role of research project in education

The Role Of Research At Universities: Why It Matters

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Teaching and learning, research and discovery, synthesis and creativity, understanding and engagement, service and outreach. There are many “core elements” to the mission of a great university. Teaching would seem the most obvious, but for those outside of the university, “research” (taken to include scientific research, scholarship more broadly, as well as creative activity) may be the least well understood. This creates misunderstanding of how universities invest resources, especially those deriving from undergraduate tuition and state (or other public) support, and the misperception that those resources are being diverted away from what is believed should be the core (and sole) focus, teaching. This has led to a loss of trust, confidence, and willingness to continue to invest or otherwise support (especially our public) universities.

Why are universities engaged in the conduct of research? Who pays? Who benefits? And why does it all matter? Good questions. Let’s get to some straightforward answers. Because the academic research enterprise really is not that difficult to explain, and its impacts are profound.

So let’s demystify university-based research. And in doing so, hopefully we can begin building both better understanding and a better relationship between the public and higher education, both of which are essential to the future of US higher education.   

Why are universities engaged in the conduct of research?

Universities engage in research as part of their missions around learning and discovery. This, in turn, contributes directly and indirectly to their primary mission of teaching. Universities and many colleges (the exception being those dedicated exclusively to undergraduate teaching) have as part of their mission the pursuit of scholarship. This can come in the form of fundamental or applied research (both are most common in the STEM fields, broadly defined), research-based scholarship or what often is called “scholarly activity” (most common in the social sciences and humanities), or creative activity (most common in the arts). Increasingly, these simple categorizations are being blurred, for all good reasons and to the good of the discovery of new knowledge and greater understanding of complex (transdisciplinary) challenges and the creation of increasingly interrelated fields needed to address them.

It goes without saying that the advancement of knowledge (discovery, innovation, creation) is essential to any civilization. Our nation’s research universities represent some of the most concentrated communities of scholars, facilities, and collective expertise engaged in these activities. But more importantly, this is where higher education is delivered, where students develop breadth and depth of knowledge in foundational and advanced subjects, where the skills for knowledge acquisition and understanding (including contextualization, interpretation, and inference) are honed, and where students are educated, trained, and otherwise prepared for successful careers. Part of that training and preparation derives from exposure to faculty who are engaged at the leading-edge of their fields, through their research and scholarly work. The best faculty, the teacher-scholars, seamlessly weave their teaching and research efforts together, to their mutual benefit, and in a way that excites and engages their students. In this way, the next generation of scholars (academic or otherwise) is trained, research and discovery continue to advance inter-generationally, and the cycle is perpetuated.

University research can be expensive, particularly in laboratory-intensive fields. But the responsibility for much (indeed most) of the cost of conducting research falls to the faculty member. Faculty who are engaged in research write grants for funding (e.g., from federal and state agencies, foundations, and private companies) to support their work and the work of their students and staff. In some cases, the universities do need to invest heavily in equipment, facilities, and personnel to support select research activities. But they do so judiciously, with an eye toward both their mission, their strategic priorities, and their available resources.

Medical research, and medical education more broadly, is expensive and often requires substantial institutional investment beyond what can be covered by clinical operations or externally funded research. But universities with medical schools/medical centers have determined that the value to their educational and training missions as well as to their communities justifies the investment. And most would agree that university-based medical centers are of significant value to their communities, often providing best-in-class treatment and care in midsize and smaller communities at a level more often seen in larger metropolitan areas.

Research in the STEM fields (broadly defined) can also be expensive. Scientific (including medical) and engineering research often involves specialized facilities or pieces of equipment, advanced computing capabilities, materials requiring controlled handling and storage, and so forth. But much of this work is funded, in large part, by federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Energy, US Department of Agriculture, and many others.

Research in the social sciences is often (not always) less expensive, requiring smaller amount of grant funding. As mentioned previously, however, it is now becoming common to have physical, natural, and social scientist teams pursuing large grant funding. This is an exciting and very promising trend for many reasons, not the least of which is the nature of the complex problems being studied.

Research in the arts and humanities typically requires the least amount of funding as it rarely requires the expensive items listed previously. Funding from such organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and private foundations may be able to support significant scholarship and creation of new knowledge or works through much more modest grants than would be required in the natural or physical sciences, for example.

Philanthropy may also be directed toward the support of research and scholarly activity at universities. Support from individual donors, family foundations, private or corporate foundations may be directed to support students, faculty, labs or other facilities, research programs, galleries, centers, and institutes.

Who benefits?

Students, both undergraduate and graduate, benefit from studying in an environment rich with research and discovery. Besides what the faculty can bring back to the classroom, there are opportunities to engage with faculty as part of their research teams and even conduct independent research under their supervision, often for credit. There are opportunities to learn about and learn on state-of-the-art equipment, in state-of-the-art laboratories, and from those working on the leading edge in a discipline. There are opportunities to co-author, present at conferences, make important connections, and explore post-graduate pathways.

The broader university benefits from active research programs. Research on timely and important topics attracts attention, which in turn leads to greater institutional visibility and reputation. As a university becomes known for its research in certain fields, they become magnets for students, faculty, grants, media coverage, and even philanthropy. Strength in research helps to define a university’s “brand” in the national and international marketplace, impacting everything from student recruitment, to faculty retention, to attracting new investments.

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The community, region, and state benefits from the research activity of the university. This is especially true for public research universities. Research also contributes directly to economic development, clinical, commercial, and business opportunities. Resources brought into the university through grants and contracts support faculty, staff, and student salaries, often adding additional jobs, contributing directly to the tax base. Research universities, through their expertise, reputation, and facilities, can attract new businesses into their communities or states. They can also launch and incubate startup companies, or license and sell their technologies to other companies. Research universities often host meeting and conferences which creates revenue for local hotels, restaurants, event centers, and more. And as mentioned previously, university medical centers provide high-quality medical care, often in midsize communities that wouldn’t otherwise have such outstanding services and state-of-the-art facilities.

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And finally, why does this all matter?

Research is essential to advancing society, strengthening the economy, driving innovation, and addressing the vexing and challenging problems we face as a people, place, and planet. It’s through research, scholarship, and discovery that we learn about our history and ourselves, understand the present context in which we live, and plan for and secure our future.

Research universities are vibrant, exciting, and inspiring places to learn and to work. They offer opportunities for students that few other institutions can match – whether small liberal arts colleges, mid-size teaching universities, or community colleges – and while not right for every learner or every educator, they are right for many, if not most. The advantages simply cannot be ignored. Neither can the importance or the need for these institutions. They need not be for everyone, and everyone need not find their way to study or work at our research universities, and we stipulate that there are many outstanding options to meet and support different learning styles and provide different environments for teaching and learning. But it’s critically important that we continue to support, protect, and respect research universities for all they do for their students, their communities and states, our standing in the global scientific community, our economy, and our nation.

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How to Read and Interpret Research to Benefit Your Teaching Practice

Teachers can find helpful ideas in research articles and take a strategic approach to get the most out of what they’re reading.

Have you read any education blogs, attended a conference session this summer, or gone to a back-to-school meeting so far where information on PowerPoint slides was supported with research like this: “Holland et al., 2023”? Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered what to do with these citations or how to find and read the work cited. We want to improve our teaching practice and keep learning amid our busy schedules and responsibilities. When we find a sliver of time to look for the research article(s) being cited, how are we supposed to read, interpret, implement, and reflect on it in our practice? 

There has been much research over the past decade building on research-practice partnerships . Teachers and researchers should work collaboratively to improve student learning. Though researchers in higher education typically conduct formal research and publish their work in journal articles, it’s important for teachers to also see themselves as researchers. They engage in qualitative analysis while circulating the room to examine and interpret student work and demonstrate quantitative analysis when making predictions around student achievement data.

There are different sources of knowledge and timely questions to consider that education researchers can learn and take from teachers. So, what if teachers were better equipped to translate research findings from a journal article into improved practice relevant to their classroom’s immediate needs? I’ll offer some suggestions on how to answer this question.

Removing Barriers to New Information

For starters, research is crucial for education. It helps us learn and create new knowledge. Teachers learning how to translate research into practice can help contribute toward continuous improvement in schools. However, not all research is beneficial or easily applicable. While personal interests may lead researchers in a different direction, your classroom experience holds valuable expertise. Researchers should be viewed as allies, not sole authorities.

Additionally, paywalls prevent teachers from accessing valuable research articles that are often referenced in professional development. However, some sites, like Sage and JSTOR , offer open access journals where you can find research relevant to your classroom needs. Google Scholar is another helpful resource where you can plug in keywords like elementary math , achievement , small-group instruction , or diverse learners to find articles freely available as PDFs. Alternatively, you can use Elicit and get answers to specific questions. It can provide a list of relevant articles and summaries of their findings.

Approach research articles differently than other types of writing, as they aren’t intended for our specific audience but rather for academic researchers. Keep this in mind when selecting articles that align with your teaching vision, student demographic, and school environment.

Using behavioral and brain science research, I implemented the spacing effect . I used this strategy to include spaced fluency, partner practices, and spiral reviews (e.g., “do nows”) with an intentional selection of questions and tasks based on student work samples and formative/summative assessment data. It improved my students’ memory, long-term retention, and proficiency, so I didn’t take it too personally when some of them forgot procedures or symbols.

What You’ll Find in a Research Article

Certain elements are always included in a research article. The abstract gives a brief overview. Following that, the introduction typically explains the purpose and significance of the research—often through a theoretical framework and literature review. Other common sections of a research article may include methodology, results or findings, and discussion or conclusion.

The methodology section explains how the researchers answered their research question(s) to understand the topic. The results/findings section provides the answer(s) to the research question(s), while the discussion/conclusion section explains the importance and meaning of the results/findings and why it matters to readers and the field of education at large.

How to Process Information to Find What You’re Looking For

To avoid getting overwhelmed while reading research, take notes. Many articles are lengthy and filled with complex terminology and citations. Choose one relevant article at a time, and jot down important points or questions.

You could apply many strategies to read research, but here’s an idea that takes our time constraints and bandwidth as teachers into account:

• First, read the title and full abstract, then scan and skim the introduction. You’ll be able to see if it’s relevant to your interests, needs, and whether you need to continue reading. 
• After you’ve decided if the research is relevant to your classroom and professional development, jump straight to the discussion/conclusion section to see the “so what” about the research findings and how they could apply to your classroom. Review the findings/results section after for more details if needed.

Decipher the Details in the Data 

As a math, science, or English language arts teacher, you might come across figures, tables, or graphs that could spark ideas for your lessons. Some of these visuals and data may seem complex and difficult to understand. To make sense of them, take it slow and read through the notes and descriptions carefully.             

For example, researchers C. Kirabo Jackson and Alexey Makarin created a graph to show that middle school math teachers who had online access and support to use high-quality materials saw a positive impact on math test scores, especially when they used the materials for multiple lessons. The notes below the graph explain how the data was collected and which school districts were involved in the study.

Lastly, after reading the findings/results section, you’ll understand the gist of the research and if it’s applicable to your needs. Reading beyond these sections depends on your schedule and interests. It’s perfectly normal if it takes additional time to digest these sections.

When it comes to reading research, teachers don’t have to go it alone. School and district leaders can involve us in discussions about research findings and their practical implications for our school during professional learning community meetings or professional development sessions before the start of the school year. Even if only a few teachers participate in this process, sharing the main points with peers and the principal can have a significantly positive impact on improving direct instruction for students.

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The role of research in teacher education: Reviewing the evidence

Report 01 Jan 2014 1 Comments

• Education and learning

While many might assume that research should make some contribution to high quality teacher education, BERA and RSA ask precisely what that contribution should be: to initial teacher education, to teachers’ continuing professional development and to school improvement. They also ask how different teacher education systems currently engage with research and what international evidence there is that linking research and teacher education is effective.

Engage with our research

At a time when virtually every government around the world is asking how it can improve the quality of its teaching force,the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and the RSA have come together to consider what contribution research can make to that improvement.

