EDTD 6277

EDTD 6277 Mini-Course Guide

What is empirical research, and how do I find it?

What is empirical research?

Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from real experience instead of from theory or belief. Basically, empirical research is research conducted in the field; out in the real world. For teachers, most empirical research takes place in the classroom, school, or co-curricular setting.

The researcher collects data, referred to as empirical evidence, and then undertakes a qualitative and/or quantitative analysis to answer empirical research questions.

How do you know if a study is empirical?

Clues in the abstract: Does the abstract depict a study or investigation that the author/s conducted on a population group in a particular setting? If yes, that's a great sign!
Clues in the methodology section: Skim through the subheadings of the journal article, conference paper, etc. Look for a description of the 'methodology'. Skim read it.
Ask yourself: Could I recreate this study on my own or with colleagues, and test these results?

Confirm you found empirical research by identifying key characteristics:

Particular research questions to be answered
Definition of the population, behavior, or phenomena studied
Description of the process used to study this population or phenomena, including selection criteria, controls, and testing instruments (such as surveys)

Tip! Some scholarly journals use a specific layout, called the "IMRaD" format, to convey empirical research findings. Such articles typically have four (4) components:

Introduction, including a literature review: Summary of the study followed by a literature review -- what is currently known about the topic -- usually includes a theoretical framework and/or discussion of previous studies
Methodology: AKA "research design" or "research methods" -- how to recreate the study -- typically describes the population, research process, and analytical tools
Results: AKA "findings" -- discoveries made through the study -- usually appear as statistical data or as substantial quotations from research participants
Discussion: AKA "conclusion" or "implications" -- why the study is relevant -- usually describes how the research results influence professional practices or future studies.

Examples of empirical research in the field of education

Forslund F. K. & Chiriac, E. H. (2014). Group work management in the classroom. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58(2), 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2012.725098
Abstract: This study aims to provide a better understanding of teachers' managing roles when using group work in the classroom. Building on Granström's 2 concepts of leadership and teachership, a more specific aim is to investigate teachers' managing roles when using group work and how teachers' presumptions affect the way in which they manage the pedagogical mode. The results show that teachers' managing roles influence teachers' willingness to use group work. Teachers may be unwilling to use group work based on their presumption that it teaches students only collaboration abilities and not subject knowledge. This may be a supplemental yet significant explanation as to why group work continues to decrease in classrooms.
Cameron, C. E., & Morrison, F. J. (2011). Teacher activity orienting predicts preschoolers’ academic and self-regulatory skills. Early Education & Development, 22(4), 620–648. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280903544405
Abstract: Research Findings: This observational study of preschoolers (N = 140) in their classrooms (N = 41) examined variation in teacher orienting (defined as explanations and demonstrations about the procedures and rationale behind activities, including center projects, to the whole group or to individual children) and associations between orienting and children's academic and self-regulation skills. Orienting to individual children rarely occurred, but significant variation between classrooms in whole-group orienting was present. Children who experienced higher amounts of whole-group orienting had higher scores on general knowledge, mathematics, emergent literacy, and self-regulation in the spring when we controlled for child- and classroom-level background variables, including children's fall pretest scores, teacher education, and experience. For expressive vocabulary, greater exposure to orienting predicted higher spring vocabulary for younger but not older preschoolers. Practice or Policy: The results indicate the importance of reducing classroom disparities in children's preschool experience and suggest that more attention should be paid to teachers' efforts to explain upcoming activities in whole-group settings. Finally, the interaction between orienting and child age for vocabulary suggests the need to consider both child characteristics and aspects of the context to identify the optimal preschool experiences for individual children. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Conklin, C., Kamps, D., & Wills, H. (2017). The effects of class-wide function-related intervention teams (CW-FIT) on students’ prosocial classroom behaviors. Journal of Behavioral Education, 26(1), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-016
Abstract: Students with challenging, disruptive behavior have difficulty learning in school, and their behavior adversely impacts the learning of other students and the classroom teacher. Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is an evidence-based approach that teachers can use to prevent and reduce problem behavior and increase prosocial classroom behaviors. Previous studies have demonstrated that CW-FIT produced improvements in student appropriate classroom behaviors which led to increased available instruction time. The purpose of this investigation was to systematically replicate CW-FIT adding to the empirical research base supporting it. A novel aspect compared to prior studies was measurement of the student behaviors related to skills taught during CW-FIT (compliance, hand-raising, out-of-seat, and talking out), showing a direct relationship to students' improvements. Students in four classes and their teachers participated in this study. An ABAB reversal design was used to demonstrate intervention effectiveness and experimental control. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Hoff, K. E. , & Ervin, R. A. (2013). Extending self-management strategies: The use of a classwide approach. Psychology in the Schools, 50(2), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21666
Abstract: Notwithstanding the wealth of research that documents the effectiveness of self-management programs in the classroom, few investigations have explored classwide use of self-management procedures as a universal intervention. To extend existing research in this area, we examined the effectiveness of a classwide self-management intervention for decreasing disruptive behaviors among three at-risk second-grade students. We used a multiple baseline across subjects design and evaluated the effects of the self-management program at both the individual and classwide levels during academic instruction time. Results of the study showed a decrease in disruptive behaviors of the target students and a general decrease in classroom disruptive behavior. In addition, teachers and students provided positive ratings of intervention acceptability and feasibility. Limitations, implications, and future directions for research are discussed.
Larson, K. E., Pas, E. T., Bradshaw, C. P., Rosenberg, M. S., Day-Vines, N. L., & Gregory, A. (2018). Examining how proactive management and culturally responsive teaching relate to student behavior: Implications for measurement and practice.
Abstract: The discipline gap between White students and African American students has increased demand for teacher training in culturally responsive and behavior management practices. Extant research, however, is inconclusive about how culturally responsive teaching practices relate to student behavior or how to assess using such practices in the classroom. Identifying proactive behavior management and culturally responsive teaching practices that are associated with positive student behavior may inform teacher training and bolster efforts to reduce disparities in behavioral and academic performance. The current study examined the association between student behaviors and the observed use of and teacher self-reported efficacy in using culturally responsive teaching and proactive behavior management practices. Data were collected from 274 teachers in 18 schools. Structural equation modeling indicated a statistically significant association between observations of culturally responsive teaching and proactive behavior management practices, with observed positive student behaviors in classrooms. Implications for measurement and practice are discussed.

