Research Basics
Research 101
These resources will answer the question: What makes for good research?
http://www.nichcy.org/resources/research101.asp
Research 102: Adding Up the Evidence
It’s a standard research practice to look across a variety of studies to see what kind of conclusions we can draw from the body of research on a subject. The resources in our Research 102 explain how researchers combine the findings of multiple research studies to draw more solid conclusions than any one study can tell you.
http://www.nichcy.org/resources/research102.asp
Making Sense of Statistics in Research
Don’t let the stats throw you. Here’s a cheat sheet to what all those terms mean.
http://www.nichcy.org/resources/statistics.asp
Weighing Info for Its Worth
As we’ve mentioned, it’s not a good idea to take research purely at its face value. But how do you weigh what you’re reading to judge its credibility? Here are some tips to help you become a savvy consumer.
http://www.nichcy.org/resources/weighinginfo.asp
Looking for Good Ideas: A Guide for Teachers to Interpret Experimental/Intervention Research Reports.
http://cld.cuesta.com/c/@W13KulMumLErQ/Pages/scienceP4.html
Scientific Research in Education.
www.nap.edu/execsumm/0309082919.html
Understanding and Using Education Statistics: It’s Easier (and More Important) Than You Think. www.ers.org
Evidence Matters: Randomized Trials in Education Research.
www.brookings.edu/press/books/
evidence_matters.htm
Finding Information
Where can you find research information?
www.monroecc.edu/depts/library/resour.htm
Here’s a quick list to jog your thinking, part of Monroe Community College’s online guide to help students prepare research papers.
Does the information really address your needs?-From the University of Southern California.
www.usc.edu/isd/locations/science/sci/pubs/criteval.html
Think about biases in point of view–both yours and the info’s.
www.virtualsalt.com/infobias.htm
Evaluating Information a Book or Journal
Evaluate information for its authority and appropriateness for your research.-From the library at UC Berkeley.
www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Evaluation.html
How to critically analyze information sources.-From the Cornell University Library.
www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm
Top ten tips for evaluating the trustworthiness of a research study.-From the National Association of Child Advocates.
www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/Content/ContentGroups/
Publications1/Voices_for_Americas_Children/Advocacy/
20024/understandingresearch.pdf
Is this a scholarly journal or some other kind of publication?-From the Cornell University Library.
www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill20.html
Trusting Information from a Web Site
Why evaluate web sites
From ENC Online, a K-12 math and science professional center.
www.enc.org/features/focus/archive/webeval/document.shtm?input=FOC-003220-index
Find out who owns the site–is it who it seems to be?
The WHOIS public database displays a domain name holder’s contact information.
www.networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/index.jhtml
Tips for evaluating the quality and reliability of Internet resources.
www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
More tips–techniques to apply & questions to ask.-From the library at UC Berkeley.
www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
From Schwab Learning.
www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=429&g=2
Criteria you can use to assess information found on the Internet.-From the Sheridan Libraries at the Johns Hopkins University.
www.library.jhu.edu/elp/useit/evaluate/
Help with evaluating and selecting resources.-More from Monroe Community College to guide users of research.
www.monroecc.edu/depts/library/eval.htm
Resource Tools-Print and use this Web site checklist.
From the library at UC Berkeley.
www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/EvalForm.pdf
Glossary of Website Terms-From the Ohio State University Libraries.
http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/les1/glossary.html
Applying Research
Using data to drive and inform school change.
http://data.edreform.net/
The Data Drive Reform Network at the Education Reform Network connects you to resources and publications on how and why to use data as the basis for decision making. The materials are organized into the following categories: accountability systems; analyzing school data; building capacity for data use; standards-based instruction; standardized testing; state standards; success indicators; public engagement; technology; and school, district, and state report cards.
Implementing results-based decisionmaking: Advice from the field.
www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pdfs/1999WELFAREBARRIERS.pdf
This report was published jointly by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and The Finance Project. More than 50 leaders in the field provide advice on measuring the success of their supports for children and families by the results or outcomes they achieve for individuals, families, and communities. It covers various dimensions of results-based decision-making, including strategic planning that logically connects strategies to the outcomes.
Using research and reason in education: How professionals can use scientifically based research to make curricular and instructional decisions.
www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading
Help for schools
www.helpforschools.com/sikb/index.shtml
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that schools take certain steps towards improvement. The School Improvement KnowledgeBase at the link above contains information and resources to help schools accomplish these tasks using a step-by-step, well-designed process. If you’re in the driver’s seat—or anywhere in the car!—you’ll wanna come here.
It’s a workshop online, not a publication, but have you heard… ?
www.goodschools.gwu.edu/pubs/sbrsub.php
The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform offers Identifying Research-Based Solutions for School Improvement, a workshop that aims to provide educators with the skills they need to find, identify, and make good use of the best available educational research.
A Policymaker’s Primer on Education Research: How to Understand, Evaluate, and Use It.
www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/html/
educationIssues/Research/primer/index.asp%20
A joint effort of Mid-Continent Research for Education (McREL) and the Education Commission of the States, 2004.
Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide.
www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorousevid
from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2003.
Improving Student Learning: A Strategic Plan for Education Research and Its Utilization.
Available from the National Academies Press.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/6488.html
The Importance of Research into Practice
The Children in Special Education
Read about the SEELS study, a 5-year investigation of the children receiving special education services, ages 6 to 12. The study’s being conducted by SRI International. NICHCY’s summary of the study can be found online at: www.nichcy.org/pubs/research/rb2txt.htm. The SEELS Web site is found at: www.seels.net/
The Children in Early Intervention.