High quality teaching is now widely acknowledged to be the most important school-level factor influencing student achievement. This in turn has focused attention on the importance of teacher education, from initial training and induction for beginning teachers, to on-going professional development to help update teachers’ knowledge, deepen their understanding and advance their skills as expert practitioners. Policy-makers around the world have approached the task of teacher preparation and professional development in different ways, reflecting their distinctive values, beliefs and assumptions about the nature of professional knowledge and how and where such learning takes place.

At a time when teacher education is under active development across the four nations of the United Kingdom, an important question for all those seeking to improve the quality of teaching and learning is how to boost the use of research to inform the design, structure and content of teacher education programmes.

The Inquiry aims to shape debate, inform policy and influence practice by investigating the contribution of research in teacher education and examining the potential benefits of research-based skills and knowledge for improving school performance and student outcomes.

There are four main ways that research can contribute to programmes of teacher education:

• The content of such programmes may be informed by research-based knowledge and scholarship, emanating from a range of academic disciplines and epistemological traditions.
• Research can be used to inform the design and structure of teacher education programmes.
• Teachers and teacher educators can be equipped to engage with and be discerning consumers of research.
• Teachers and teacher educators may be equipped to conduct their own research, individually and collectively, to investigate the impact of particular interventions or to explore the positive and negative effects of educational practice.

At present, there are pockets of excellent practice in teacher education in different parts of the UK, including some established models and some innovative new programmes based on the model of ‘research-informed clinical practice’. However, in each of the four nations there is not yet a coherent and systematic approach to professional learning from the beginning of teacher training and sustained throughout teachers’ working lives.

There has been a strong focus on the use of data to inform teaching and instruction over the past 20 years. There now needs to be a sustained emphasis on creating ‘research-rich’ and ‘evidence-rich’ (rather than simply ‘data-rich’) schools and classrooms. Teachers need to be equipped to interrogate data and evidence from different sources, rather than just describing the data or trends in attainment.

The priority for all stakeholders (Government, national agencies, schools, universities and teachers’ organisations) should be to work together to create a national strategy for teacher education and professional learning that reflects the principles of ‘research-informed clinical practice’. Rather than privileging one type of institutional approach, these principles should be applied to all institutional settings and organisations where teacher education and professional learning takes place.

Further consideration needs to be given to the best ways of developing such a strategy, in consultation with all the relevant partners.

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Researching your teaching practice: an introduction to pedagogic research

What is pedagogic research, why should you do it and what effect can it have on your academic career? 

1 August 2019

The Academic Careers Framework at UCL recognises that education activities which support students to learn can strengthen an application for promotion. This includes contributing to pedagogic research.

When applying for UCL Arena Fellowships (nationally recognised teaching awards accredited by the Higher Education Academy), contributing to pedagogic research is recognised in the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) as an area of activity [A5] and as a professional value [V3].

At the heart of both the UKPSF and pedagogic research is a philosophy of reflective practice, dissemination of research, engagement of students, and attention to disciplinary specificity.

• The Academic Careers Framework at UCL 
• The UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) 

What pedagogic research means

Also known as the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), or education enquiry, pedagogic research is an established field of academic discourse involving carefully investigating your teaching practice and in turn developing the curriculum.

It requires a systematic and evidence-based study of student learning, often through a small-scale research projects engaging students.

Pedagogic research is a form of self-study, and/or action research involving critical reflection and reflexivity on current practice, which gives way to new knowledge. It encourages investigating learning, including what works and what does not.

As with any rigorous research endeavour, you will need to be well-informed and critically reflective.

Pedagogic research has the goal of improving the quality of education locally and further afield, through dissemination of best practice to colleagues at UCL and beyond, in conferences and in either discipline-specific education journals or education-focused journals.

Pedagogic research brings together key objectives in UCL’s Education Strategy , by encouraging:

• active connections between education and research
• reflection on and development of our education provision
• connections between staff and students in partnership to improve education.

Pedagogic research allows educators to examine their own practice, reflect on successes and challenges, and share experiences so others can learn from this, improving education more widely.

Consider aligning your research to UCL’s education strategy

A number of pedagogic research projects focus on research-based education , specifically through uncovering answers to the following:

“What kinds of impact, if any, does UCL’s research-based education strategy (Connected Curriculum) have on changing real practice within and across the disciplines, at UCL and beyond?”

• Contact [email protected] to find out more and get involved in this research.  

Pedagogic research will support a community of scholars

Making transparent how learning is possible and developing practice may well involve collaboration with students in research activities and data collection. Students are well-suited to be co-researchers on pedagogic research projects.

Engaging with the existing body of scholarship will position your work in a larger field and allow you to contribute to the community while learning from others.

Finally, sharing your findings in public forums to help others develop practice will support community-based and shared knowledge construction.

Pedagogic research resembles rigorous disciplinary research

“ “You spend some time looking at different approaches to teaching and learning within a specific field of knowledge and about learning in general in that area. You research how the knowledge is known and practised and applied within the discipline and you consider what others have done and then you plan your program and you monitor the results and improve it. It is also about writing about it and communicating it to others in the larger arena. You communicate what you do locally so other students within the discipline or profession can be helped to learn and more can be known about how the learning is achieved and how thinking and knowledge is structured in the areas. It’s about reflective practice and it’s about active dissemination of that practice for the benefit of learning and teaching.” (Trigwell et al. 2000: 167)

Subject disciplines have distinctive approaches to conducting research into education.

6 key steps to develop your own pedagogic research project

1. identify the problem and set clear goals.

Identify the focused problem you wish to consider. You may already know the intervention or practice you would like to improve, but it is important to have clear goals in mind.

You may focus on overcoming a challenge you face in your education practice. Taking a problem-based approach will make connection between pedagogic research and discipline-specific issues. For example, you could focus on massification and large class teaching, or developing cross-cultural understanding in diverse political science courses.

A helpful place to start is to identify a gap in the existing pedagogic research.

It’s also useful at this early stage to begin thinking about potential audiences for disseminating your work. This will allow you to strategically frame the project in line with what stakeholders need to know; demonstrating the initiative has value will make the work more publishable and relevant to your career development.

• What do I want to know about student learning in my discipline and/or how do I want to develop it?
• What do I want to do to develop my practice?
• Who will I communicate my findings to?
• How will this goal advance the work of other scholars?

2. Prepare adequately and begin to implement your development

You’ll want to be as prepared as possible.

Conducting a literature review relevant to your discipline and education context will help ensure your project has not already been done and help you refine the study and methodology.

Begin to implement your enhancement activity, for example through revising rubrics, assessment criteria or learning activities.

Avoid conducting a controlled experiment, where only some students receive the benefit of development.

Set a research question that allows you to explore, understand and improve student learning in specific contexts.

Discuss your plans with colleagues and students. Consider engaging collaborators.

Find out if an ethics application is required. At UCL, education research is generally considered ‘low-risk’, involving completing a simple ‘low risk’ ethics application form for Chair’s review. Allow on average two weeks for review.

As part of the application process a participant information sheet and consent form need to be produced if you are recruiting participants to your study. Data protection registration is required only if you are using ‘personal data’.

• What will my students learn and why is it worth learning?
• Who are my students and how do students learn effectively?
• What can I do to support students to learn effectively?
• What does the literature tell me about this issue?
• What activities will I design to improve education?
• What ethical implications are there?
• How will I measure and evaluate the impact of my practice on student learning?

The British Educational Research Association (BERA) offers a wealth of information on ethics in their online guide.

3. Establish and employ appropriate methods of enquiry

In order to investigate changes to education practice, a range of methods could be employed, including:

• reflection and analysis
• focus groups
• questionnaires and surveys
• content analysis of text
• Ethnography
• Phenomenography
• observational research and speculation.

Capturing students’ views are important; they will value the opportunity to be involved in improving education at UCL.

Treat your programme as a source of data to answer interesting questions about learning: collect data available at your fingertips.

Your colleagues may also be able to contribute to the research.

Be sure to gain participants’ consent.

• What methods do I need to employ to measure my practice?
• Who will I engage?
• What are my students doing as a result of my practice?

For more on methods:

• Cohen, L., Manion, L., and Morrison, K. (2007). Research Methods in Educatio n. London: Routledge.
• Stierer, B. and Antoniou, M. (2004). Are there distinctive methodologies for pedagogic research in higher education? Teaching in Higher Education 9, no. 3: 275–285.

4. Evaluate results

Analyse your data using appropriate strategies.

Draw appropriate conclusions and critically reflect on your findings and intervention.

Return to earlier stages if further development or data collection is needed, before continuing with the project.

How has student learning changed as a result of my practice and what evidence do I have?

• What lessons have I learned?
• What adjustments have been made to my teaching?

5. Prepare your presentation

Begin to write up your work, presenting the evidence and results of your intervention.

Use the evidence you gathered to design and refine new activities, assignments and assessments for further iterations. Be critically reflective.

• What worked and what did not go according to plan?
• What can others learn from my project?
• How has enhancement developed student learning?
• What makes my intervention worth implementing?

6. Share your project with others

Go public with your project and communicate your findings (whether work-in-progress or complete) with peers, who can comment, critique and build on this work.

Engage your students in the work and invite feedback.

Share results internally (at teaching committees, or in reports), across UCL (at the UCL Education Conference , or a UCL Arena event ), or internationally (in open-access publications, and through conference presentations).

More dissemination ideas can be found below.

• What can engaging others tell me about this development?
• What impact does my work actually have on others interested in developing their practice?

This may lead to you examining the medium and long-term impact of the education development project.

Engaging multiple stakeholders over a long period of time may result in returning to step 1, through another iteration of development.

How to disseminate your pedagogic research

Sharing your findings and intervention is an important part of pedagogic research.

Look to disseminate through the following forums.

With the UCL community

• Local teaching committees.
• Faculty education events.
• Write a case study for the UCL Teaching & Learning Portal .
• Propose to deliver an Arena event . Submit a proposal if you'd like to run an event by completing the form (word document) or emailing [email protected] . 
• Present at the annual UCL Education Conference .

At a higher education conference

Within the uk.

• Assessment in Higher Education 
• British Educational Research Association 
• Higher Education Academy Annual Conference  
• Higher Education Conference & Exhibition
• Society for Research into Higher Education
• Staff and Education Development Association
• Universities UK

Wonkhe  has a calendar of many major UK events and conferences.

Outside the UK 

• Educause (Information Technology in Higher Education, USA)
• Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australia
• International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Canada)

Through publication

In a pedagogy-based book series:

• Palgrave’s Critical University Studies Series

In a higher education journal, cross-disciplinary or discipline-specific:

• Active Learning in Higher Education
• Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education
• Studies in Higher Education
• Teaching & Learning Enquiry

The  IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society website  has an updated long list of journals, both cross-disciplinary and discipline-specific.

Successful pedagogic research

Projects with maximum impact:

• investigate learning processes
• partner with students in the research and education development
• engage the body of pedagogic research
• critically reflect on changes
• are relevant to a wide audience
• communicate through open-access forums.

“ Teaching is the most impactful thing we do as academics in higher education. The sheer number of students we encounter and influence over our careers is incredible.     Pedagogic research (SoTL) offers an opportunity for us as academics to refine our practice and to generate understanding through evidence of what works and doesn’t in student learning.     In a research intensive institution, like UCL, pedagogic research offers us the chance to link the teaching and learning space more clearly with our research agendas, whilst at the same time contributing to opening up new opportunities to foster student learning.” David J. Hornsby, Deputy Head of Department (Education), UCL STEAPP 

An example of pedagogic research at UCL

“Recognising that students could better engage with core writing concepts through acting like a teacher, I designed peer review exercises to follow draft submissions of work, as part of a module I coordinate in The Bartlett School of Architecture. After consulting the literature, I realised that there was very little by way of guidance on how to set this up. 

