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Perception Becomes A Reality And Ultimately Becomes A Mindset. Teachers Are ...

Perception becomes a reality and ultimately becomes a mindset. Teachers are under pressure and are highly stressed.
When people are stressed they filter out information and concentrate on getting through the day. Therefore, this could be the main reason why very little educational research findings are converted into every day practice. That is, educational institutions and teachers struggling with information overload will block out and will pay lip service whenever possible, when confronted new research findings and policy measures. Whilst this may be a gross oversimplification of the educational world, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that this view will find resonance within the teaching fraternity.
Exam Pressures Alienate School Pupils
The pressure on teachers to achieve higher academic standards has an impact on what happens in the classroom. There are strong arguments from some quarters that the National Curriculum has too much of an academic focus. For those pupils who already suffer from a lack of self-confidence regarding their ability to cope with academic work, the demand to deliver a better performance will increase the pressure they feel. Pressure often induces a feeling of inadequacy. In the longer term this causes disaffection with the whole learning process. Ultimately some pupils will become like their teachers i.e. alienated and resentful.
Selecting The Most Appropriate Research Model
Therefore, if a policy maker wishes to gain kudos they must commission researchers that will actively involve the key stakeholders in the investigation they wish to conduct. Classroom practitioners will respond positively to a researcher who actively seeks their views and who is prepared to learn and act upon their experiences of dealing with the reality of everyday teaching. In a similar way, pupils will respond much more positively when they consider that the learning process is focused upon addressing their needs and interests.
Paradigms and Methodology in Educational Research
What steps can be taken to ensure that the most appropriate model is selected to successfully undertake a research project? At the European Conference on Educational Research, held in Lille in September 2001, Katrin Niglas presented a paper which attempted to summarise the relationships between different paradigms and methodological traditions. Thus creating a coherent framework within which academics could make a more informed choice about which model would be the most appropriate to facilitate the successful completion of their research project.
Her paper drew heavily upon the work completed by Renata Tesch, which classifies qualitative methodological traditions into four main groups. These are as follows:
The characteristics of language
The discovery of regularities
The comprehension of the meaning of text or action
Reflection
Listed below is the most appropriate form of research models for each methodology.


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