Strategies for Educational Inquiry
Week 15: Group Projects - December 3 & 10
- Girls' Self-Esteem Comparison in Competitive and Recreational Gymnastics
Click the red button to read the report.
Introduction: "Girls have a lower self-esteem than boys (Marcotte, Fortin, Potvin, & Papillion, 2002). Given this finding, much attention has been directed at determining why it is that girls have lower self-esteem than boys. Factors that affect a girls' self-esteem include, but are not limited to, the following: adjusting to the onset of puberty (Marcotte et al., 2002), methods of coping (Byrne, 2000), less attention in the classroom, feelings of inadequacy at math and science (Angelo & Branch, 2002), physical appearance (Corbin, 2002), overall support system (Marcotte et al., 2002), and feelings of competency (Corbin, 2002). The best predictor of self-esteem for girls, however, is interaction and relationship with their mothers. Additionally, positive aspects of interactions such as intimacy, acceptance, and nurturance are related to higher self-esteem (Lackovic-Grgin and Dekovic, 1994)."
- The Nexus Between the College Choice Process and Persistence:
Are Colleges and Universities Accurately Telling Their Story?
Click the red button to read the report.
Introduction: "The college choice process can be complex and time-consuming for students as they evaluate a wide range of factors. Students and their families sort through a maze of institutions of various sizes, a multiplicity of majors, seemingly unaffordable price tags, and many other factors as they consider where to attend college."
- The Psychosocial Growth of Peer Mentors in a College Program for
Students on Academic Probation Indiana University
Click the red button to read the report.
Abstract: "Although the cognitive gains of collegiate peer mentors have been previously studied, little research has investigated affective or psychosocial change. The current study illustrates how peer mentoring prompts positive changes in one's personal and interpersonal relationships and value system. The findings may be correlated with the natural developmental stages that occur within undergraduate college students. This study used a sample of peer mentors in a program for students on academic probation from a large Midwestern state university."
- Indiana University Instructional Systems Technology (IST) Graduate Student Attitudes Towards Group Work
Click the red button to read the report.
Introduction: "Groups . . . hold the key to solving such societal problems as racism, sexism, and international conflict. Because groups are the building blocks of society any attempt to change society will succeed only if the groups within that society change (Forsyth, 1999, p. xi)."
"Madness is the exception in individuals but the rule in groups (Nietzsche, quoted in Forsyth, 1999, p. 28)."
"These two quotes illustrate a range of viewpoints regarding the potential that groups have for both benefit and harm. Each of us, perhaps without often consciously realizing it, belongs to many different groups. These groups might be formed within the context of family, work, school, church, or any of a number of other social settings (Nelson, 1999). In modern society, groups are an integral part of daily life."
- Rising from the Ashes: The Effects of the Peer Experience in the Phoenix Program
Click the red button to read the report.
Abstract: "The Peer Instructor experience in the Phoenix Program is examined in this study. Students who participate as peers showed an increase in their level of confidence, an increase in their level of academic achievement, and noted development of more self-regulated attributes since starting their peer experience. Peer instructors also reported better communication skills (written and verbal), stronger critical thinking skills, and a stronger work ethic. The findings of this study are similar to other studies that address the effects of participation on the peers themselves. Directions for future research are also discussed."
Study Materials:
- Week 1: Introduction to Educational Research
Introduction to Educational Research.
Selecting and defining a research topic
- Week 2: Developing a Research Plan
Preparing and evaluating a research plan
Selecting a sample
- Week 3: Measurement, variables
Selecting measurement instruments
- Weeks 4 & 5: Qualitative Methods & Data Analysis
Introduction to Qualitative methods
Introduction to Enthography
- Week 6: Survey Research
Surveys for data collection
- Week 7: Ex post facto (aka: Causal-comparative) Research
Causal-comparative and correlational
- Weeks 8 & 9: Single Subject & Experimental Designs
Quiz: Single subject and experimental designs
- Weeks 10 & 11: Descriptive Statistics
Quiz: Descriptive Statistics (and some inferential, too)
- Weeks 12 & 13: Inferential Statistics & Experimental Design
Quiz: Inferential Statistics and experimental design