Approaches in educational research

Approaches in educational research

There are two main approaches in educational research. The first is a basic approach. This approach is also referred to as an academic research approach. The second approach is applied research  or a contract research approach. Both of these approaches have different purposes which influence the nature of the respective research.

Basic approach

Basic, or academic research focuses on the search for truth  or the development of educational theory. Researchers with this background “design studies that can test, refine, modify, or develop theories”. Generally, these researchers are affiliated with an academic institution and are performing this research as part of their graduate or doctoral work.

Applied approach

The pursuit of information that can be directly applied to practice is aptly known as applied or contractual research. Researchers in this field are trying to find solutions to existing educational problems. The approach is much more utilitarian as it strives to find information that will directly influence practice. Applied researchers are commissioned by a sponsor and are responsible for addressing the needs presented by this employer. The goal of this research is “to determine the applicability of educational theory and principles by testing hypotheses within specific settings”.

Comparison of basic and applied research

The following are several defining characteristics that were written by Gary Anderson to compare basic (academic) and applied (contract) research.

	Basic (Academic) Research	Applied (Contract) Research
1	Is sponsored by an agency committed to the general advancement of knowledge.	Is sponsored by an agency with a vested interest in the results.
2	Results are the property of society and the research community.	Results become the property of the sponsor.
3	Studies rely on the established reputations of the researchers and are totally under their control.	Studies follow explicit terms of reference developed by the sponsor to serve the sponsor’s needs.
4	Budget allocations are generally based on global proposals and accounting is left to the researchers.	Budget accountability is directly related to the sponsor and relates to agreed terms of reference, time frames and methodologies.
5	The conduct of research is based on ‘good faith’ between funder and researcher.	The work is contractual between sponsor and researcher.
6	The research produces findings and conclusions, but rarely recommendations except those related to further research needs.	The research includes applied recommendations for action.
7	Academic research tends to extend an identifiable scholarly discipline.	By its nature, contract research tends to be interdisciplinary.
8	Academic research is typically focused on a single set of testable hypotheses.	Contract research frequently analyzes the consequences of alternative policy options.
9	Decision-rules relate to theoretically-based tests of statistical significance.	Decision-rules relate to predetermined conventions and agreements between the sponsor and the researcher.
10	Research reports are targeted to other specialized researchers in the same field.	Research reports are intended to be read and understood by lay persons.

Educational research

Educational research refers to a variety of methods, in which individuals evaluate different aspects of education including: “student learning, teaching methods, teacher training, and classroom dynamics”.Educational researchers have come to the consensus that, educational research must be conducted in a rigorous and systematic way, although what this implies is often debated. There are a variety of disciplines which are each present to some degree in educational research. These include psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. The overlap in disciplines creates a broad range from which methodology can be drawn. The findings of educational research also need to be interpreted within the context in which they were discovered as they may not be applicable in every time or place.
In his book entitled Fundamentals of Educational Research, Gary Anderson has outlined ten characteristics that can be used to further understand what the field of educational research entails:

1. Educational research attempts to solve a problem.
2. Research involves gathering new data from primary or first-hand sources or using existing data for a new purpose.
3. Research is based upon observable experience or empirical evidence.
4. Research demands accurate observation and description.
5. Research generally employs carefully designed procedures and rigorous analysis.
6. Research emphasizes the development of generalizations, principles or theories that will help in understanding, prediction and/or control.
7. Research requires expertise—familiarity with the field; competence in methodology; technical skill in collecting and analyzing the data.
8. Research attempts to find an objective, unbiased solution to the problem and takes great pains to validate the procedures employed.
9. Research is a deliberate and unhurried activity which is directional but often refines the problem or questions as the research progresses.
10. Research is carefully recorded and reported to other persons interested in the problem.

GREEK ALPHABET

Letter Name Sound value Ancient Modern Α α alpha [a] [aː] [a] Β β beta [b] [v] Γ γ gamma [ɡ] [ɣ] ~ [ʝ] Δ δ delta [d] [ð] Ε ε epsilon [e] [e] Ζ ζ zeta [zd] (or [dz]) [z] Η η eta [ɛː] [i] Θ θ theta [tʰ] [θ] Ι ι iota [i] [iː] [i] Κ κ kappa [k] [k] ~ [c] Λ λ lambda [l] [l] Μ μ mu [m] [m]

