Educational research: a new arena for computer science education

I n the previous column, evaluation was identified as being one of the areas that is critical to the development of a good grant proposal. While evaluation can be accomplished using diverse strategies, many computer science educators are becoming more interested in conducting educational research studies as a means of evaluat ing curr iculum development projects and teaching methods. The area of educational research methods provides a rich new area of exploration for many whose prior research training has been in the content of the discipline and not in the methodology of teaching it. No matter what the discipline, the basic procedure for performing research is fundamenta l ly the same. Carefully designed studies start with a problem, require carefully constructed plans, seek direct ion in the form of hypotheses, and deal with facts and their interpretation. A research study should be designed so that it (1) can be carried out by any competent researcher, (2) can be repeated, (3) is carefully controlled, and (4) is susceptible to measurement. While the procedure is similar for performing research regardless of discipline, the methodology for conduct ing research differs between disciplines. Essentially three methodologies are utilized in educational research studies. The historical method is based upon data consisting of written records and accounts from the past. The survey method is based upon data that are descript ive or quantifiable. The experimental method is based upon differences and likenesses observed when comparing one set of data with another. The experimental method is the only method from which inferences of cause and effcct can be made; others may, at best, describe relationships between an identified cause and an effect• Most computer science educators are familiar and comfortable with survey methods• Qualitative data about student perceptions are easily gathered by distributing a survey and analyzing the results using frequencies, means and standard deviations. Survey methods are appropriate for determining, for example, whether students prefer audio instructions over writ ten instruct ions within a multimedia lab module, but are not suitable for determining whether the use of audio for del iver ing instructions within a multimedia lab module results in higher student achievement than writ ten instructions. This requires the exper imental method, with which computer science educators are less familiar.