Write-Up for Research

I must say that writing the research report is a tedious process but it's a great deal of learning during the process of collating results and discussing with my team members. This is also when I see the 'gaps' in my knowledge in certain areas and how I can learn from them. Teamwork is the key here!

As we have changed the subject area from English Language to Science, there is quite a bit of changes to be done to our literature review. We have to start to look for new articles as previously, most of our articles are geared towards the learning of English Language. Data analysis is another difficult part. Group discussion really helps! I can't imagine working alone on this. It's during the group discussion that we get to listen to the various perspectives of the result interpretation.

It's also a great deal of the applying the theoretical concepts learnt in the previous module and putting them into practice here. Going through the rigour of preparing for this report really enables me to see how the theoretical concepts can be put into practice. Issues often crop up and to resolve these, consultation with group members, coursemates and the tutor really helps! We are currently at the last lap of the report writing process and still refining it. Perseverence - is the key!

Group Project: Result Analysis Part 1

My group was excited to get together to analyse the results for the preferred and actual WIHIC. However, after running SPSS, the reliability test 'failed' as it was far too low at 0.20+. Hence, another round of survey was conducted the next day for another group of students. We are currently waiting in anticipation for the next set of results. What will they be like?

This has been a great learning experience for the group. Although the cause for this was not known (as we're still waiting for the second set of data to be generated), we have already gathered that the number of supportive statements under each scale should not be too few. In fact, for one of the scales, we have only used two statements and this could possibly have contributed to the low realibility. Perhaps, the level of understanding of the respondents (primary 3 students for this case) is possibly another contributing factor.

I'm sure we would be able to surface other learning points from this situation soon. Meanwhile, since we have also modified our research area, we would be looking out for new literature in the area of Science. That's all for the moment!

Catching Up On The Readings

While searching for articles for our group's literature review, I realised that I need to do a lot of cross-referencing to the articles that have been printed for us. For example, I have to read through articles by Gloria, Barry Fraser, Scott and Huang again. In fact, this time round, I tried to read specific parts such as rationale of study, research methods, literature review etc. instead of reading each article as a whole. This help me to stay focused for better understanding.

One area that I'm particularly weak in is results analysis and interpretation. Being trained in the area of business studies, I'm somehow more familiar with business statistics than social research statistics. Hence, I tried my best to read up in this area. After all, I need this knowledge and understanding to understand the articles I'm reading and completing the projects, both current and future ones in this course. As an educator, it's definitely important to understand these as I will be engaged in educational research, at least to a certain extent for this course.

Online readings help a lot too! I'll just 'google' on terms that I'm not quite clear or confuse me totally. In fact, some weblinks that my coursemate, Gina, has recommended are pretty useful for referencing. There's one particular site that I like very much because of its extensive and clear explanation. It's found in:
http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html?stbasic.html&1

Literature Review

We have chosen an evergreen journal article for the group presentation of literature review. The article is entitled "Classroom Social Climate and Student Absences and Grades" by Rudolf H. Moos and Bernice S. Moos. This article was surfaced when we did our research on Rudolf Moos.

What I notice about this article, which was published in 1978, is that it doesn't make use of many types of statistical analysis but focuses mainly on correlation. In comparison with the other group presentations, the recent journal articles tend to use various types of statistical anyalysis to support the study. This also surfaces the point that over the years, more types of statistical analyses have been developed to enable researchers to conduct more in-depth study of their research questions.

Though the article is old, there is value in studying it as it is linked to Moos' development of the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) which gave rise to the development of other related tools and studies. In fact, in many research articles on classroom environment, there is often some links to Moos' studies on CES.

The preparation of the literature review and participation in my classmates' presentations have also led me to understand the flow in research articles, particularly in the area of statistical interpretation and implications of the studies. The hands-on and discussion with group members help a lot!

Research On The GuRus

Having done some in-depth search in preparation for our group presentation on 'Rudolf Moos', there is more clarity on his contribution in the area of education, particularly on the aspect of classroom learning environment. This has also led to a deeper understanding of what the Classroom Environmental Scale comprises and its connection to learning. Prior to this search, the name 'Rudolf Moos' appears to be merely another quote or reference made by researchers as part of their literature review. Currently, with a better understanding of Moos' background and contributions, I am able to see the relevance and connections better whenever researchers make reference to Moos' research work.