Letter Name Sound value Ancient Modern Ν ν nu [n] [n] Ξ ξ xi [ks] [ks] Ο ο omicron [o] [o] Π π pi [p] [p] Ρ ρ rho [r] [r] Σ σς sigma [s] [s] Τ τ tau [t] [t] Υ υ upsilon [y] [yː] [i] Φ φ phi [pʰ] [f] Χ χ chi [kʰ] [x] ~ [ç] Ψ ψ psi [ps] [ps] Ω ω omega [ɔː] [o]

 

PHILOSOPHY

A philosophy is a way of thinking about the world, the universe, and about society. A philosophy is a group of ideas, worked out by a philosopher (someone who has studied ways of thinking about the world). The ideas in philosophy are abstract, which means that they are "things that cannot be touched." But this does not mean that philosophy is not about the real world. Ethics, for example, asks what we should do in our everyday lives, and metaphysics asks about how the world works and of what it is made. Sometimes people talk about how they have a "personal philosophy", which means the way a person thinks about the world. This article is not about people's "personal philosophies." This article is about the ideas that have been thought about by philosophers (people who think and write about ways of thinking) for a long time.
For thousands of years philosophers have asked questions, such as: "Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?".
What is good?
What is beautiful?
Do we have free will?
Does God exist?
Does the world around us exist?
What is a person?
What is truth?
What is evil?
What is the relationship between mind and body?
What is science?
What is philosophy?
What is love?
These ideas and questions from philosophy, and many more, have formed a large body of questions and knowledge that are written down in books.
There are many different types of philosophy from different times and places. Some philosophers came from Ancient Greece, such as Plato and Aristotle. Others came from Asia, such as Confucius or Buddha. Some philosophers are from the Middle Ages in Europe, such as William of Ockham or Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Philosophers from the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s included Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Philosophers from the 1900s included Ludwig Wittgenstein and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Where did the word philosophy come from?
The word "philosophy" comes from two Greek words, meaning "love of wisdom". φίλος adj. "beloved" + σοφία fem. noun "wisdom".

Introduction
Philosophy is the study of humans and the world by thinking and asking questions. It is a science and an art. Philosophy tries to answer important questions by coming up with answers about real things and asking "why?"
Sometimes, philosophy tries to answer the same questions as religion and science. Philosophers do not all come up with the same answers to questions. Some people think there are no right answers in philosophy, only better answers and worse answers. Many types of philosophy criticize or even attack the beliefs of science and religion.
The questions Immanuel Kant asked
In his work Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant asked the following questions:
What can I say?
What shall I do?
What dare I hope?
What is man?
The answers to these questions gives the different domains or categories of philosophy.

Categories in philosophy
Philosophy can be divided into different groups, based on the types of questions that it asks. Below is a list of questions split into groups. One possible list of answers to these questions can be called a 'philosophy'. There are many different 'philosophies', because all of these questions have many different answers according to different people. Not all philosophies ask the same questions. These are the questions that are usually asked by philosophers from Europe:

In metaphysics:
Metaphysics is sometimes split up into ontology (the philosophy of real life and living things), the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of religion; but these sub-branches are very close together.
Ontology:
What is the world that we see around us? (What is reality?)
Is there more to the world than just what we see or hear?
If nobody sees something happening, does that mean that it did not happen?
What does it mean to say that something is possible? Do other worlds exist?
Is there anything very special about being a human being or being alive at all?
If not, why do some people think that there is?
What is space? What is time?
The philosophy of mind:
What is a mind?
What is a body?
What is consciousness?
Do people make choices, or can they only choose to do one thing? (Do people have free will?)
What makes words or ideas meaningful? (What is the relation between meaningful words or ideas and the things that they mean?)
The philosophy of religion:
Do people have souls?
Is there a God who created the Universe?

In epistemology:
What is knowledge?
How can we know anything?
What is science?
What is truth?

In ethics:
What are right and wrong, good and bad?
Should people do some things and not others?
What is justice?

In aesthetics:
What is beauty? What if one person thinks a painting is beautiful, but another person thinks the painting is ugly? Can the painting be beautiful and ugly at the same time?
Are true things beautiful?
Are good things beautiful?
What is art? We commonly think that a sculpture in a museum is art. If a sculptor sculpts a sculpture of a rock from clay, and puts it in a museum, many people would call it art. But what if a person picks up a rock from the ground - is the rock a piece of art?

In logic:
What do the words we use mean?
How can we say things (especially ideas) in a way that only has one meaning?
Can all ideas be expressed using language?
How does the truth of an argument's premise affect the truth of its conclusion?
What assumptions do our ideas depend on? Are those assumptions defensible?

In axiology:
What is Value?
Is time really money? or have we made it so?
Does love, beauty, or justice hold any value?
Other divisions include cosmology, eschatology, teleology and theology.