Following the implementation phase, I held a focus group with students to find out their views, which were overwhelmingly positive. This enhancement project also improved students’ marks. I published this work and placed it on the module reading list, which helps underscore the value of this pedagogic tool and makes transparent the learning process.”  Brent Carnell, UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education and The Bartlett School of Architecture  

• Carnell, B. (2016). Aiming for autonomy: Formative peer assessment in a final-year undergraduate course . Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 41, no. 8: 1269–1283. 

Case studies of interest on the Teaching & Learning Portal:

• A hybrid teaching approach transforms the functional anatomy module
• Novel assessment on anatomy module inspires reconfiguration of assessment on entire programme
• Peer instruction transforms the medical science classroom

Where to find help and support

The following initiatives and opportunities are available to colleagues to support research:

• Meet with colleagues experienced in pedagogic research, including from the IOE or the Arena Centre for Research-based Education.
• Funding from UCL ChangeMakers to work in partnership with students to develop education.  
• Funding from the Arena Centre for Research-based Education. Sign up to the monthly newsletter to hear about the latest funding opportunities.
• A Guide to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL), Vanderbilt University  
• International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning resources 
• Early-career researcher information and resources from the British Educational Research Association (BERA) 
• Bass, R. (1999). “ The scholarship of teaching: What’s the problem? ” Inventio: Creative Thinking about Learning and Teaching 1 (February), no. 1. 
• Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate . Princeton, New Jersey: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 
• Cleaver, E., Lintern, M. and McLinden, M. (2014). Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Disciplinary Approaches to Educational Enquiry . London: Sage. 
• Fanghanel, J., McGowan, S., Parker, P., McConnell, C., Potter, J., Locke, W., Healey, M. (2015). “ Defining and supporting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): A sector wide study .” York, UK: Higher Education Academy. 
• Felten, P. (2013). “ Principles of good practice in SoTL .” Teaching & Learning Inquiry 1, no. 1: 121–125. 
• Fung, D. (2017). “ Strength-based scholarship and good education: The scholarship circle. ” Innovations in Education and Training 54, no. 2: 101–110. 
• Greene, M. J. (2014). “ On the inside looking in: Methodological insights and challenges in conducting qualitative insider research .” The Qualitative Report 19, no. 29: 1–13. 
• Healey, M. (2000). “ Developing the scholarship of teaching in higher education: A disciplinebased approach .” Higher Education Research & Development 19, no. 2: 169–189. 
• Healey, M. Resources from Professor Mick Healey  (Higher Education Consultant and Researcher) - a range of resources including bibliographies and handouts. 
• Healey, M., Matthews, K. E., & Cook-Sather, A. (2019). Writing Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Articles for Peer-Reviewed Journals .  Teaching & Learning Inquiry ,  7 (2), 28-50.
• Hutchings, P. (2000). “ Approaching the scholarship of teaching and learning .” In Opening Lines: Approaches to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, by P. Hutchings, 1–10. Mento Park: The Carnegie Foundation.
• Hutchings, P., Huber, M. and Ciccone, A. (2011). The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Reconsidered . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 
• Koster, B. and van den Berg, B. (2014). “ Increasing professional self-understanding: Self-study research by teachers with the help of biography, core reflection and dialogue. ” Studying Teacher Education 10, no. 1: 86–100. 
• O’Brien, M. (2008). “ Navigating the SoTL landscape: A compass, map and some tools for getting started .” International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2 (July), no. 2: 1–20.  
• Rowland, S. and Myatt, P. (2014). “ Getting started in the scholarship of teaching and learning: A “how to” guide for science academics .” Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 42, no. 1: 6–14. 
• Tight, M. (2012). Researching Higher Education. Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press. 
• Trigwell, K., Martin, E. Benjamin, J. and Prosser, M. (2000). “ Scholarship of teaching: A model .” Higher Education Research & Development 19, no. 2: 155–168.

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What is Teacher Research?

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Teacher research is intentional, systematic inquiry by teachers with the goals of gaining insights into teaching and learning, becom­ing more reflective practitioners, effecting changes in the classroom or school, and improving the lives of children.... Teacher research stems from teachers' own questions and seeks practical solutions to issues in their professional lives.... The major components of teacher research are: conceptualization, in which teachers identify a significant problem or interest and determine relevant re­search questions; implementation, in which teachers collect and analyze data; and interpretation, in which teachers examine findings for meaning and take appropriate actions.... Teacher research is systematic in that teachers follow specific procedures and carefully document each step of the process. — " The Nature of Teacher Research " by Barbara Henderson, Daniel R. Meier, and Gail Perry

Teacher Research Resources

The resources below provide early childhood education professionals with tools to learn more about the teacher research process, explore accounts of teachers conducting research in their own classrooms, and connect with others in the field interested in teacher research.

Resources from  Voices of Practitioners

The Nature of Teacher Research Barbara Henderson, Daniel R. Meier, and Gail Perry

The Value of Teacher Research: Nurturing Professional and Personal Growth through Inquiry Andrew J. Stremmel

How To Do Action Research In Your Classroom: Lessons from the Teachers Network Leadership Institute Frances Rust and Christopher Clark

Resources From Other Publications

The resources listed here provide early childhood education professionals with tools to learn more about the teacher research process, explore accounts of teachers conducting research in their own classrooms, and connect with others in the field interested in teacher research.

American Educational Research Association (AERA) AERA encourages scholarly inquiry and promotes the dissemination and application of research results. It includes special interest groups (SIGs) devoted to early childhood and teacher research. Potential members can join AERA and then choose the Action Research or Teachers as Researchers SIGs (See “AR SIG, AERA” and “TR SIG, AERA” below.) AERA holds an annual conference with presentations of early childhood teacher research among many other sessions. www.aera.net

Action Research Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association (AR SIG, AERA) This group builds community among those engaged in action research and those teaching others to do action research. It offers a blog, links to action research communities, and lists of action research books, journals, and conferences. http://sites.google.com/site/aeraarsig/

Teacher as Researcher Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association (TAR SIG, AERA) This group consists of AERA members who are teacher educators and preK–12th grade educators; it aims to present teacher research at the AERA conference and elsewhere nationally. Early childhood teacher research is an important part of the group. http://www.aera.net/SIG126/TeacherasResearcherSIG126/tabid/11980/Default.aspx

The Center for Practitioner Research (CFPR) of the National College of Education at National-Louis University CFPR aims to affect education through collaborative scholarship contributing to knowledge, practice, advocacy, and policy in education. The website includes selected action research resources, including links to websites, book lists, conference information, and its online journal  Inquiry in Education . http://nlu.nl.edu/cfpr

Educational Action Research Educational Action Research  is an international journal concerned with exploring the dialogue between research and practice in educational settings. www.tandf.co.uk/journals/reac

Let’s Collaborate, Teacher Research from Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum This site includes useful supports for engaging in teacher research, including examples of K–12 research focused on science education. It offers information on starting a project, examples of teacher research projects, and links to online resources. www.accessexcellence.org/LC/TL/AR/

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE) NAECTE promotes the professional growth of early childhood teacher educators and advocates for improvements to the field. NAECTE’s  Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education  occasionally publishes teacher research articles, including a special issue focused on teacher research (Volume 31, Issue 3). NAECTE also provides ResearchNets, a forum to foster educational research with teacher research presentations. www.naecte.org

Networks: An On-line Journal for Teacher Research at the University of Wisconsin A venue for sharing reports of action research and discussion on inquiry for teachers at all levels, this journal provides space for discussion of inquiry as a tool to learn about practice and improve its effectiveness. http://journals.library.wisc.edu/index.php/networks

Self-Study Teacher Research: Improving your Practice through Collaborative Inquiry, Student Study Guide from Sage Publications This web-based student study site accompanies a book of the same name; it provides a wealth of information on its own for teachers or teacher educators who conduct studies of their own teaching practice. http://www.sagepub.com/samaras/default.htm

Teacher Action Research from George Mason University This site offers information about the teacher research process, including resources for carrying out teacher research studies. It also contains discussion of current teacher research issues and a comparison of teacher research to other forms of educational research and professional development. http://gse.gmu.edu/research/tr

Teacher Inquiry Communities Network from the National Writing Project (NWP) This network offers information on a mini-grant program supporting an inquiry stance toward teaching and learning. It includes information about the grant program, program reports, and examples of projects (including early elementary projects). http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/programs/tic

Teaching and Teacher Education This journal aims to enhance theory, research, and practice in teaching and teacher education through the publication of primary research and review papers. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/teaching-and-teacher-education

Voices of Practitioners

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1 What is Action Research for Classroom Teachers?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• What is the nature of action research?
• How does action research develop in the classroom?
• What models of action research work best for your classroom?
• What are the epistemological, ontological, theoretical underpinnings of action research?

Educational research provides a vast landscape of knowledge on topics related to teaching and learning, curriculum and assessment, students’ cognitive and affective needs, cultural and socio-economic factors of schools, and many other factors considered viable to improving schools. Educational stakeholders rely on research to make informed decisions that ultimately affect the quality of schooling for their students. Accordingly, the purpose of educational research is to engage in disciplined inquiry to generate knowledge on topics significant to the students, teachers, administrators, schools, and other educational stakeholders. Just as the topics of educational research vary, so do the approaches to conducting educational research in the classroom. Your approach to research will be shaped by your context, your professional identity, and paradigm (set of beliefs and assumptions that guide your inquiry). These will all be key factors in how you generate knowledge related to your work as an educator.

Action research is an approach to educational research that is commonly used by educational practitioners and professionals to examine, and ultimately improve, their pedagogy and practice. In this way, action research represents an extension of the reflection and critical self-reflection that an educator employs on a daily basis in their classroom. When students are actively engaged in learning, the classroom can be dynamic and uncertain, demanding the constant attention of the educator. Considering these demands, educators are often only able to engage in reflection that is fleeting, and for the purpose of accommodation, modification, or formative assessment. Action research offers one path to more deliberate, substantial, and critical reflection that can be documented and analyzed to improve an educator’s practice.

Purpose of Action Research

As one of many approaches to educational research, it is important to distinguish the potential purposes of action research in the classroom. This book focuses on action research as a method to enable and support educators in pursuing effective pedagogical practices by transforming the quality of teaching decisions and actions, to subsequently enhance student engagement and learning. Being mindful of this purpose, the following aspects of action research are important to consider as you contemplate and engage with action research methodology in your classroom:

• Action research is a process for improving educational practice. Its methods involve action, evaluation, and reflection. It is a process to gather evidence to implement change in practices.
• Action research is participative and collaborative. It is undertaken by individuals with a common purpose.
• Action research is situation and context-based.
• Action research develops reflection practices based on the interpretations made by participants.
• Knowledge is created through action and application.
• Action research can be based in problem-solving, if the solution to the problem results in the improvement of practice.
• Action research is iterative; plans are created, implemented, revised, then implemented, lending itself to an ongoing process of reflection and revision.
• In action research, findings emerge as action develops and takes place; however, they are not conclusive or absolute, but ongoing (Koshy, 2010, pgs. 1-2).

In thinking about the purpose of action research, it is helpful to situate action research as a distinct paradigm of educational research. I like to think about action research as part of the larger concept of living knowledge. Living knowledge has been characterized as “a quest for life, to understand life and to create… knowledge which is valid for the people with whom I work and for myself” (Swantz, in Reason & Bradbury, 2001, pg. 1). Why should educators care about living knowledge as part of educational research? As mentioned above, action research is meant “to produce practical knowledge that is useful to people in the everyday conduct of their lives and to see that action research is about working towards practical outcomes” (Koshy, 2010, pg. 2). However, it is also about:

creating new forms of understanding, since action without reflection and understanding is blind, just as theory without action is meaningless. The participatory nature of action research makes it only possible with, for and by persons and communities, ideally involving all stakeholders both in the questioning and sense making that informs the research, and in the action, which is its focus. (Reason & Bradbury, 2001, pg. 2)

In an effort to further situate action research as living knowledge, Jean McNiff reminds us that “there is no such ‘thing’ as ‘action research’” (2013, pg. 24). In other words, action research is not static or finished, it defines itself as it proceeds. McNiff’s reminder characterizes action research as action-oriented, and a process that individuals go through to make their learning public to explain how it informs their practice. Action research does not derive its meaning from an abstract idea, or a self-contained discovery – action research’s meaning stems from the way educators negotiate the problems and successes of living and working in the classroom, school, and community.