SRI is also conducting the NEILS study, which is following more than 3,338 children with disabilities or at risk for disabilities and their families through their experiences in early intervention and into early elementary school. Visit the NEILS site and see what SRI is finding, at: www.sri.com/neils/
Transition Services
SRI follows up their previous transition studies with this new one–the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)! Over the next several years, NLTS2 will document the experiences of a national sample of students as they move into adult roles.
Read about the study and track its results at: www.nlts2.org/. The first wave of reports emerged in January 2004. These provide information on the characteristics and experiences of youth with disabilities in secondary school.
Read a synopsis of the study available from the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET), at: www.ncset.org/premium-publications/default.asp
As of May 2004, NLTS2 data tables have been made available on-line. Users can view and download the tables, which cross-tabulate a large number of selected variables by disability, age, gender, income, and ethnicity. All NLTS2 data are weighted estimates for students receiving secondary special education and generalize to the national population. Find the data tables at: www.nlts2.org/
Check out NLTS2’s reports exploring important findings from the parent interviews and school data collection activities. In 2004, these include: Services and Supports for Secondary School Students with Disabilities (May 2004) and Changes Over Time in the Secondary School Experiences of Students with Disabilities (April 2004). Both are online at: www.nlts2.org/reports/reports_collapsed.html
What do we know about youngsters’ mental health and pyschosocial problems?
The Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA takes a deeper look at what data exist on young people’s mental health and what conclusions we can draw (or not). Read CMHS’s brief online at:
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/
prevalence/youthMH.pdf
Summing it all up
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/research.html
Every year, Congress receives an annual report on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), our nation’s special education law. Wanna know who’s being served, for what disability, by whom, where, and to what outcome? Visit the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which oversees implementation of the law and reports the state of affairs to Congress. You’ll find the last eight annual reports to Congress online as well as the annual data tables.
Where to Look First
So…we know why it’s important to care about research and who we’re caring for. Now where do we find special education research? Disability-related research? What are the primary sources we can turn to, for these initiatives? Where’s the research happening? And what’s it focusing upon? (What it’s finding is a whole separate section!)
Government-funded research into disabilities.
Did you know that a searchable database exists online of the discretionary projects supported by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) under IDEA? Nearly 1100 projects are included. Find out what’s being investigated by these projects, at: www.cec.sped.org/osep/database/
NIDRR research can be helpful, too.
NARIC, the National Rehabilitation Information Center, offers an online searchable database of more than 300 projects funded by NIDRR (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research), including their products. If you want to know about disability, rehabilitation, and promoting independence and employment for individuals with disabilities, NARIC is the place to visit. Search the database, at: www.naric.com/search/pd/
ERIC system
And don’t forget the ERIC system when you’re looking for research on an educational subject.-ERIC is an acronym for the Educational Resources Information Center. The ERIC database contains descriptions of over 1 million educational materials, including research-based findings published in journals and related to children with and without disabilities. Search the database for the research that interests you, at: www.eric.ed.gov
Try this database of interventions and policy evaluations.
Its acronym is C2-RIPE, which stands for Register of Interventions and Policy Evaluation. Developed by the Campbell Collaboration (get it? C2?), the database provides researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the public with access to reviews and review-related documents in the following areas: Education, Crime and Justice, Social Welfare, and Methods. Go to:
www.campbellcollaboration.org/Fralibrary2.html
Scientific research related to schools and education.
Visit the Child Development Center, which organizes and briefly describes current research related to schools and education according to the following groupings: learning research, educational issues, school curriculum issues, and school governance and safety issues. Choose which one you’d like to view at:
www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/ scientific_research_schools_education.shtml
Try These Web Sites
There are many great research journals, associations, and organizations, all working to further the knowledge base of educational research we have. We’ve listed some primary participants below, in alphabetical order.
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
www.aera.net/
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
www.ascd.org/
Divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children
www.cec.sped.org/dv/
Education Reform Network
http://edreform.net/
Educational Research Network
www.ernweb.com/
Educational Research Service
www.ers.org/
Institute for Academic Access
www.academicaccess.org/index.html
Institute for Evidence-Based Decision-Making
in Education
www.edieinstitute.com/
Journal of Educational Research
www.heldref.org/index.html
Practical Research, Assessment, and Evaluation
A peer-reviewed journal online at:
http://pareonline.net
Wisconsin Center for Education Research
www.wcer.wisc.edu/
First Toe in the Water
Scientifically Based Research
What is Scientifically Based Research?
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) calls for the use of “scientifically based research” as the foundation for many education programs and for classroom instruction. Leading experts in the fields of education and science came together at a seminar hosted by the Department of Education and discussed the meaning of scientifically based research and its status across various disciplines. Find out what they said in these transcripts, available online at: www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/whatworks/research/index.html
What works in education?
The WWC—the What Works Clearinghouse—has been established to answer that very question. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, the WWC is expected to serve as a central source of scientific evidence of what works in education. They are starting off their investigations by focusing on seven topics of high interest (for example, interventions for beginning reading). Read all about the WWC and follow their findings as they emerge, at: www.whatworks.ed.gov
Research Connections in Special Education
http://ericec.org/osep-sp.html
This is a publication reviewing OSEP-sponsored research on topics in special education. As such, it may very well be the first toe you put in the research waters of special education. Thirteen issues are currently available online at the OSEP/ERIC Special Project site, linked above.
Becoming friends with using data to make decisions
http://data.edreform.net/
If you haven’t yet embraced data as the basis for making decisions, you may want to pause and take a look at our Special Education Research: Where to Start?, if you haven’t already. Look in particular at the two beginning sections: Research Basics and Applying Research, which will help you make data your fast friend.