Where is empirical research published?

You will find empirical research in scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and books.

How can I search for empirical research articles?

Unfortunately, GALILEO and most library databases do not offer a direct pathway to locate empirical research.

As a default, select Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals. Not everything published in a scholarly/peer-reviewed journal is empirical research. But empirical research articles are almost always published in scholarly/peer-reviewed journals.
Search as you would typically for journal articles and identify empirical research by skimming through the abstracts.

Help! I am finding too many results that aren't empirical research. What can I do?

The following tips for GALILEO and a couple of relevant databases for education could help:

Database aggregator or database	Search Tips
GALILEO Discover	GALILEO has no direct method to locate empirical research. Only using 'empirical' as a keyword will find some studies but may miss many others. Go to "Advanced Search" Type your keywords/key phrases into the search boxes. In the last field, include keywords or key phrases to help you find empirical research. Combine them with Boolean Operator OR. For example: "empirical study" OR "empirical research" OR "empirical evidence" OR "research methods" OR "research design" OR methodology. Scroll down the page, select scholarly/peer-reviewed journals and other limits like publication date. Select Search
ERIC (via EBSCOhost)	ERIC (via EBSCOhost) has no direct method to locate empirical research. Using 'empirical' as a keyword will find some studies but miss others. Tips: Search for "Research Reports" Go to "Advanced Search" Type your keywords and/or key phrases into the search boxes Scroll down the page to "Document Type," and choose "143 Reports: Research." Choose scholarly/peer-reviewed journals limiter and other limits like publication date. Select Search If not finding enough relevant or recent results: Select Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals Include empirical as a keyword but combine it with some research terminology recommended by ERIC thesaurus with the Boolean Operator OR. Some of these include: "Action Research" "Case Studies" Ethnography "Evaluation Methods" "Evaluation Research" Experiments "Focus Groups" "Field Studies" Interviews Mail Surveys "Mixed Methods Research" "Naturalistic Observation" "Online Surveys" "Participant Observation" "Participatory Research" "Qualitative Research" Questionnaires Research "Statistical Analysis" "Statistical Studies" "Telephone Surveys"
PsycINFO (via EBSCOhost)	To find empirical articles in PsycINFO (via EBSCOhost): Go to "Advanced Search" Type your keywords and/or key phrases into the search boxes Scroll down the page to "Methodology," and choose "Empirical Study." Choose other limits, such as publication date, if needed. Select Search

Search GALILEO

GALILEO searches across all of the Libraries' databases at once.
Enter a few keywords and/or "key phrases", or search by title or author > Search or hit Enter/Return

Find articles in databases & e-journals

Why search within an individual or a set of databases rather than GALILEO?