While we can debate the idea of action research, there are people who are action researchers, and they use the idea of action research to develop principles and theories to guide their practice. Action research, then, refers to an organization of principles that guide action researchers as they act on shared beliefs, commitments, and expectations in their inquiry.

Reflection and the Process of Action Research

When an individual engages in reflection on their actions or experiences, it is typically for the purpose of better understanding those experiences, or the consequences of those actions to improve related action and experiences in the future. Reflection in this way develops knowledge around these actions and experiences to help us better regulate those actions in the future. The reflective process generates new knowledge regularly for classroom teachers and informs their classroom actions.

Unfortunately, the knowledge generated by educators through the reflective process is not always prioritized among the other sources of knowledge educators are expected to utilize in the classroom. Educators are expected to draw upon formal types of knowledge, such as textbooks, content standards, teaching standards, district curriculum and behavioral programs, etc., to gain new knowledge and make decisions in the classroom. While these forms of knowledge are important, the reflective knowledge that educators generate through their pedagogy is the amalgamation of these types of knowledge enacted in the classroom. Therefore, reflective knowledge is uniquely developed based on the action and implementation of an educator’s pedagogy in the classroom. Action research offers a way to formalize the knowledge generated by educators so that it can be utilized and disseminated throughout the teaching profession.

Research is concerned with the generation of knowledge, and typically creating knowledge related to a concept, idea, phenomenon, or topic. Action research generates knowledge around inquiry in practical educational contexts. Action research allows educators to learn through their actions with the purpose of developing personally or professionally. Due to its participatory nature, the process of action research is also distinct in educational research. There are many models for how the action research process takes shape. I will share a few of those here. Each model utilizes the following processes to some extent:

• Plan a change;
• Take action to enact the change;
• Observe the process and consequences of the change;
• Reflect on the process and consequences;
• Act, observe, & reflect again and so on.

Figure 1.1 Basic action research cycle

There are many other models that supplement the basic process of action research with other aspects of the research process to consider. For example, figure 1.2 illustrates a spiral model of action research proposed by Kemmis and McTaggart (2004). The spiral model emphasizes the cyclical process that moves beyond the initial plan for change. The spiral model also emphasizes revisiting the initial plan and revising based on the initial cycle of research:

Figure 1.2 Interpretation of action research spiral, Kemmis and McTaggart (2004, p. 595)

Other models of action research reorganize the process to emphasize the distinct ways knowledge takes shape in the reflection process. O’Leary’s (2004, p. 141) model, for example, recognizes that the research may take shape in the classroom as knowledge emerges from the teacher’s observations. O’Leary highlights the need for action research to be focused on situational understanding and implementation of action, initiated organically from real-time issues:

Figure 1.3 Interpretation of O’Leary’s cycles of research, O’Leary (2000, p. 141)

Lastly, Macintyre’s (2000, p. 1) model, offers a different characterization of the action research process. Macintyre emphasizes a messier process of research with the initial reflections and conclusions as the benchmarks for guiding the research process. Macintyre emphasizes the flexibility in planning, acting, and observing stages to allow the process to be naturalistic. Our interpretation of Macintyre process is below:

Figure 1.4 Interpretation of the action research cycle, Macintyre (2000, p. 1)

We believe it is important to prioritize the flexibility of the process, and encourage you to only use these models as basic guides for your process. Your process may look similar, or you may diverge from these models as you better understand your students, context, and data.

Definitions of Action Research and Examples

At this point, it may be helpful for readers to have a working definition of action research and some examples to illustrate the methodology in the classroom. Bassey (1998, p. 93) offers a very practical definition and describes “action research as an inquiry which is carried out in order to understand, to evaluate and then to change, in order to improve educational practice.” Cohen and Manion (1994, p. 192) situate action research differently, and describe action research as emergent, writing:

essentially an on-the-spot procedure designed to deal with a concrete problem located in an immediate situation. This means that ideally, the step-by-step process is constantly monitored over varying periods of time and by a variety of mechanisms (questionnaires, diaries, interviews and case studies, for example) so that the ensuing feedback may be translated into modifications, adjustment, directional changes, redefinitions, as necessary, so as to bring about lasting benefit to the ongoing process itself rather than to some future occasion.

Lastly, Koshy (2010, p. 9) describes action research as:

a constructive inquiry, during which the researcher constructs his or her knowledge of specific issues through planning, acting, evaluating, refining and learning from the experience. It is a continuous learning process in which the researcher learns and also shares the newly generated knowledge with those who may benefit from it.

These definitions highlight the distinct features of action research and emphasize the purposeful intent of action researchers to improve, refine, reform, and problem-solve issues in their educational context. To better understand the distinctness of action research, these are some examples of action research topics:

Examples of Action Research Topics

• Flexible seating in 4th grade classroom to increase effective collaborative learning.
• Structured homework protocols for increasing student achievement.
• Developing a system of formative feedback for 8th grade writing.
• Using music to stimulate creative writing.
• Weekly brown bag lunch sessions to improve responses to PD from staff.
• Using exercise balls as chairs for better classroom management.

Action Research in Theory

Action research-based inquiry in educational contexts and classrooms involves distinct participants – students, teachers, and other educational stakeholders within the system. All of these participants are engaged in activities to benefit the students, and subsequently society as a whole. Action research contributes to these activities and potentially enhances the participants’ roles in the education system. Participants’ roles are enhanced based on two underlying principles:

• communities, schools, and classrooms are sites of socially mediated actions, and action research provides a greater understanding of self and new knowledge of how to negotiate these socially mediated environments;
• communities, schools, and classrooms are part of social systems in which humans interact with many cultural tools, and action research provides a basis to construct and analyze these interactions.

In our quest for knowledge and understanding, we have consistently analyzed human experience over time and have distinguished between types of reality. Humans have constantly sought “facts” and “truth” about reality that can be empirically demonstrated or observed.

Social systems are based on beliefs, and generally, beliefs about what will benefit the greatest amount of people in that society. Beliefs, and more specifically the rationale or support for beliefs, are not always easy to demonstrate or observe as part of our reality. Take the example of an English Language Arts teacher who prioritizes argumentative writing in her class. She believes that argumentative writing demonstrates the mechanics of writing best among types of writing, while also providing students a skill they will need as citizens and professionals. While we can observe the students writing, and we can assess their ability to develop a written argument, it is difficult to observe the students’ understanding of argumentative writing and its purpose in their future. This relates to the teacher’s beliefs about argumentative writing; we cannot observe the real value of the teaching of argumentative writing. The teacher’s rationale and beliefs about teaching argumentative writing are bound to the social system and the skills their students will need to be active parts of that system. Therefore, our goal through action research is to demonstrate the best ways to teach argumentative writing to help all participants understand its value as part of a social system.

The knowledge that is conveyed in a classroom is bound to, and justified by, a social system. A postmodernist approach to understanding our world seeks knowledge within a social system, which is directly opposed to the empirical or positivist approach which demands evidence based on logic or science as rationale for beliefs. Action research does not rely on a positivist viewpoint to develop evidence and conclusions as part of the research process. Action research offers a postmodernist stance to epistemology (theory of knowledge) and supports developing questions and new inquiries during the research process. In this way action research is an emergent process that allows beliefs and decisions to be negotiated as reality and meaning are being constructed in the socially mediated space of the classroom.

Theorizing Action Research for the Classroom

All research, at its core, is for the purpose of generating new knowledge and contributing to the knowledge base of educational research. Action researchers in the classroom want to explore methods of improving their pedagogy and practice. The starting place of their inquiry stems from their pedagogy and practice, so by nature the knowledge created from their inquiry is often contextually specific to their classroom, school, or community. Therefore, we should examine the theoretical underpinnings of action research for the classroom. It is important to connect action research conceptually to experience; for example, Levin and Greenwood (2001, p. 105) make these connections:

• Action research is context bound and addresses real life problems.
• Action research is inquiry where participants and researchers cogenerate knowledge through collaborative communicative processes in which all participants’ contributions are taken seriously.
• The meanings constructed in the inquiry process lead to social action or these reflections and action lead to the construction of new meanings.
• The credibility/validity of action research knowledge is measured according to whether the actions that arise from it solve problems (workability) and increase participants’ control over their own situation.

Educators who engage in action research will generate new knowledge and beliefs based on their experiences in the classroom. Let us emphasize that these are all important to you and your work, as both an educator and researcher. It is these experiences, beliefs, and theories that are often discounted when more official forms of knowledge (e.g., textbooks, curriculum standards, districts standards) are prioritized. These beliefs and theories based on experiences should be valued and explored further, and this is one of the primary purposes of action research in the classroom. These beliefs and theories should be valued because they were meaningful aspects of knowledge constructed from teachers’ experiences. Developing meaning and knowledge in this way forms the basis of constructivist ideology, just as teachers often try to get their students to construct their own meanings and understandings when experiencing new ideas.  

Classroom Teachers Constructing their Own Knowledge

Most of you are probably at least minimally familiar with constructivism, or the process of constructing knowledge. However, what is constructivism precisely, for the purposes of action research? Many scholars have theorized constructivism and have identified two key attributes (Koshy, 2010; von Glasersfeld, 1987):

• Knowledge is not passively received, but actively developed through an individual’s cognition;
• Human cognition is adaptive and finds purpose in organizing the new experiences of the world, instead of settling for absolute or objective truth.

Considering these two attributes, constructivism is distinct from conventional knowledge formation because people can develop a theory of knowledge that orders and organizes the world based on their experiences, instead of an objective or neutral reality. When individuals construct knowledge, there are interactions between an individual and their environment where communication, negotiation and meaning-making are collectively developing knowledge. For most educators, constructivism may be a natural inclination of their pedagogy. Action researchers have a similar relationship to constructivism because they are actively engaged in a process of constructing knowledge. However, their constructions may be more formal and based on the data they collect in the research process. Action researchers also are engaged in the meaning making process, making interpretations from their data. These aspects of the action research process situate them in the constructivist ideology. Just like constructivist educators, action researchers’ constructions of knowledge will be affected by their individual and professional ideas and values, as well as the ecological context in which they work (Biesta & Tedder, 2006). The relations between constructivist inquiry and action research is important, as Lincoln (2001, p. 130) states:

much of the epistemological, ontological, and axiological belief systems are the same or similar, and methodologically, constructivists and action researchers work in similar ways, relying on qualitative methods in face-to-face work, while buttressing information, data and background with quantitative method work when necessary or useful.

While there are many links between action research and educators in the classroom, constructivism offers the most familiar and practical threads to bind the beliefs of educators and action researchers.  

Epistemology, Ontology, and Action Research

It is also important for educators to consider the philosophical stances related to action research to better situate it with their beliefs and reality. When researchers make decisions about the methodology they intend to use, they will consider their ontological and epistemological stances. It is vital that researchers clearly distinguish their philosophical stances and understand the implications of their stance in the research process, especially when collecting and analyzing their data. In what follows, we will discuss ontological and epistemological stances in relation to action research methodology.

