I for Investigation

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “investigation” appeared in early 15c., from Old French investigation (14c.), from the Latin investigationem (nominative investigation) “a searching into, a searching for,” noun of action from past participle stem of investigare “to trace out, search after,” from in- “in, into” (…) to track, trace,” from vestigium “footprint, track.”

Investigation is the appropriate word to describe how any project starts.  Education is a rich subject to investigate; exploration possibilities are endless and it is a great field where issues can be found, discussed and addressed.  The research methodologies in education all start with a specific question an individual or a group may have.

In ETEC 500, Research Methodologies in Education, I was introduced to “issues and practices in a range of education research methodologies” (Introduction, Course Material, ETEC 500) which was an area of expertise I had never studied.  The required textbook to use in this course was the ninth edition of Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application by Gay et al. (2009) (see reference below).  In this course I studied how different types of research were done, such as survey research, experimental research and action research.  I learned the difference between qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis and I learned about quantitative research.  I have discussed how to be aware of the ethical issues that can arise in educational research and I have also learned how to write a literature review as well as a research proposal, types of papers I had not done in my early academic years.  I wrote three article critiques that helped me improve my English writing.  In addition, I was exposed to the APA writing format and references which was extremely helpful in my future courses.  Thus, I felt fortunate having taken this course early in the process; ETEC 500 was my second course in the program.

If you wish to, you can read my three article critiques by clicking on their titles.

Article critique #1: A Word Processor Combined with a Writing Program: Examination of a Qualitative Ethnographic Study

Article critique #2: Critique of a Quantitative Research Called ‘Middle School Students’ Technology Practices and Preferences: Re-Examining Gender Differences’

Article critique #3: Comparison of Three Research Articles Falling Respectively into Qualitative Ethnographic Research, Quantitative Research and Action Research Studies

Chosen Artifact

For this part of my ePortfolio I chose to discuss a Research Proposal I wrote on a topic I had already experimented on previously in my blended courses, face-to-face (f2f) combined with Moodle as per the discussion forum, and which I wanted to investigate further.

Artifact: Using Social Networking in High School Online Courses: The Effects on Critical Thinking and Learning

Context

This artifact was the second part of the course’s final assignment which was combined with a critical literature review of a research topic of my interest. My literature review is titled: Students’ Online Learning experience: The Importance of Social Presence, Interaction and Collaboration.

Reason

I chose to integrate this artifact in my ePortfolio because it was the ultimate objective of this course and this is the only research proposal I have written during my studies in the program.

Discussion

At the time, I had just developed a discussion forum for my students to participate in at my courses’ Moodle site.  The topics that were discussed were either related to the courses’ material or to a current topic usually found in the media.  At the beginning, and because it was never done previously in my students’ other courses, they had mixed feelings about such a forum.  The idea of writing in French to their peers was intimidating for many of them, particularly for those who have challenges in writing, usually boys.  After some discussion, I persuaded them that if done seriously and on a regular basis, their writing should improve and that it would also give them confidence in their ability to communicate orally in French.  My beliefs in that area have proven to be right because after just a few weeks into the discussion forum, I noticed improvements in areas like the students’ self-confidence and their ability to write longer and better-structured paragraphs.  Their posts were more thoughtful and improved day by day.

Into a few weeks, I encouraged my students to think critically and to answer their peers with citations and references using resources other than the ones I provided.  In addition, in the classroom I was providing them with new vocabulary to use, which many of them did use in their writing or during conversation. My little experiment with my students proved to be a revelation.  I was able to conclude that writing and talking are interrelated when learning a second language.  The more an individual writes the better he or she can express him or herself using written words or orally.  After just a few weeks, some groups of students in my classroom started to speak French among themselves not only in my classroom but, as reported by other teachers in my school, in other classrooms.

Since I had done this non-official experimental research in my f2f classrooms, I was interested at investigating further what I thought I had discovered, which was that using social networking in the online courses I was going to teach in the fall would probably have positive effects on my students’ critical thinking and learning.

Reflection

It is clear that social networking is the way that communication happens these days. This fact obliges educators to reflect on the way they are encouraging discussion and collaboration among their students.  When students are in online courses, the obligation to design a space where they can share ideas and work on different projects becomes vital.  Moreover, educators expect from their students a certain level of thoughtfulness; they expect them to use critical thinking skills.  In their article, Murphy and Rodriguez-Manzanares (2009) said that they “were concerned about the lack of emphasis in instructional designs to promote social networking among high school students and suggest that attention should be directed towards course design and teachers’ strategies for a better use of social networking software in high school” (Brochu, 2010).

Planning is needed for teachers to develop some of the strategies required to design and build spaces that will allow social networking among their students. A well-planned research proposal may establish what would be needed for such a project to succeed.  Once put into practice, trial and error will demonstrate what works and what doesn’t, and what changes are needed in the course to create a sense of community.  Therefore, the presence of synchronous and asynchronous activities may be important to consider in establishing that sense of a community (MicInnerney & Roberts, 2004).

The research I have encountered while writing my literature review confirms how a Community of Practice (CofP) is important, particularly in schools. Clearly, it is essential to check existing research before investing ourselves in experimentation that may have already taken place.  Once that investigation is complete, educators can decide whether to pursue their own research.  Although it may take time, it is valuable and should not be put aside.  In this course, I have learned a great deal that I have been using on a regular basis.

My special thanks to Dr. Clifford Falk, whose writing advice and guidance during this course (Summer 201o) have changed the way I write in English.

References

Brochu, J. (2010). Using Social Networking in High School Online Courses: The Effects on Critical Thinking and Learning (unpublished graduate essay). University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Gay, L. R., Mills, G. E., & Airasian, P. W. (2009). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

“Investigation”. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=investigation&searchmode=none

McInnerney, J. M., & Roberts, T. S. (2004). Online learning: Social interaction and the creation of a sense of community. Educational Technology & Society, 7(3), 73-81. Retrieved from http://www.ifets.info/journals/7_3/8.pdf

Murphy, E., & Rodriguez-Manzanares, M. A. (2009). Learner centredness in high school distance learning: Teachers’ perspectives and research validated principles. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(5), 597-610. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet25/murphy.pdf