Among the other four researchers that have been presented on, I am particularly interested in the work of Kurt Lewin. Unlike the other researchers such as Moos' or Barry Fraser's contribution in education, Lewin's work may not provide a direct impact on student's learning. In fact, his 'Force Field Analysis' and 'Change Theory' seem to cater as management tools to support organisation development (which is his forte). However, I do see some connection on how these theories can impact the group dynamism of teachers or staff in an educational institution which will influence the way they teach, facilitate and motivate students. These will impact students' learning in a indirect manner. In recent years, there has also been a shift to look at group dynamism among key personnel in schools and providing team-building opportunities for teachers. I think Lewin's theories will support this area quite appropriately (alongside with other tools) to enable schools to examine where the weakest link is and how to go about filling the gap. In addition, his study on 'Action Research' provides the basis for action research which is carried out by a substantial group of our teachers today.

How People Learn? - Reflection

Very often, when we discuss about setting up a suitable classroom learning environment, there is a lot of mention of the physical classroom setting and little emphasis is placed on the non-physical aspects. Chapter 6 (The Design of Learning Environment) of the recommended reading on 'How People Learn' (by John D. Bransford) presented a different perspective on this. Four factors which determine the classroom learning environment have been highlighted: Learner Centred Learning Environment, Knowledge Centred Learning Environment, Assessment Centred Learning Environment and Community Centred Learning Environment.

The learner centred learning environment is a factor that should be quite familiar in our local educational scene due to the introduction of new educational intitiatives in recents years. This has led to a lot of emphasis on refinement of teaching approaches and practices to cater to learning needs such as to make learning taks authentic and experiential. In our local context, this may also include exploration of alternative approaches of learning such as through the use of ICT which caters to the interest and motivational level of learners in learning. It is mentioned in the article that this aspect looks at the fact that the teacher actually provides the bridge for learners to get from what 'they are able to do' to 'where they want to do'. It is indeed very true. Teachers are tasked with the responsibility to identify a suitable bridge for the learners.

As for knowledge centred learning environment, it involves the plan, structure and scaffolding that the teacher puts in to help learners understand what they are learning, apply metacognition, solve problems or even making sense of what they are learning. Personally, I think that every teacher would have done this to a certain extent to ensure that learning is taking place. However, as to how well this is carried out would depend on the skilfulness of the teacher in designing the learning tasks, necessary scaffolds and appropriate intervention strategies to guide learners during the learning process.

The third factor on assessment centred learning environment is something we should think deeper about. In our local context, there is an over-emphasis on pen-and-paper assessment as a form of summative assessment. Although there has been a shift in recent years to introduce some aspects of formative assessment in schools, summative assessment is still very much emphasised and formative assessment is still very formalised (eg. through e-portfolio). Formative assessment is an excellent way for learners to gather on-going feedback to help them learn better without having to wait till the summative assessment is conducted. The importance of providing feedback has also been highlighted many times in the article. In fact, it is always possible to make formative assessment less formal through learner interaction and teacher-learner interaction. As mentioned in the article, collaborative group learning is a good way for learners to gather new knowledge and perspectives from peers to help them revise their thinking and gain deeper conceptual understanding. One aspect that I personally like here is the teaching of 'self-assessment' to the learners. If the learners are able to do this, it would help them build up their knowledge through metacognition. This will be a very powerful way to learn and teachers will not be the only catalyst to help them learn.

The last factor on community centred learning environment looks at the classroom as one community as well as the broader community such as parents, external organisations and even the media (eg. television programme). These communities can bring positive and negative impact on the learners. Hence, teachers need to be aware of these and if possible, shape their strategies and practices accordingly to bring out the positive elements of these associated communities to bring about more effectively learning.

In the design of classroom learning environment, it is critical to consider these four factors and ensure that they are aligned to the national educational goals and the objectives of the educational organisation being represented. Designing classroom learning environment would be considered as an art rather than a science as there is no formula to it. It requires a good balance of these elements to fit a given context.