Ontology, or the theory of being, is concerned with the claims or assumptions we make about ourselves within our social reality – what do we think exists, what does it look like, what entities are involved and how do these entities interact with each other (Blaikie, 2007). In relation to the discussion of constructivism, generally action researchers would consider their educational reality as socially constructed. Social construction of reality happens when individuals interact in a social system. Meaningful construction of concepts and representations of reality develop through an individual’s interpretations of others’ actions. These interpretations become agreed upon by members of a social system and become part of social fabric, reproduced as knowledge and beliefs to develop assumptions about reality. Researchers develop meaningful constructions based on their experiences and through communication. Educators as action researchers will be examining the socially constructed reality of schools. In the United States, many of our concepts, knowledge, and beliefs about schooling have been socially constructed over the last hundred years. For example, a group of teachers may look at why fewer female students enroll in upper-level science courses at their school. This question deals directly with the social construction of gender and specifically what careers females have been conditioned to pursue. We know this is a social construction in some school social systems because in other parts of the world, or even the United States, there are schools that have more females enrolled in upper level science courses than male students. Therefore, the educators conducting the research have to recognize the socially constructed reality of their school and consider this reality throughout the research process. Action researchers will use methods of data collection that support their ontological stance and clarify their theoretical stance throughout the research process.

Koshy (2010, p. 23-24) offers another example of addressing the ontological challenges in the classroom:

A teacher who was concerned with increasing her pupils’ motivation and enthusiasm for learning decided to introduce learning diaries which the children could take home. They were invited to record their reactions to the day’s lessons and what they had learnt. The teacher reported in her field diary that the learning diaries stimulated the children’s interest in her lessons, increased their capacity to learn, and generally improved their level of participation in lessons. The challenge for the teacher here is in the analysis and interpretation of the multiplicity of factors accompanying the use of diaries. The diaries were taken home so the entries may have been influenced by discussions with parents. Another possibility is that children felt the need to please their teacher. Another possible influence was that their increased motivation was as a result of the difference in style of teaching which included more discussions in the classroom based on the entries in the dairies.

Here you can see the challenge for the action researcher is working in a social context with multiple factors, values, and experiences that were outside of the teacher’s control. The teacher was only responsible for introducing the diaries as a new style of learning. The students’ engagement and interactions with this new style of learning were all based upon their socially constructed notions of learning inside and outside of the classroom. A researcher with a positivist ontological stance would not consider these factors, and instead might simply conclude that the dairies increased motivation and interest in the topic, as a result of introducing the diaries as a learning strategy.

Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, signifies a philosophical view of what counts as knowledge – it justifies what is possible to be known and what criteria distinguishes knowledge from beliefs (Blaikie, 1993). Positivist researchers, for example, consider knowledge to be certain and discovered through scientific processes. Action researchers collect data that is more subjective and examine personal experience, insights, and beliefs.

Action researchers utilize interpretation as a means for knowledge creation. Action researchers have many epistemologies to choose from as means of situating the types of knowledge they will generate by interpreting the data from their research. For example, Koro-Ljungberg et al., (2009) identified several common epistemologies in their article that examined epistemological awareness in qualitative educational research, such as: objectivism, subjectivism, constructionism, contextualism, social epistemology, feminist epistemology, idealism, naturalized epistemology, externalism, relativism, skepticism, and pluralism. All of these epistemological stances have implications for the research process, especially data collection and analysis. Please see the table on pages 689-90, linked below for a sketch of these potential implications:

Again, Koshy (2010, p. 24) provides an excellent example to illustrate the epistemological challenges within action research:

A teacher of 11-year-old children decided to carry out an action research project which involved a change in style in teaching mathematics. Instead of giving children mathematical tasks displaying the subject as abstract principles, she made links with other subjects which she believed would encourage children to see mathematics as a discipline that could improve their understanding of the environment and historic events. At the conclusion of the project, the teacher reported that applicable mathematics generated greater enthusiasm and understanding of the subject.

The educator/researcher engaged in action research-based inquiry to improve an aspect of her pedagogy. She generated knowledge that indicated she had improved her students’ understanding of mathematics by integrating it with other subjects – specifically in the social and ecological context of her classroom, school, and community. She valued constructivism and students generating their own understanding of mathematics based on related topics in other subjects. Action researchers working in a social context do not generate certain knowledge, but knowledge that emerges and can be observed and researched again, building upon their knowledge each time.

Researcher Positionality in Action Research

In this first chapter, we have discussed a lot about the role of experiences in sparking the research process in the classroom. Your experiences as an educator will shape how you approach action research in your classroom. Your experiences as a person in general will also shape how you create knowledge from your research process. In particular, your experiences will shape how you make meaning from your findings. It is important to be clear about your experiences when developing your methodology too. This is referred to as researcher positionality. Maher and Tetreault (1993, p. 118) define positionality as:

Gender, race, class, and other aspects of our identities are markers of relational positions rather than essential qualities. Knowledge is valid when it includes an acknowledgment of the knower’s specific position in any context, because changing contextual and relational factors are crucial for defining identities and our knowledge in any given situation.

By presenting your positionality in the research process, you are signifying the type of socially constructed, and other types of, knowledge you will be using to make sense of the data. As Maher and Tetreault explain, this increases the trustworthiness of your conclusions about the data. This would not be possible with a positivist ontology. We will discuss positionality more in chapter 6, but we wanted to connect it to the overall theoretical underpinnings of action research.

Advantages of Engaging in Action Research in the Classroom

In the following chapters, we will discuss how action research takes shape in your classroom, and we wanted to briefly summarize the key advantages to action research methodology over other types of research methodology. As Koshy (2010, p. 25) notes, action research provides useful methodology for school and classroom research because:

Advantages of Action Research for the Classroom

• research can be set within a specific context or situation;
• researchers can be participants – they don’t have to be distant and detached from the situation;
• it involves continuous evaluation and modifications can be made easily as the project progresses;
• there are opportunities for theory to emerge from the research rather than always follow a previously formulated theory;
• the study can lead to open-ended outcomes;
• through action research, a researcher can bring a story to life.

Action Research Copyright © by J. Spencer Clark; Suzanne Porath; Julie Thiele; and Morgan Jobe is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Dissertation, Thesis Or Research Project

I f you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

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If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic within education, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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Department of

Department of Education

Research projects, the role of research in higher education and research assessment.

Theme: Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) Higher Education

This project aims to study the importance of the research function in understanding the wider dynamics of higher education.

This strand of research is a new project, part of the ESRC CGHE Transition Centre. It draws together multi-disciplinary scholarship and a strong comparative dimension, internationally and institutionally, in order to study the importance of the research function in understanding the wider dynamics of higher education.

Over three years, the team, led by Professor Alis Oancea and involving Dr James Robson and Dr Xin Xu (Oxford) and Dr Gemma Derrick (Lancaster), will conduct a comparative study of the weight given to research in academic life and evaluations, in relation to: individual careers, organisational environments, teaching and learning, sectoral policy, and relationships with other sectors, including publishing and industry. This will be complemented by a comparative international review of assessment systems for higher education-based research, considering critically their role in framing arguments about the public contributions and value of research in higher education.

Funder : Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Funder : Centre for Global Higher Education (ES/T014768/1)

Start Date : 2020

End Date : 2023

Research Team

Alis Oancea

Professor of Philosophy of Education and Research Policy

James Robson

Associate Professor of Tertiary Education Systems and Director of SKOPE

Departmental Lecturer in Higher/Tertiary Education

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Understanding Science

How science REALLY works...

Prepare and plan

Educational research.

The teaching resources recommended on our site are consistent with what is known about how students learn the nature and process of science. Educational research suggests that the most effective instruction in this area is explicit and reflective, and provides multiple opportunities for students to work with key concepts in different contexts. But just how do we know that this sort of instruction works? And how do we know which concepts are hardest for students to learn and which are the most difficult misconceptions to address? To find out, browse the links below. Each link summarizes a journal article from the education research literature and helps reveal how we know what we know about how students learn.

• “That’s what scientists have to do”: Preservice elementary teachers’ conceptions of the nature of science during a moon investigation.  (Abell et al., 2001)
• Influence of a reflective activity-based approach on elementary teachers’ conceptions of nature of science.  (Akerson et al., 2000)
• Evaluating knowledge of the nature of (whole) science.  (Allchin, 2011)
• Learners’ responses to the demands of conceptual change: Considerations for effective nature of science instruction.  (Clough, 2006)
• Examining students’ views on the nature of science: Results from Korean 6th, 8th, and 10th graders.  (Kang et al., 2004)
• Influence of explicit and reflective versus implicit inquiry-oriented instruction on sixth graders’ views of nature of science.  (Khishfe and Abd-El-Khalick, 2002)
• Teachers’ understanding of the nature of science and classroom practice: Factors that facilitate or impede the relationship.  (Lederman, 1999)
• Revising instruction to teach nature of science.  (Lederman and Lederman, 2004)
• Science teachers’ conceptions of the nature of science: Do they really influence teacher behavior?  (Lederman and Zeidler, 1987)
• Examining student conceptions of the nature of science.  (Moss, 2001)
• Student conceptualizations of the nature of science in response to a socioscientific issue.  (Sadler et al., 2004)
• Explicit reflective nature of science instruction: Evolution, intelligent design, and umbrellaology.  (Scharmann et al., 2005)
• Developing views of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry.  (Schwartz et al., 2004)
• Tangled up in views: Beliefs in the nature of science and responses to socioscientific dilemmas.  (Zeidler et al., 2002)

Abell, S., M. Martini, and M. George. 2001. “That’s what scientists have to do”: Preservice elementary teachers’ conceptions of the nature of science during a moon investigation.  International Journal of Science Education  23(11):1095-1109. Two sections of an undergraduate course in elementary science education were observed during an extended investigation, in which students made observations of the moon and tried to develop explanations for what they saw. Students worked in groups, were engaged in many aspects of the process of science, and were asked to reflect on their own learning regarding the moon. Eleven student journals of the experience, along with interview transcripts from these students, were analyzed for student learning regarding observation in science, the role of creativity and inference in science, and social aspects of science. Major findings include:

• Students recognized that observations are key in science but didn’t recognize the role that observation plays in science.
• Students recognized that their own work involved observing, predicting, and coming up with explanations, but they did not generally connect this to the process of science.
• Students recognized that collaboration facilitated their own learning but did not generally connect this to the process of science.

This research highlights the pedagogical importance of making the nature and process of science explicit: even though students were actively engaged in scientific processes, they did not get many of the key messages that the instructors implicitly conveyed. The researchers also recommend asking students to reflect on how their own understandings of the nature and process of science are changing over time.

Akerson, V.L., F. Abd-El-Khalick, and N.G. Lederman. 2000. Influence of a reflective activity-based approach on elementary teachers’ conceptions of nature of science.  Journal of Research in Science Teaching  37(4):295-317. Fifty undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a science teaching methods course engaged in six hours of activities designed to target key nature-of-science concepts, consistent with those outlined in Lederman and Lederman (2004). After the initial set of activities and throughout the course, students were encouraged to reflect on those concepts as opportunities arose within the designated pedagogical content, and were assigned two writing tasks focusing on the nature of science. By the end of the course, students were so accustomed to these reflections that they frequently identified such opportunities for themselves. Students were pre- and post-tested with an open-ended questionnaire targeting the key concepts, and a subset of students was interviewed on these topics. Responses were analyzed for key concepts to determine whether students held adequate conceptions in these areas. Major findings include:

• There were few differences between graduates and undergraduates: most students began the course with largely inadequate conceptions.
• Students began the course understanding least about the empirical nature of science, the tentative nature of scientific knowledge, the difference between theories and laws, and the role of creativity in science.
• Significant gains were achieved as a result of instruction. Student conceptions improved most in the areas of the tentative nature of scientific knowledge, the difference between theories and laws, and the difference between observation and inference.

The explicit, reflective instruction was effective, but despite the gains achieved, many students still held inadequate conceptions at the end of the course. This supports the idea that students hold tenacious misconceptions about the nature and process of science, and, the authors argue, suggests that instructors should additionally focus on helping students see the inadequacy of their current conceptions. The authors suggest that the role of subjectivity, as well as of social and cultural factors, in science are best learned through rich historical case studies, which are hard to fit into a methods course. Finally, the authors conclude that nature-of-science instruction is effective in a methods course, but would likely be more effective in a science content course.

