve as measures of student progress. They can take many forms such as game performances, multimedia projects, artwork, compositions, etc.Although descriptive research is growing in importance, many research questions involve questions about cause. Yet descriptive research can play a role because it can provide information from another perspective. Two possible reasons exist for the increase in popularity of descriptive research studies. First educational researchers realize that scientific methods of research do not adequately measure what is happening in the classroom. Secondly, new technologies have led to new classroom activities that necessitate new methods of analysis. This article suggests that if period trends continue, descriptive research methodology will grow in popularity and use.