Chapter 3

A Design for Investigation

“As I survey the work of the National Research Council, it is poignantly clear that research has not had the kind of impact

on education that is visible in medical practice, space exploration, energy, and many other fields” (Biddle & Saha,

2005, p. 37)Thomas F. Pettigrew, 1985

History & Design

• Focus on Principals• Both quantitative and qualitative methods

used• Comparative project: Two Countries

History and Design

Instruments

Method

ResultsPrincipals –Impact of Research

Knowledge

Quantitative

Questionnaire Responses

Qualitative

Interview Responses

History and Design

Qualitative Research Method

History and Design

Quantitative Research Method

History and Design

Comparative Design

History and Design

History and Design

Better Decisions for Schools

History and Design

Constraints related to beginning the study

Sampling Techniques

Given the constraints, sampling was pulled from:1. Major types of schools- primary/secondary2. Three major sectors of edcuation- public,

parochial, and independent3. Community types4. Random gender selection5. At least 1 year of served principalship

Sampling Techniques

Public Parochial Independent Total

Primary 17 20 0 37

Secondary 19 17 8 44

Totals 36 37 8 81

American Sample:

Sampling Techniques

Public Parochial Independent Total

Primary 11 4 1 16

Secondary 17 3 3 23

Totals 28 7 4 39

Australian Sample:

Instruments and Procedures

Process:1. Letter sent to potential respondents followed

with a phone call2. Structured and scheduled interviews took

place3. Questionnaires

Instruments and Procedures

The Interview: (6 Sections/Open-Ended Questions)

1. Research Knowledge (Useful)2. Innovative Resistance3. Policy Decisions4. Knowledge-Acquisition5. Familiarity with research-knowledge topics6. Opinions about research-knowledge

Instruments and ProceduresThe Questionnaire: (Closed-ended Questions)• Supplementary• Multiple-Choice– Environments– Job histories– Background– Hobbies– Career goals– Characteristics of their schools

Data AnalysisTurning the data into quantitative evidence by coding

Data AnalysisCoding for Interview Responses:• Each of the 6 sections had its own manual• Issues related to coding with interview responses• Derivative VariablesCoding for Questionnaires:• Manuals• Issues related to coding with the questionnaire• Environmental Variables

Data Analysis

Data Treatment:• Concentrate on 3 quantitative effects-

1. Effects associated with response distributions for variables, for which the researchers constructed visual displays

2. Effects concerned with differences between Australian and American responses for which calculations of means and mean differences were to be made

3. Effects focused on predictive conditions and responses given by principals, for which calculations of product-moment correlations would be made

Data Analysis

Data reports:

• Graphs had to be constructed only with meaningful data

• Separate analyses reported for both countries• Graphs had to be represented in proportions

The Analysis Model and Our Matching Strategy

Other issues associated with decision to use product-moment correlations to represent relations between predictive and responsive variables:

1. Unexamined assumptions2. Evidence offered about strengths of relations

between predictive and response variables would represent only “first order” effects

3. Arbitrary decisions about which variables should be thought of as representing predictive conditions and response conditions

The Analysis Model and Our Matching Strategy

Final words: Quantitative vs. Qualitative