Week 18: Using Research as a PractitionerWeek 18

Searching for Academic Research

The following flow diagram provides a basic overview of the search process you will go through when trying to locate academic literature and research.

1. Define your topic

Before you can begin your literature search you need to define your topic area.

2. Background reading

Before you begin your search proper it can be useful to undertake some general, background reading on your topic. This will help you to familiarise yourself with the topic and some of the key ideas and issues associated with it. It will also give you insight into some of the key terminology connected to your topic, which will become important later on. 

3. Create research questions and keywords

Creating a research question or questions will help you to structure your literature search (and also your literature review). It may be that you want to develop an overarching research question and then a couple of sub questions that allow you to focus on specific aspects of your topic. You may also want to consider the parameters you are going to place on your literature search. For example, are you going to focus on a specific geographic area? Will you confine your search to a specific time period? Will you just be focusing on a specific area of education or school (e.g. primary schools, secondary schools etc)?

You also will need to come up with a list of keywords or terms to structure your search around.

4. Identify possible sources

There are a range of different sources that you can engage with. The Unitec library website has helpful video tutorials, which will provide you with more detailed information on how to search for each of these sources. Some of the most common sources of research literature include:

Books: Search for books using the keyword search function on the library catalogue. For more information go to:

http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/content.php?pid=418921&sid=3424387

Journal Articles: Journal articles are one of the best sources for academic literature. The most important research is published in journals and because they are published regularly they tend to contain more up-to-date information than books. There are lots of education journals, many of which focus on a specific area of education (e.g. teacher education and professional development, technology, pedagogy, curriculum etc). The majority of journals operate a rigorous peer review system, which means that all articles have been reviewed by other academics before they are published.

There are several different types of journal articles. Some of the main types include research papers, review articles, opinion pieces and case-studies.

There are several ways that you can locate journal articles:

• Use websites such as Google Scholar (NB to access many of the articles that you find on Google Scholar you will need to use the library online catalogue).
• Databases – you can conduct keyword searches on academic databases to find relevant articles. For more information go to: http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/content.php?pid=418921&sid=3497515

Grey Literature

You also may want to consult grey literature. Grey literature refers to academic material that has not been formally published. The Fourth International Conference on Grey Literature (GL '99) in Washington, DC, in October 1999 defined grey literature as follows: "That which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers."

Grey literature includes reports (including technical reports, statistical reports, governmental reports, policy reports), theses, conference proceedings, official documents that have not been published commercially). Research reports are published by a range of institutions and organisations, for example Ministries of Education, think tanks, not for profits, consultancies, private research organisations. Most conferences will also publish their proceedings papers as well. The best way to locate these is to conduct a keyword search using an Internet search engine.

The Unitec library website contains some resources to help you in your evaluation of sources found on the Internet. http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/content.php?pid=418921&sid=3424396

Use the reference list at the ends of books, journal articles and reports to help guide your literature search. Also, if an author references a source in their writing that sounds interesting, use the reference list to find the source. It is always best to go back to the original source rather than relying on another author’s interpretation.

5. Organising and keeping track of your sources

You might find it helpful to develop a way of keeping track of all the different sources that you are engaging with. You may want to do this informally in a Word document or spreadsheet or you can use specially designed referencing software. Mendeley is a free and easy to use reference manager and pdf organiser (https://www.mendeley.com).

6. More information

For more information on conducting your literature search go to the Unitec library website or read the document ‘How to conduct an effective literature search’ which is available on the platform.

Key information about quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies

Both quantitative and qualitative studies are valuable and valid research methodologies. One is not better or worse than the other. Rather, different methodologies are better suited to answer some questions than others. This table presents some of the key differences between quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies.

How to interpret and critically assess literature

It is important when you read research literature that you are critically engaging with it. Critical reading requires you to:

• Interpret: understand the significance of the data or findings
• Analyse: examine the text in detail to determine its meaning
• Question: interrogate the assertions and assumptions presented in the text
• Reason: develop your own point of view on the text
• Evaluate: judge the credibility or strength of the text based on its reliability, validity and generalisability.

The following table contains questions that you should be thinking about as you engage with the literature.

General	Is there a good underlying framework? Is the text well-structured and logically organised?
Purpose	Does the text have a clear purpose? Are there clearly articulated research questions? How does the author justify the worthiness of the topic? Is the research well-situated within the existing literature?
Research Design	Is the research design clearly described? Does the research design match the questions being asked/purpose of the research?
Methods	Are appropriate methods of data collection used? Will the methods used enable the necessary data to be collected to answer the research questions? Are issues of validity, reliability or credibility discussed?
Sample	Is a clear sampling method described? Does the sampling method seem appropriate for this study? Does the author acknowledge any potential issues or limitations of the sample? Is the sample size adequate (the actual size required will depend on the design)? Is the sample appropriate for the particular study?
Data analysis	Are the methods of data analysis clearly described? From the author’s description would you be able to replicate the analysis process? Are the results/findings clearly presented?
Ethical questions	Is the study ethically sound? NB: most published studies will not specifically refer to ethics
Main findings	Do the findings answer the research question(s)? Are the findings clearly presented and easy to understand? Does the author provide a discussion of the findings? Does the author’s discussion make sense, given the data presented? Is the data reliability and valid? Are the findings credible?
Conclusions	Did the author provide a clear answer to their question and/or hypothesis or aim? Do their conclusions show insight and a depth of understanding? Do the conclusions show how the findings relate to the study’s wider context? Does the author suggest how future research could build upon this study? Are the results generalisable?
Limitations	Does the author acknowledge the possible limitations with their study?

