A method for the analysis of data from online educational research

The intention of this article is to provide an alternative method of data analysis for online learning and VLE related research that is essentially paper based. The article describes the use of a paper-based method for data analysis of online learning type research that involves the collection and collation of electronic (and possibly also paper based) data. This method partly builds on the work of Tyler (2001) and has been used on research projects that investigated online learning as a method for widening participation (Hramiak, 2001a, 2002a) and also on a project that involved the e-professional development of staff at a Further Education (FE) college (Hramiak, 2004). Starting with the raw data sets, a distillation process for the data is described. This is followed by an explanation of how the data sets are examined for common themes. One of the major challenges facing the e-learning researcher is how to analyze the electronic data such as discussion board messages and emails, and then how to understand the implications of this analysis for teaching and learning. Such analysis enables researchers to act upon the situation in order to improve it for the learners, as well as for themselves (Lally, 2000). This is particularly challenging when the messages are not only numerous, in the region of hundreds or even thousands, for a specific research study, but also because they can be both very complicated and very lengthy. Although tools for analyzing communication patterns have been developed in other disciplines, for example in applied linguistics, they are generally based upon the analysis of large bodies of text. They also involve relatively complex and cumbersome methods, and they are not designed for action research use in the immediacy of particular teaching and learning situations (Lally) such as those for which this article is aimed at – namely those in which students/participants are constantly messaging in real time synchronously and asynchronously. Moreover, such tools are not intentionally designed to analyze dynamic, ongoing collaborative and social situations where knowledge is actively being co-constructed by the participants (Lally)

Creating a culture of coaching: upskilling the school workforce in times of change

Research Associate Full report, Spring 2011. "Within an education culture striving for continuous improvement, there is a constant need to ensure the appropriate skills, knowledge and actions of staff match the changing needs of the system. Coaching can assist in this process of ‘upskilling’. This research study explored how a small cross-phase sample of eight schools in one local authority area went about the process of creating a culture of coaching, the logistics of so doing, and the impact that this had on professional development and pupil progress." - Page 3

The troubling concept of class: reflecting on our ‘failure’ to encourage sociology students to re-cognise their classed locations using autobiographical methods

This paper provides a narrative of the four authors‟ commitment to auto/biographical methods as teachers and researchers in „new‟ universities. As they went about their work, they observed that, whereas students engage with the gendered, sexualised and racialised processes when negotiating their identities, they are reluctant or unable to conceptualise „class-ifying‟ processes as key determinants of their life chances. This general inability puzzled the authors, given the students‟ predominantly working-class backgrounds. Through application of their own stories, the authors explore the sociological significance of this pedagogical „failure‟ to account for the troubling concept of class not only in the classroom but also in contemporary society

Turning classroom environments into centers of writing

Asking a student to write a paper without the opportunity to TALK about the writing beforehand is like asking members of an orchestra to perform a concert without any instruments. Writing Centers exist to TALK to writers. Individualized writing consultations invite students to think critically about their ideas, to become agents of their own writing and to learn what it’s like to have a conversation about their work in progress. But what if your school has no Writing Center? Providing a learning environment in your classroom that engages your students with ideas and gives them opportunities to talk with their peers about their writing not only fosters their desire to succeed buts helps build their confidence. As teachers it is our responsibility to offer our students numerous opportunities to talk about their writing before they write, to practice their writing before being tested, and to move comfortably and confidently through the complex process that is writing. This article aims to share several of the myriad activities, occasions and kinds of writing I invite my students to participate in throughout the semester: low-stakes writing, personal response papers, creative writing exercises, writing workshops, grading and grids, class presentation ideas, collaborative writing activities and writing through revision

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES IN ESP COURSE AS A WAY FOR MOTIVATING STUDENT LEARNING

The role of assessment in enhancing student motivation to learn English for specific purposes is analysed. The research results about student attitudes towards assessment strategies are presented. The assessment types are described. The importance of self-assessment and student involvement into the process of assessment is emphasized