Allchin, D. 2011. Evaluating knowledge of the nature of (whole) science.  Science Education  95:518-542. The author argues that commonly used instruments assessing knowledge of the nature of science are inadequate in several ways. They focus too much on declarative knowledge instead of conceptual understanding, are designed for research not classroom assessment, and are inauthentic in the sense that they do not examine student knowledge in contexts similar to those in which we want students to use this knowledge. Furthermore, lists of the tenets of the nature of science (which such assessments are based upon) are oversimplified and incomplete. The author argues that instead of assessing whether students can list the characteristics of scientific knowledge, we should be interested in whether students can effectively analyze information about scientific and socioscientific controversies and assess the reliability of scientific claims that affect their decision making. In order to do this, students need to understand how the process of science lends credibility to scientific ideas. The author proposes an alternative assessment form (based on the AP free responses essay) that requires well-informed analysis on the part of the student, involves authentic contexts, and can be adapted for many different assessment purposes and situations. In it, students are asked to analyze historic and modern case studies of scientific and socioscientific controversies. Prototypes for this type of assessment are provided.

Clough, M. 2006. Learners’ responses to the demands of conceptual change: Considerations for effective nature of science instruction.  Science Education  15:463-494. The author introduces the idea that many aspects of student learning about the nature and process of science can be explained, and that learning may be improved, by viewing this learning as a process of conceptual change. Just as in learning about Newtonian physics, students often enter an instructional setting with tenacious misconceptions about what science is and how it works — probably resulting from previous instruction (e.g., cookbook labs) and other experiences. Students may then distort new information to fit their existing incorrect knowledge frameworks. The author proposes that this is why explicit, reflective instruction (which provides students with opportunities to assess their previous conceptions) helps students learn about the nature and process of science, while implicit, non-reflective instruction does not. Furthermore, the author argues that explicit instruction on the nature and process of science can be placed along a continuum from decontextualized to highly contextualized. Examples of each are:

• Decontextualized: black-box activities
• Moderately contextualized: students reflecting on the process of science in their own labs
• Highly contextualized: students reflecting on a modern or historic example of science in progress

Highly contextualized activities are useful because they make it difficult for a student to dismiss their learning as applying only to “school science” and because teachers are less likely to view such activities as add-ons. However, decontextualized activities also have advantages because they make it very easy to be explicit and emphasize key concepts. The author concludes that instruction that incorporates instruction from all along the continuum and that draws students’ attention to the connections between the different positions along the continuum is likely to be most effective.

Kang, S., L. Scharmann, and T. Noh. 2004. Examining students’ views on the nature of science: Results from Korean 6th, 8th, and 10th graders.  Science Education  89(2):314-334. A multiple-choice survey (supplemented by open-ended questions) on the nature and process of science was given to a large group of 6th, 8th, and 10th grade students in Korea. Most students thought that:

• Science is mainly concerned with technological advancement
• Theories are proven facts
• Theories can change over time
• Scientific knowledge is not constructed, but discovered (i.e., can be read off of nature)

Interestingly, Korean students don’t tend to hold the common Western misperception of theories as “just hunches.” The researchers found little improvement in understanding in older students. This suggests that special attention is needed to help students learn about the nature of science. The researchers argue that we should begin instruction in this area early in elementary school.

Khishfe, R., and F. Abd-El-Khalick. 2002. Influence of explicit and reflective versus implicit inquiry-oriented instruction on sixth graders’ views of nature of science.  Journal of Research in Science Teaching  39(7):551-578. Two sixth grade classes (62 students total) in Lebanon experienced two different versions of a curriculum spanning ten 50 minute segments. One class participated in an inquiry-oriented science curriculum, which included a discussion component that explicitly emphasized how the nature of science was demonstrated through student activities. The other participated in the same inquiry curriculum, but their discussion focused exclusively on science content or the skills students had used in the activity. Both groups completed open-ended questionnaires and participated in interviews regarding their views of the nature of science before and after the intervention. The two groups started off with similar, low levels of understanding, but the students in the class with explicit discussion of the nature of science substantially improved their understanding of key elements of the nature of science (the tentative, empirical, and creative nature of scientific knowledge, as well as the difference between observation and inference) over the course of the intervention. The other group did not. However, even with the enhanced, explicit curriculum, only 24% of the students achieved a consistently accurate understanding of the nature of science. These findings support the idea that inquiry alone is insufficient to improve student understanding of the nature of science; explicit, reflective instruction is necessary as well. The researchers further conclude that this instruction should be incorporated throughout teaching over an extended period of time in order to see gains among a larger fraction of students. The researchers emphasize that explicit, reflective teaching does not mean didactic teaching, but rather instruction that specifically targets nature of science concepts and that provides students with opportunities to relate their own activities to the activities of scientists and the scientific community more broadly.

Lederman, N.G. 1999. Teachers’ understanding of the nature of science and classroom practice: Factors that facilitate or impede the relationship.  Journal of Research in Science Teaching  36(8):916-929. Five high school biology teachers were observed weekly for one year to examine whether their conceptions of the nature of science were reflected in their teaching. The researcher also collected data from questionnaires, student and teacher interviews, and classroom materials. All five teachers had accurate understandings of the nature of science. The most experienced teachers used pedagogical techniques consistent with the nature of science, though they weren’t explicitly trying to do so and did not claim to be trying to improve students’ understanding of the nature of science. Less experienced teachers did not teach in a manner consistent with their views of the nature of science. This suggests that an adequate understanding of the nature and process of science and curricular flexibility alone are not sufficient to ensure that teachers will use pedagogical techniques that reflect that understanding. In addition, the researchers found that students in these classrooms gained little understanding of the nature of science, regardless of whether they were taught by a more or less experienced teacher. This lends further support to the idea that teachers need to be explicit about how lessons and activities relate to the nature and process of science in order for students to improve their understandings in this area. The researcher concludes that teacher education programs need to make a concerted effort to help teachers improve their ability to explicitly translate their understanding of the nature of science into their teaching practices. Furthermore, teachers should be encouraged to view an understanding of the nature of science as an important pedagogical objective in its own right.

Lederman, N.G., and J.S. Lederman. 2004. Revising instruction to teach nature of science.  The Science Teacher  71(9):36-39. The authors describe seven aspects of the nature of science that are important for K-12 students to understand:

• the difference between observation and inference
• the difference between laws and theories
• that science is based on observations of the natural world
• that science involves creativity
• that scientific knowledge is partially subjective
• that science is socially and culturally embedded
• that scientific knowledge is subject to change.

They argue that most lessons can be modified to emphasize one or more of these ideas and provide an example from biology instruction. Many teachers use an activity in which students study a slide of growing tissue and count cells at different stages of mitosis in order to estimate the lengths of these stages. The authors recommend modifying this activity in several ways:

• asking students to reason about how they know when one stage ends to emphasize the sort of subjectivity with which scientists must deal
• asking students to grapple with ambiguity in their data
• asking students to reason about why different groups came up with different estimates and how confident they are in their estimates in order to emphasize the tentativity of scientific knowledge
• asking students to distinguish between what they directly observed on the slide and what they inferred from those observations.

The authors emphasize that incorporating the nature and process of science into this activity involves, not changing the activity itself, but carefully crafting reflective questions that make explicit relevant aspects of the nature and process of science.

Lederman, N.G., and D.L. Zeidler. 1987. Science teachers’ conceptions of the nature of science: Do they really influence teacher behavior?  Science Education  71(5):721-734. Eighteen high school biology classrooms led by experienced teachers were studied over the course of one semester. Teachers’ understandings of the nature and process of science were assessed at the beginning and end of the semester. In addition, the researchers made extensive observations of each classroom at three different points in the semester and categorized the teachers’ and students’ behaviors along many variables relating to teaching the nature and process of science. The researchers found  no  relationship between a teacher’s knowledge of the nature and process of science and the teacher’s general instructional approach, the nature-of-science content addressed in the classroom, the teacher’s attitude, the classroom atmosphere, or the students’ interactions with the teacher. This finding challenges the widely held assumption that student understanding of the nature and process of science can be improved simply by improving teacher understanding. Instead, the teachers’ level of understanding of this topic was unrelated to classroom performance. The authors emphasize that this doesn’t indicate that a teacher’s ideas don’t matter at all; teachers need at least a basic understanding of the topics they will teach, but this alone isn’t enough. The authors suggest that to improve their teaching in this area, instructors also need to be prepared with strategies designed specifically for teaching the nature and process of science.

Moss, D.M. 2001. Examining student conceptions of the nature of science.  International Journal of Science Education  23(8):771-790. Five 11th and 12th grade students, with a range of academic achievement, taking an environmental science class, were interviewed six times over the course of a year. The class was project-based and engaged students in data collection for real scientific research. Interviews focused on students’ views of selected aspects of the nature and process of science. The researcher coded and interpreted transcripts of the interviews. Major findings include:

• In contrast to previous studies, most students understood that scientific knowledge builds on itself and is tentative. Students also seemed to understand science as a social activity.
• Many students didn’t know what makes science science and had trouble distinguishing science from other ways of knowing.
• Many students viewed science as merely procedural.
• Most students didn’t understand that scientists regularly generate new research questions as they work.
• Despite the authentic, project-based nature of the course, there were few shifts in student views of the nature and process of science.

This research supports the view that explicit instruction is necessary to improve student understanding of the nature/process of science. The researcher suggests that this can be done by having students develop their own descriptions of the fundamentals of the nature and process of science. The researcher also suggests that teachers need to focus on helping students understand the boundaries of science, perhaps by explicitly discussing how science compares to other human endeavors.

Sadler, T.D., F.W. Chambers, and D. Zeidler. 2004. Student conceptualizations of the nature of science in response to a socioscientific issue.  International Journal of Science Education  26(4):387-409. A group of average- to below average-achieving high school students was asked to read contradictory reports about the status of the global warming debate and answer a series of open-ended questions that related to the nature and process of science. Each report included data to support its conclusions. The researchers examined and coded students’ oral and written responses. On the positive side, the researchers found that:

• Most students understood that science and social issues are intertwined.
• Most students were comfortable with the idea that scientific data can be used to support different conclusions and that ideological positions may influence data interpretation.
• Almost half of the students were unable to accurately identify and describe data, and some conflated expectations and opinions with data.
• There was a tendency for students to view the interpretation consistent with their prior opinion as the most persuasive argument – even in cases where they judged the opposite interpretation to have the most scientific merit. This suggests that students may not incorporate scientific information into their decision-making process, dichotomizing their personal beliefs and scientific evidence.

The researchers suggest that instruction should focus on the above two issues and that teachers should encourage students to consider scientific findings when making decisions. In addition, students should be encouraged to deeply reflect on socioscientific issues and consider them from multiple perspectives.

Scharmann, L.C., M.U. Smith, M.C. James, and M. Jensen. 2005. Explicit reflective nature of science instruction: Evolution, intelligent design, and umbrellaology.  Journal of Science Teacher Education  16(1):27-41. Through multiple iterations of a preservice science teacher education course, the researchers designed a 10 hour instructional unit. In the unit, students:

• attempt to arrange a set of statements along a continuum from more to less scientific
• develop a set of criteria for making such judgments
• participate in a set of inquiry activities designed to teach the nature of science (e.g., the black box activity)
• read and reflect on articles about the nature of science
• analyze intelligent design, evolutionary biology, and umbrellaology (a satirical description of the field of umbrella studies) in terms of the criteria they developed.

The final iteration of this set of activities was judged by the authors to be highly effective at changing students’ views of the nature of science and perhaps even helping them recognize that intelligent design is less scientific than evolutionary biology. Furthermore, the researchers suggest that using a continuum approach regarding the classification of endeavors as more or less scientific may be helpful for students who have strong religious commitments and that explicit, respectful discussion of religion in relation to science early in instruction is likewise important for these students.