Searching within an individual, or a set of subject-specialty databases can be more on target and efficient. Some databases also have a thesaurus so you can create a subject search which is more precise.

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?

Enter one of the EBSCOhost databases below > Select 'Choose Databases' > Select desired databases > OK.

Education Database (Proquest)

ProQuest Education Journals gives users access to over 790 top educational publications, including more than 615 of the titles in full text.
Education Source
Education Source offers the largest and most complete collection of full-text education journals and encompasses an international array of English-language periodicals, monographs, yearbooks, and more to meet the needs of education students, professionals and policy makers. It covers all levels of education - from early childhood to higher education.
ERIC (at EBSCOhost)

A database covering all aspects of education and educational research.
Child Development and Adolescent Studies
Child Development & Adolescent Studies™ provides references to the current and historical literature related to growth and development of children through the age of 21. This database includes all of the issues of Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography from 1927 - 2001 previously published by the Society for Research in Child Development, plus new coverage on child rights and welfare issues. Book reviews and abstracts from hundreds of journals and a bibliography of thousands of technical reports, books, book chapters, theses and dissertations covering biomedical and social sciences worldwide are indexed in this database.
Professional Development Collection (education)
Professional Development Collection is a specialized collection of journal articles and pamphlets especially for professional educators that includes abstract and index coverage for 800 professional development titles and searchable full text for over 500 journals covering the most current topics in the field of education.

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?

Enter one of the EBSCOhost databases below> Select 'Choose Databases' > Select desired databases > OK.

ERIC (at www.eric.ed.gov)
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, provides access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research. The ERIC website is available to the public for searching more than one million citations going back to 1966.
Project Muse
Project Muse similar to JSTOR, is a full-text journal database for over 100 journals in the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, and gender studies.
PsycARTICLES

PsycARTICLES, from the American Psychological Association (APA), includes full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in general psychology and specialized basic, applied, clinical, and theoretical research in psychology.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection includes articles from 410 full-text journal covering information concerning topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods.
PsycINFO
The American Psychological Association's (APA) resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. The database also includes information about the psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, technology, linguistics, anthropology, business, law, and others.

Did you know you can search within specific e-journals?

These are the recommended journals for ESOL education:

TESOL Quarterly
A professional, refereed (peer-reviewed) journal covering topics of signiﬁcance to individuals concerned with English language teaching and learning and standard English as a second dialect.
Bilingual Research Journal
"An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed publication of the National Association for Bilingual Education. It serves as a forum for research, policy analyses, evaluation studies, and essays related to bilingualism and schooling."
Language Teaching Research
"Peer reviewed coverage of investigation and research within the area of second or foreign language teaching."
TESL-EJ: Teaching English as a second or foreign language
Peer reviewed journal covering "the research and practice of English as a second or foreign language."
TESL-Reporter
Peer reviewed journal "dedicated to the dissemination of ideas and issues of interest to teachers of English to speakers of other languages worldwide."

Develop and implement a winning search strategy - Example

To search effectively and efficiently, you need to develop a search strategy. This box explains how, using an example.

Assessing ELLs in middle school content classrooms

Firstly, identify the key concepts: These are words or phrases that jump out at you as being important to your topic.

Assessing ELLs in middle school content classrooms

Identify appropriate keywords or key phrases from your key concepts: Your keywords or key phrases might be the same words as your key concepts, or you might need to think of different words to use instead, better suited for a database search, e.g. 'assessment' is a better keyword than 'assessing'. Record them in a table, one row for each concept:

Key Concepts	Best Keyword / Key Phrase	OR	Synonyms, Word Variations, Related Keywords
Concept 1	Assessment	OR
Concept 2	ELLs	OR
Concept 3	middle school	OR
Concept 4	content classrooms	OR

Brainstorm any related keywords, including synonyms, word variations, or related concepts you can think of. Record them in the last column.