Articles 
The table below contains a list of the sample articles and papers on each of the suggested topic areas. These articles are designed to provide you with a starting point for your own literature search. You need to make sure that you engage with literature beyond these sources.

Topic	Literature
Assessment	Dede, C. (2009). Comparing Frameworks for “21st Century Skills”. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved fromhttp://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/dept/ed_tech/resear... Shaffer, D. (2009). Epistemic Network Analysis: A Prototype for 21st Century Assessment of Learning. MIT Press Journals, 1(2), 1-21.
Key Competencies	Boyd, S. & Watson, V. (2006). Shifting the frame: Exploring integration of the Key Competencies at six Normal Schools. Wellington: NZCER. Hipkins, R., Boyd, S. & Joyce, C. (2005). Documenting learning of the key competencies: What are the issues? A discussion paper. Wellington: NZCER. Hipkins, R. (2006). The Nature of the Key Competencies: A Background paper. Wellington: NZCER.
Leading Change	Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2013). The Power of Professional Capital. JSD, 34(3), 36-39. Merideth, E. (2006) Leadership Strategies for Teachers (2nd edn.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Design Thinking	Brown, T. (2008). Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review, June 2008, 1-10. Carroll, M., Goldman, S., Britos, L., Koh, J., Ro yalty, A. & Hornstein, M. (2010). Destination, Imagination and the Fires Within:Design Thinking in a Middle School Classroom. JADE, 29(1), 37-53. Feed the Hungry: Applying design thinking principles to invigorate teachers' professional learning
Blended learning	Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A Rich Seam How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning. London: Pearson. Staker, H. & Horn, M. (2011) The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning. Boston and San Francisco: Innosight Institute.  Hew, K. F. & Brush, T. (20
Gamification	Muntean, C. I. (2011). Raising engagement in e-learning through gamification. In The 6th International Conference on Virtual Learning ICVL 2012. Domingues, J., de Navarrete, S., de-Marcos, L., Fernandez-Sanz, L., Pages, C. & Martinez-Herraiz, J. (2013). Gamifying learning experiences: Practical implications and outcomes. Computers and Education, 63, 380-392.
Inquiry or problem based learning / agile based learning	Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A Rich Seam How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning. London: Pearson. Hmelo-Silver, C. (2004). Problem-Based Learning: What and How do Students Learn?. Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235-266. Monett, D. (2013). Agile Project-Based Teaching and Learning. Talk at the 11th International Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice, SERP 2013, Las Vegas.
Collaborative Learning	Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A Rich Seam How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning. London: Pearson. Williams, S. (2009). The Impact of Collaborative, Scaffolded Learning in K-12 Schools: A Meta-Analysis. San Jose: Cisco.
Innovative learning environments	https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/CquG2tqV7jgKrg/learning-spaces  Self-regulated learning and students’ perceptions of innovative and traditional learning environments: a longitudinal study in secondary education  OECD Work on Technology and Education: innovative learning environments as an integrating framewor k  A New International OECD Project on Learning: "Innovative Learning Environment s"
Technology Practices Coding/Robotics/3D printing/Game Development	Creating the Future of Games and Learning  Coding in the Elementary School Classroom  A Flexible Framework for Metacognitive Modelling and Development  The Move to Student-Centric Learning: Progress and Pitfalls
Digital Media Tools and Pedagogies	Technology, pedagogy and digital production: a case study of children learning new media skills  Technology, pedagogy and education: reflections on the accomplishment of what teachers know, do and believe in a digital age  The Practice of Inquiry : A Pedagogical ‘Sweet Spot’ for Digital Literacy?  Sustainable Innovations: Bringing Digital Media and Emerging Technologies to the Classroom  Student-Created Digital Media and Engagement in Middle School History  Coding in the Elementary School Classroom  A Flexible Framework for Metacognitive Modelling and Development  The Move to Student-Centric Learning: Progress and Pitfalls
Entrepreneurship	How do Finnish teacher educators implement entrepreneurship education?  Entrepreneurship Education in Schools: Empirical Evidence on the Teacher’s Role.  Entrepreneurship Education in Secon dary Education and Training  Two approaches to entrepreneurship education: The different effects of education for and through entrepreneurship at the lower secondary level
Growth Mindset	Brain Points: A Growth Mindset Incentive Structure Boosts Persistence in an Educational Game  Parent Involvement in Rea ding: Growth Mindset and Grit: Building Important Foundations for Literacy Learning and Success at Home.  How students' beliefs about their intelligence influence their academic performance  Growth Mindset of Gifted Seventh Grade Students in Science
Innovative Leadership Practice	The Effects of Leadership on Innovative Program Implementation  Sustainable School Leadership: The Teachers’ Perspective  The reflective teacher leader: an action research model