Schwartz, R.S., N.G. Lederman, and B. Crawford. 2004. Developing views of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry.  Science Education  88(4):610-645. A group of preservice science teachers participated in a program that included 10 weeks of work with a scientific research group, discussions of research and the nature of science, and writing prompts which asked the preservice teachers to make connections between their research and the process of science. Participants were interviewed and observed, and responded to a questionnaire about the nature of science. Eighty-five percent of the participants improved their understanding of the nature of science over the course of the program. The two participants who did not improve their understanding were the two that focused on the content of their research and did not reflect on how this related to the nature of science. Participants also seemed to gain a better understanding of how to teach the nature and process of science explicitly. The researchers conclude that the research experience alone did little to improve students understanding, but that this experience was important for providing the context in which active reflection about the nature and process of science could occur. They recommend that scientific inquiry in the K-12 classroom incorporate reflective activities and explicit discussions relating the inquiry activity to the nature and process of science.

Zeidler, D.L., K.A. Walker, W.A. Ackett, and M.L. Simmons. 2002. Tangled up in views: Beliefs in the nature of science and responses to socioscientific dilemmas.  Science Education  86(3):343-367. A sample of 248 high school and college students were given open-ended questions eliciting their views of the nature of science. In addition, researchers elicited students’ views on a socioscientific issue (the appropriateness of animal research) using both a Likert scale item and open-ended questions. From this large sample, 42 pairs of students with differing views of the appropriateness of animal research were selected. These pairs of students were allowed to discuss the issue with each other and were probed by an interviewer. Finally, they were presented with data anomalous to their own view and were probed again on their confidence in the data and their willingness to change their view. Researchers analyzed these 82 students’ responses to the open-ended questions using concept mapping and compared their responses to Likert items. They found that students  did  change their views on the issue as a result of discussion and exposure to anomalous data. They also found that younger students tended to be less skeptical of anomalous data presented to them from an official-sounding report. In only a few cases were students’ views of the nature of science obviously related to their analysis of the socioscientific issue. These were mainly situations in which a student expressed a belief that scientists interpret data to suit their personal opinion, and then, correspondingly, the student selectively accepted or rejected evidence according to whether it supported his or her opinion. In addition, many students seemed to believe that all opinions are equally valid and immune to change regardless of the scientific evidence. The authors conclude that instruction on the nature of science should be incorporated throughout science courses and should include discussion in which students are asked to contrast different viewpoints on socioscientific issues and evaluate how different types of data might support or refute those positions.

Thanks to Norm Lederman and Joanne Olson for consultation on relevant research articles.

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The role of classroom research projects in the preparation of science teachers

• Published: December 1993
• Volume 23 , pages 236–242, ( 1993 )

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Research undertaken by educational researchers based in universities has not had the desired impact on the practices of classroom science teachers. Yet Goodlad (1990) has argued that if teaching is to be recognised as a profession there is a great need for the marrying of the knowledge of the practitioner with that of the researcher. Student teachers might learn to respect the potential for such a union by undertaking minor classroom research projects during their teacher preparation programs. This paper discusses the role of research projects in pre-service teacher preparation with reference to an inquiry conducted with teacher education students.

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Ritchie, S.M. The role of classroom research projects in the preparation of science teachers. Research in Science Education 23 , 236–242 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357066

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What is the Main Role of Research in Education

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What would you do when you need to explore new topics? Maybe you will research the new topic. If you are interested in educational research, you may want to know what is the main role of research in education. 

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The education industry needs timely research to expand the existing body of knowledge. If you think, “What is the main role of research in education?” you may want to know the answer. The answer to this question is that research improves teaching and learning practices. Moreover, educational researchers also seek answers to questions on learner motivation, development, and classroom management . 

Characteristics of educational research

• Educational research focuses on a specific problem and tries to find the answer to the stated problem. 
• It uses primary and secondary data in its data collection process. Researchers rely on first-hand sources of information and secondary data to conclude a topic.
• Educational research uses a scientific approach to arrive at a conclusion. As a part of the research process, it relies on empirical evidence. 
• Researchers focus on the development of theories of learning and principles to provide better insights into the problems at hand. 
• Researchers may use various methods to collect relevant information. For example, they may use structured, semi-structured, and unstructured questions to gather information.
• Educational research is interdisciplinary as it combines cross-functional studies. 

The above mentioned are some of the characteristics of educational research. These characteristics provide an insight into what is the main role of research in education. Educational research offers a rich career to students. They need to study well to establish a career as an educational researcher. 

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Apendix D: Teacher Research Project

To: EC-6 Post-Bacc Students

From: Dr. Vickery: Purpose of the Teacher Work Sample/Research Project

Dear Graduate Teacher Candidates,

I am writing today to provide some clarity and detail regarding the Teacher Work Sample/Teacher Research Project. As a graduate student at the University of North Texas, you are expected to complete what is called a capstone project. In other programs, this may be a thesis or an exam. In the Teacher Education Program, we use the Teacher Work Sample as the capstone for your certification/degree plan because our goal is to make the experience as useful and practical as possible to our future teachers. This capstone experience is also aligned to the Texas Teacher Standards and the in TASC education standards for teacher preparation.

The TWS is designed to provide a structure and sequence of the teaching and assessment activities all teachers perform as part of their planning and instruction every year. It supports you in understanding the context and community in which learning occurs, to assess students prior to instruction, identify learning goals, plan to help students achieve those goals, assess for understanding, and to reflect on that experience.

Dr. Dickson, your cadre coordinator, will guide you through the project and support you in embedding the steps into the context and curricular foci of your placement. The TWS is not designed to be an "extra" assignment external to your clinical teaching, rather (as stated before) a clear structure for what we know to be the elements of effective instruction. Your outcomes will provide for some excellent discussion with both your peer pre-service colleagues and your cooperating teachers.

Amanda Vickery, PhD.

Assoc. Dean for Educator Preparation

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

1155 Union Circle #311337       Denton, Texas 7620 3 - 5017

940.565.4226      940.565.2921 fax      www.coe.unt.edu

UNT Teacher Education & Administration

EC-6 Post Baccalaureate Teacher Work Sample

Introduction

UNT’s Teacher Education Programs are designed based on the inTASC Standards for teacher preparation. The 10 CAEP inTASC standards are organized under seven components as follows:

Component 1:  Contextual Factors

Standard #1: Learner Development. The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Standard #2: Learning Differences. The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.

Standard #3: Learning Environments. The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

Component 2:  Learning Goals

Standard #4: Content Knowledge . The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.

Standard #5: Application of Content . The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Component 3:  Assessment Plan

Standard #6: Assessment. The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.

Component 4:  Design for Instruction and Component 5:  Instructional Decision Making

Standard #7: Planning for Instruction. The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.

Standard #8: Instructional Strategies. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

Component 6:  Analysis of Student Learning

Component 7: reflection and self-evaluation.

Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration. The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

Instructions for the Development of the Teacher Work Sample

A Teacher Work Sample: is a demonstration of excellent teaching performance that provides direct evidence of a teacher’s ability to apply the 10 INTASC Standards and related components during student teaching or internship.

You will plan and teach an instructional unit and assess student outcomes. Use of the seven components will help you identify your students, develop learning goals, decide how you will assess your instruction, plan instruction before teaching begins, make instructional decisions during teaching, monitor student progress as you go, and demonstrate how you have impacted your students’ learning outcomes.

Use the following pages as a template for your Teacher Work Sample. Ensure that all red text has been removed, your name is entered in footer, and all sections are complete.

Step 1: Create a cover page with your name, title of the work, school district, school, content area, grade level, dates

Step 2: Complete all tables with information related to Components 1-7

Step 3: Complete contextual factors, descriptions, analyses, and reflections for Components 2 - 7

• Teacher Work Sample: Component 2
• Teacher Work Sample: Component 3
• Teacher Work Sample: Component 4
• Teacher Work Sample: Component 5
• Teacher Work Sample: Component 6
• Teacher Work Sample: Component 7
• Teacher Work Sample: Component 1
• Teacher Work Sample: Evaluation Rubric
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Funding Announced: BERA Small Grants Fund 2024/2025: Professional learning for teacher educators

30 Aug 2024

Through our Small Grants Fund, BERA awards funding annually to research on a different, pressing theme each year, with the intention that each project will:

• make important contributions to the discipline by contributing to and leading current debates
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Teaching to Transform the Curriculum: Building Frameworks for Racial Literacy (T2TC)

De Montfort University and the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre

Principal Participants/Partners: Dr Richard Hall (De Montfort University), Camille London-Miyo, (Stephen Lawrence Research Centre), Natasha Boyce (Stephen Lawrence Research Centre), Sherilyn Pereira (Stephen Lawrence Research Centre)

The well being of student teachers: co-created guidance for Initial Teacher Education providers

Leeds Trinity University, University of Hull, University of Lincoln and University of Roehampton

Principal Participants/Partners: Dr Aimee Quickfall (Leeds Trinity University) Professor Jonathan Glazzard (University of Hull), Dr Anthea Rose (University of Lincoln), Dr Michelle Jayman (University of Roehampton)

Exploring and enhancingthe role of teacher educators in promoting socially-just mathematics teaching practice

University of Dundee and the Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice Network andCritical Mathematics Education Working Group

Principal Participants/Partners: Dr Pete Wright (University of Dundee), and researchers from the Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice Network andCritical Mathematics Education Working Group

Valuing Disagreement in Classrooms: teacher education and democracy

University of Plymouth

Principal Participants/Partners: Dr Joanna Haynes (University of Plymouth), Professor Claire Cassidy (University of Strathclyde), Professor Magda Carvalho (University of the Azores), DrRose-Anne Reynolds (University of Cape Town)

These projects will take place over the next year with final reports published in the Autumn. Congratulations to the four projects funded and thank you for all who applied.

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The social scientific study of leadership has advanced substantially in the past 30 years and is accelerating. During this 60-minute presentation, Nathan Hiller, PhD, provides an overview of what effective leadership entails, common misunderstandings about leadership, and the role psychologists and psychology can play in the future. This session is designed for anyone–whether you’re in a formal position managing/leading others, find yourself informally leading, are working professionally with leaders, or just curious about the topic.

This program does not offer CE credit.

Presented in collaboration with

Division 14 (society for industrial and organizational psychology).

Nathan J. Hiller, PhD

Executive director of the Center for Leadership at Florida International University and professor in the College of Business, where he holds the Ingersoll-Rand Professorship. His research in leadership crosses perspectives and domains—from psychology to strategic management, and has appeared in many of the leading journals in the field. He is coeditor of a forthcoming Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Division 14) Frontiers Series book on senior leaders and organizational agility. In his applied work, he regularly works with leaders and organizations across industries—from technology, healthcare, premium retail, and manufacturing, to K-12 education and various federal agencies. He received his PhD in psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Calgary.

Sara Weiner

Industrial and organizational psychologist and a member of APA Division 14, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP).

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September 2023 On Demand Webinar

Lee Ryan discusses her journey of self-discovery on the path to becoming an effective leader and shares ideas about how to prepare yourself (and others) to lead psychology through the next decade.

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Clearing the Air: Georgia Tech Takes Leading Role in Scrubbing the Atmosphere

A community of multidisciplinary researchers at Georgia Tech has taken on the job of cleaning up the Earth’s carbon-riddled atmosphere through direct air capture (DAC). It’s a technology that scrubs carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the ambient air, pioneered by Georgia Tech researchers in the early 2000s.

Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech’s interim executive vice president for Research.

DAC is like a combination giant vacuum cleaner and massive air purifier for the planet. Through an array of fans, a DAC machine pulls in air that flows across special filters loaded with molecules that trap CO 2 . The captured gas is then pumped underground for storage or used for other purposes. 

But in addition to growing and improving the underlying technology, Georgia Tech is demonstrating leadership in other areas critical to the success of DAC in addressing one of humanity’s greatest challenges — climate change — on a global scale. 

“Georgia Tech’s strategy is focused on overall impact,” said Tim Lieuwen , Georgia Tech’s interim executive vice president for Research and executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), which houses the Direct Air Capture Center (DirACC). “That means that we continue to excel in the foundational science and technology we are known for, but we are also partnering with companies, and we start new companies. We license intellectual property, we inform policy makers, and we engage with local communities.” 