Key Concepts	Keyword / Key Phrase	OR	Synonyms, Word Variations, Similar keywords/key phrases
Concept 1	Assessment	OR	assessing
Concept 2	ELLs	OR	English language learners
Concept 3	middle school	OR	middle grades
Concept 4	content classrooms	OR	content classes

Apply the following search techniques wherever applicable, to find more relevant results. The box tabs explain each technique in more detail.

Search Technique	Format	Example
Exact Phrase Searching	"key phrase"	"content classrooms" "middle school"
Boolean Operators	AND, OR, NOT	Search field 1: assessment Search field 2: AND ELLs OR "English Language Learners" Search field 3: AND "middle school" OR "middle grades" Search field 4: AND "content classrooms"
Truncation Device	Typically an asterisk: * May vary according to database	assess* will retrieve assess, assessing, assessment, etc. *"content class"** will retrieve "content classroom", "content classes", etc.
Wildcard	Typically a pound: # , or a question mark: ? Varies from database to database GALILEO / EBSCOhost: # Proquest: ?	In GALILEO and EBSCOhost databases "STE#M education" will retrieve "STEM education", "STEAM education", etc.
Parentheses	(keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR (keyword/phrase)	assess* AND (ELLs OR "English language learners") AND ("middle school" OR "middle grades") AND "content class*"

Exact Phrase Search

What it does	The format	Example/s
Will retrieve results containing your "key phrase" in the order that you have inputted at least once in the record details or the item contents	"Key phrase"	"middle school" will find the phrase 'middle school" at least once in the record or in the full-text. It won't separate the words.

Boolean Operators

What they do	The format	Example
Boolean operators are 'connectors'. They combine keywords or key phrases in order to narrow or expand your search. In a simple search, if you use no Boolean Operator, the default operator is typically AND.	AND OR NOT	assessment AND ELLs OR "English language learners" AND "middle school" OR "middle grades" AND "content classrooms"

Truncation

What it does	The format	Example - GALILEO and EBSCOhost databases
Enter part of a keyword and place the truncation symbol at the end. The database will return results that include any ending of that partial word.	Typically an asterisk i.e. * May vary from database to database.	assess* will retrieve assess, assessing, assessment, assessor, etc. *"content class" will retrieve "content class", "content classes", "content classrooms", etc. * Search field 1: assess* Search field 2: AND ELLs OR "English Language Learners" Search field 3: AND "middle school" OR "middle grades" Search field 4: AND "content class*"

Wildcard

What it does	The format	Example
Wildcards broaden your search results by substituting or including a character in your keyword or key phrase. There are 2 types of wildcards: Substitutes the wildcard symbol for any character and includes the original word. Therefore, it finds all citations of the word that appear without the extra character Substitutes the wildcard symbol for a character only Great for including spelling variations of a keyword in your search.	Typically a pound, i.e. #, exclamation mark, i.e. ! or question mark, i.e. ? Varies according to the database. Some databases may use both types of wildcards, some may only use one. Consult the database's 'Help' or 'Search Tips' page to verify the wildcard symbol and what it does.	GALILEO & EBSCOhost databases "STE#M education" will retrieve "STEM education" and "STEAM education"

Parentheses

What they do	The format	Example/s
Parentheses direct the search engine to perform your search in a certain order. When you edit / modify your search in some databases, it will convert your query into the parentheses structure. If you understand the structure, you can edit your search quickly.	Example: (keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase) BOOLEAN OPERATOR (keyword/phrase BOOLEAN OPERATOR keyword/phrase)	assess* AND (ELLs OR "English language learners") AND ("middle school" OR "middle grades") AND "content class*"

ESOL Education: EDTD 6277 - Barker

EDTD 6277

EDTD 6277 Mini-Course Guide

What is empirical research, and how do I find it?

What is empirical research?

How do you know if a study is empirical?

Confirm you found empirical research by identifying key characteristics:

Examples of empirical research in the field of education

Where is empirical research published?

How can I search for empirical research articles?

Help! I am finding too many results that aren't empirical research. What can I do?

Database aggregator or database

Search Tips

Search GALILEO

Find articles in databases & e-journals

Why search within an individual or a set of databases rather than GALILEO?

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?

Did you know EBSCOhost databases can be searched together?

Did you know you can search within specific e-journals?

Develop and implement a winning search strategy - Example

Assessing ELLs in middle school content classrooms

Search Technique

Format

Example