The Purpose of Education Research
Instructions:
After reading “Making Connections between Research and Practice,” write an essay of 1,000 words comparing the article’s explanation of supply side versus demand side to that of the definition of action research found in the text. Include the article’s six listed hypotheses in your comparison.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide.
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Solution
The Purpose of Education Research
Introduction
In consideration of the connections between education research as well as education practice, there is the supply and demand side to be put under consideration. Majority of the people only focus on the side of supply (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). Focus considers on the kinds of research that influences as well sufficiency of the education. Often the side of demand is ignored that considers how the practice world looks at solutions based on research including the importance and legitimacy of the input source in education. Less attention is given to the demand side (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). This paper will address the will use the readings from Making Connections between Research and Practice by Andrew and Jennifer McMaken to address the comparison between supply side verses demand side as concern research in education.
The purpose of Research in Education
Considering a number of positive examples, in the first place the category of research methods is highlighted. Fresh insights as well as innovations in psychometrics instantly get into practice. Possibly because there are less practitioners in number, trained highly, and ambitious for solutions that are better. Many of such practitioners are hired by a handful of companies that test like CTB that points out an additional comparison (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). Companies that carry out tests, work under an environment that is economically competitive and may motivate their need to bring solutions that consider the state of the art to the many problems in psychometry that they undergo. Another example is HLM that has been developed in a significant way as well as expanded for the purpose of research in social science by a number of researchers (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). Presently, HLM is used by everyone to examine their nested hierarchically data sets in education.
Despite the fact that there are mixed opinions between teachers over research, they are by no means firmly reluctant to implementing educational research to advance their practice (Zhao, Pugh, Sheldon, & Byers, 2002). However, teachers are predominantly inclined to pursue research only when they have an insistent concern that is immediate.
Hypothesis 1:
A lot of research directly deals with instructions from the classroom; however, less is broadly implemented. Part of the research end up being established under class practices that are thoughtfully and carefully based on large educational bodies. Some of them comprises of bodies like Carpenter and Fennema’s Cognitively Guided Instruction of 1989 as well as Salvin’s Success for All for the year 2001 (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). Under the two programs, a significant effort towards development was placed into setting up programs based on research as well as programs that test on the effects.
Hypothesis 2:
Charismatic individuals can have a huge impact to the extent under which research in education discovers practice into education. The entire research work does not consider classroom practice. A good example under the world of policy is a standard based on systemic reform may have an impact of research on education. The standard based on systemic reform is constructed under education research that is considerable including part of the authors who were first (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). However, the big question is why reforms based on standards result to be a part that is standard on state as well as federal practice and policy.
Hypothesis 3
In the third hypothesis, well-trained, and ambitious practitioners will implement the right knowledge of research in a fast way. In certain areas of practice in education, demand for research as well as methods that are improved already exist. More focus should be given towards understanding the manner through which demand in other areas can be fostered. A number of the features under psychometric community especially size are not replicable with the primary and secondary population of educators. However, many stands to learn from examining how teacher preparation as well as training can enhance the demand for educators including the use of research that is relevant.
Hypothesis 4
In the fourth hypothesis, reforms that seem easy to be done over a distance, and has a lot advocates for motives that may not comprise the effects on the achievement of students, may have a large and extensive effect on the practice of education when research validates the beliefs of the reforms. Under this, examples can be illustrated by the needs of schools and classes with smaller sizes. Neither reform was implemented until good research was available for education to support it. The Tennessee Star Study presented a research over the size of the class that offered authority shift towards smaller sizes of class as well as schools. Despite the discussion of this idea over time, less has been to consider implementing such policies (Porter, & Mcmaken, 2009). This shows that sometimes practitioners have a demand for some research, though only introductory, before implementing reforms into practice.
Hypothesis 5
Potential reforms in education like the use of technology are not implemented when they need educators who practice at the lowest level to create new fundamental ways of performing their work since there is no enough motivation available for them to focus on change. As an example, technology is a reform, which has not been implemented into the practice of education surprisingly. There is a lot of research behind technology; however, less has been done in terms of research over its use.
Hypothesis 6
Leaders in education practice have both formal and informal networks existing between them. Ideas towards reforms are quickly shared between leaders through the networks then find their way into implementation. Under this last hypothesis, reforms in education that take over the nation in a fast way are often not based on educational research. Among the examples that have happened recently include quarterly testing of achievement within students and development of teacher professional provided through coaches. The two have swept the nation recently while no basis of research has been found for both reforms. Improving connections between research and practice is a goal with great importance under education as done on other areas.
Conclusion
The paper has compared the explanation of supply side versus the demand side to that of the definition of action research found in the reading. This has been seen through the discussion over research in education that views the side of demand being ignored over supply side since it considers how the practice world looks at solutions based on educational research. In addition, the paper has used the six hypotheses on research and practice to elaborate on the comparison.
References
Porter, A., & Mcmaken, J. (2009). Making Connections between Research and Practice. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(1), 61-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/003172170909100111
Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S., & Byers, J. (2002). Conditions for Classroom Technology Innovations. Teachers College Record, 104(3), 482-515. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9620.00170