The climate issue must be addressed, Lieuwen added, “and net-zero carbon emissions is the most cost-effective way for our society to get there. But it’s going to take expertise beyond the technology for DAC to succeed.” 

“Net zero” refers to balancing CO 2 emissions with an equivalent amount removed from the atmosphere, leaving no overall increase in the greenhouse gas. 

“The CO 2 problem is massive, and no one technology will solve it. We’ll need multiple technologies, including air capture.” —Krista S. Walton

Unlike technologies that capture greenhouse gases at the source — a coal power plant or another industrial pollution site, for example — DAC can be effective anywhere, pulling carbon from ambient air. As scientists across the globe work on different responses to climate change, Georgia Tech’s DAC experts are racing the clock to help the Earth reach that net-zero goal. 

“The CO 2 problem is massive, and no one technology will solve it. We’ll need multiple technologies, including air capture,” said Krista Walton , Tech’s associate vice president for Research Operations and Infrastructure and professor and Robert “Bud” Moeller Faculty Fellow in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE). Her research program focuses on functional porous materials used in air purification, atmospheric water harvesting; and gas separations, storage, and capture (including CO 2 capture).

Building Corporate Partnerships

Direct air capture (DAC) thought leadership: (L-R) Ryan Lively, Christopher Jones, and Matthew Realff are trying to clean up the Earth’s carbon-riddled atmosphere.

No academic institution has authored more publications on DAC than Georgia Tech, where three other researchers from ChBE — Chris Jones , Matthew Realff , and Ryan Lively — are thought leaders in the global cleanup effort.

Jones and Realff co-direct DirACC, one of the few research centers in the U.S. devoted to direct air capture. DirACC brings together researchers in energy, sustainability, policy, and other fields, “to help solve a critical need and leverage our expertise in multiple areas, and build partnerships with various stakeholders, including industry,” said Realff, professor and David Wang Sr. Fellow.

“We’re part of a rapidly growing and vibrant commercial sector, with about 125 companies in the world focused on direct air capture right now,” added Jones, co-founder and CEO of ZeoDAC , a company launched earlier this year in Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC). “You can even argue that Georgia Tech was a major player in the largest U.S. startup.”

Georgia Tech essentially helped create the DAC commercial sector. Global Thermostat , launched in 2010, was built on Georgia Tech intellectual property — technology and patents from the Jones lab.

“In football, you don’t throw a Hail Mary pass on every play. But we’ve kind of gotten ourselves into a position where that is the best play we have.” —Ryan Lively

“We’re also fortunate to be able to collaborate with different industry partners, including some major energy companies,” said Jones, John F. Brock III School Chair.

Corporate members of DirACC include 3M, Chevron, and Meta, among others — Meta recently collaborated with Georgia Tech researchers to create a massive open dataset designed to accelerate AI solutions for carbon capture. Jones and Realff have led research projects for Global Thermostat, one of the first companies devoted to DAC. Lively collaborates with several companies, including DAC start-up Avnos. Lively and Realff also have worked with ExxonMobil.

Materials Matter

Krista Walton, Georgia Tech ’ s associate vice president for Research Operations and Infrastructure, explains direct air capture technology to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

Lively also directs a multi-institutional Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC), which studies the materials used in DAC and other clean energy technologies. In 2022, the EFRC, called the Center for Understanding & Controlling Accelerated and Gradual Evolution of Materials for Energy , received $13.2 million for four years in a rare third round of funding from the Department of Energy.

“All DAC processes are materials-based processes — some kind of material interacting with the atmosphere,” said Lively, who followed Walton in the director’s role of the EFRC. “And all materials age, so our research center is focused on understanding that process, because one of the key cost drivers right now in DAC is how long the materials last.”

The goal is to develop carbon capture materials that can last longer. But DAC isn’t a silver bullet. Addressing climate change still requires a commitment to alternative energy sources, according to Lively.

“Had we seriously started addressing climate change 30 years ago, there would have been much easier, cheaper, and efficient ways to deal with it,” he explained. “But the longer we go without changing our energy systems, the more we need DAC. In football, you don’t throw a Hail Mary pass on every play. But we’ve kind of gotten ourselves into a position where that is the best play we have.”

But even with that, the success of DAC will require a balanced approach from policy makers to grow and nurture DAC technology so that it can ultimately do the job.

All Carrot and No Stick

Valerie Thomas, Anderson-Interface Chair of Natural Systems and professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $11.5 billion to support carbon management innovation, including $3.5 billion for four DAC hubs.

“That has been the major aspect of current policy related to DAC — subsidies,” said Valerie Thomas , Anderson-Interface Chair of Natural Systems and professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering . She holds a joint appointment in Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy . “Government is paying a subsidy for early-stage technology to bring down the cost, so that it can grow.”

And DAC technology must grow quickly, according to Georgia Tech’s experts and almost everyone else studying climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , the world will need to remove up to 10 billion tons of CO 2 from the atmosphere annually by 2050 to achieve net-zero emissions.

Without some restrictions on current CO 2 emissions, that may be an unreachable goal, particularly in the U.S., where the Supreme Court recently overturned the 40-year-old “Chevron doctrine .” The Chevron doctrine allowed government agencies to establish reasonable rules of corporate conduct — including greenhouse gas emissions — when Congress hasn’t provided clear guidance.

Basically, the Court removed an important regulatory stick, and that represents a significant policy challenge going forward.  

“Georgia Tech’s strategy is focused on overall impact.” —Tim Lieuwen

“Almost all of our policy around DAC is carrots,” said Thomas. “I like carrots, but there are so many, and the question becomes, when do we need sticks? Subsidizing technology and research to make things better is great. But were we more serious about limiting the emission of greenhouse gases, that would make it easier for the technology to take us where we want to go.”

Thomas, who has worked with the U.S. Congress in an advisory role and teaches a graduate course on technology policy, believes stronger political engagement (i.e., better communication with legislators), as well as knowledge of the policymaking process, can only help. With that in mind, the Direct Air Capture Center has added Micah Ziegler , assistant professor in both ChBE and the School of Public Policy, who brings both engineering and policy expertise into the mix.

Engaging the Community

Walton leads a tour of one of Georgia Tech's high-bay labs used for direct air capture research.

Last year, Georgia Tech joined with the Southern States Energy Board and other partners to establish the Southeast DAC (SEDAC) Hub in Mobile, Alabama, with $20.5 million in funding from the DOE and other stakeholders. It’s the first step in what could become a $1 billion DAC facility development, according to Lieuwen.

For this initial stage of the hub project, Georgia Tech’s Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (SCoRE) is taking the lead in community engagement. The Community Benefit Plan is being led by SCORE’s senior director, Jennifer Hirsch , a cultural anthropologist whose work fosters university and community engagement in sustainability and climate action.

“We’ll work on bringing the community to the table in a meaningful role for SEDAC,” said Hirsch, who spearheaded an April symposium, “Advancing Direct Air Capture for Community Benefits and Decarbonization,” at Georgia Tech. The event brought together people from the research, government, industry, and community sectors to discuss the concept of equitable decarbonization.

According to Hirsch, the success of DAC’s rapid deployment could hinge on the ability to shift the decision-making process from the traditional developer-led model to a more inclusive, collaborative process.

“We believe in supporting community-driven visions,” she said. “Key to the success of this project — and of DAC hubs and equitable decarbonization overall — is developing decision-making processes and models that center community voices and leadership.”

“Key to the success of this project — and of DAC hubs and equitable decarbonization overall — is developing decision-making processes and models that center community voices and leadership.” —Jennifer Hirsch

Developing a Diverse Workforce

Comas Haynes, faculty member and principal research engineer in the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech is helping to expand the scope of community in other ways, engaging historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in SEDAC’s ongoing development. The emphasis here is on developing a diverse workforce , a critical component in the continuing innovation of science and technology.

“The Department of Energy has prioritized workforce development, and that’s not exclusive to graduate school — the emphasis is on talented people with undergraduate degrees, two-year institutional degrees, and technical college certification,” said Comas Haynes , faculty and principal research engineer within the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). He’s co-leading the effort to develop a collaborative program with HBCUs and MSIs in the Southeast, alongside Taiesha Smith , senior program manager for HBCU and MSI Research Partnerships at Georgia Tech.

Haynes, an expert in thermal system management and design and an SEI hydrogen initiative lead, is still defining what that engagement will look like. But the broad aim would be to include aspects of DAC science and technology in the relevant curricula at HBCUs/MSIs, ultimately leading to internship and employment opportunities in direct air capture.

It’s just one part of a holistic plan to keep the planet habitable for everyone. As researchers work on overcoming the technical issues related to DAC’s widespread implementation, Georgia Tech’s multidisciplinary experts in policy, community engagement, and other areas are working to ensure these projects are successful on the ground, right where people live.

The big — and hopeful — idea is that if they can integrate this growing body of broad knowledge and perspective — fostering long-term, equitable collaborations along the way — it will only help clear the air.

DAC Research Roundup

New Approach Could Make Reusing Captured Carbon Far Cheaper, Less Energy-Intensive

A research team led by Marta Hatzell designed a new electrochemical reactor to seamlessly integrate into direct air capture systems and turn CO 2  into useful raw materials.

AI Solutions for Carbon Capture: Georgia Tech, Meta Create Massive Open Dataset

Andrew Medford  and  David Sholl  developed  OpenDAC , designed to accelerate climate solutions with an AI model that is orders of magnitude faster than existing chemistry simulations.

Water Management and Heat Integration in Direct Air Capture Systems

Water impacts every step of the DAC process and is crucial for making it affordable. Cost-effective water-management strategies, combined with heat recovery techniques, are essential for improving the efficiency and reducing the energy demands of DAC systems.

Ocean Capture: Three EAS Researchers Awarded DOE Funding for CO 2 Removal

Annalisa Bracco , Taka Ito , and Chris Reinhard will create computer models to measure how well CO 2 removal works on land, rivers, and oceans; part of $264 million in grants.

Fostering Energy Equity, Environmental Justice, and Community Engagement

Georgia Tech faculty learn how to work with communities, bringing together their academic knowledge and the local expertise of communities.

Inside-Out Heating and Ambient Wind for Cheaper, Efficient DAC

Chemical engineers use coated carbon fibers and eliminate steam-based heating in their simpler DAC system, which also can be powered by wind energy.

Scrubbing Carbon Directly From the Air

DirACC will leverage Georgia Tech’s leadership in a burgeoning field: COE feature story details Georgia Tech’s DAC ecosystem.

Chris Jones Wins Award for Excellence in Industrial Gases Technology

Georgia Tech researcher recognized for contributions to ultra-dilute CO 2 separations, such as the extraction of CO 2 from air.

Research Centers

Strategic Energy Institute (SEI)

Founded in 2004, SEI synchronizes Georgia Tech’s efforts to address global energy challenges on multiple fronts, serving as a hub of solution-based thinking and research.

Georgia Tech Direct Air Capture Center (DirACC)

With support from the Strategic Energy Institute, DirACC coordinates research across Georgia Tech aimed at removing CO 2 from the atmosphere.

Energy Frontier Research Center

This multi-institution consortium, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and directed by Ryan Lively, has been recognized for outstanding achievements in developing new materials, techniques, and models for the global fight against climate change.

The Lively Lab

Ryan Lively’s research group creates absorbent and membrane materials to provide low-energy solutions for efficient molecule separations, which play a critical role in DAC.

Jones Research Group

A major focus of this lab, led by Chris Jones, is developing materials and processes for direct air capture.

Earth System Science @ Georgia Tech

Chris Reinhard’s lab explores how the Earth’s biosphere and planetary boundary conditions reshape ocean/atmosphere chemistry and climate, how these interactions have evolved, and how they might be engineered moving forward.

Writer: Jerry Grillo Media Contact : Shelley Wunder-Smith | [email protected]   Photos : Courtesy of Georgia Tech and Georgia Tech laboratories 

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