Techniques used in

Studying
Behaviour/Conduct
Research in Educational
Psychology

Dr. Nor Aniza Ahmad

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, students are able to:

 Discuss the different techniques used in

studying behaviour

 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of

these research methods/techniques
 Outline
Techniques in Studying Behaviour

Why
is it Research
important Methods/
to study Techniques
The
behaviour? Scientific
Approach
Why is it important to study behaviour or
conduct esearch in educational psychology?

• Knowledge gained from personal experiences is

important to make you a better teacher, however
how valid are generalizations and conclusions
derived from personal observations?
• Authorities and experts in education may spell out
a “best way” to educate students, but they don’t
always agree and often have different perspectives
towards teaching and learning (e.g.: reading
method).
• One way to clarify the confusions is to look at at
research that has been conducted on the topics.
• Teacher-as-researcher: The concept of “teacher-
researcher” is the idea that classroon teacher can
conduct their own studies to improve their teaching
practice (e.g.: the outgrowth of action research)

• The most effective teachers routinely ask

questions and monitor problems to be solved,
collect data, interpret it, and share their
conclusions with other teachers.

• To obtain information, the teacher-research uses

methods such as systematic observations,
interviews, case study, etc.
Researching Educational Psychology and The
Scientific Research Approach
• Educational psychology is a scientific discipline
for it seeks to sort fact from fancy by using
particular strategies for obtaining information.

• Scientific research is objective, systematic, and

testable. It reduces the likelihood that
information will be based on personal beliefs,
opinions, and feelings (Johnson & Christensen,
2000)
Scientific research includes these
steps:

• Conceptualize (define) the problem

• Develope hypothesis
• Collect data/information
• Hypothesis testing
• Draw conclusions
• Revise research conclusions and theory
Research Methods/Techniques

• Observation
• Case Study
• Survey
• Correlational Research
• Experimental Research
 Observation
• Scientific observation is highly systematic
which requires knowing what you are looking
for (e.g.: the types of behaviour to be
studied), conducting observations in an
unbiased manner, accurately recording and
categorizing what you see, and effectively
communicating your observations (Cone
1999).
• 2 types of observation:
- Naturalistic observation
- Laboratory observation
 Naturalistic Observation
• Behaviour is observed out in the real world.
• Educational psychologists conduct
naturalistic observations of children in the
classrooms, at museums, on play grounds, in
homes, in neighbourhoods, and in other
settings.
Advantages
• Various kinds of behaviour can be being
observed in a more natural and spontaneous
manner.
• Involving real life situation

- Findings: Children like to be friend with

those who live in the neighbourhood
Disadvantages
Researcher Biasness:
• Interpretations made by the researcher can be
influenced by his/her own perceptions and
expectations.
Suggestions to overcome biasness:
• Record observation using tape/video recorder.
• Reports from various observer.
• Incorporate with other research methods.
 Laboratory Observation

• A controlled setting from which many of the

complex factors of the real world have been
removed.
• Conducted in laboratories.
• Although laboratories often help researchers
gain control in their studies, they have been
criticized as being artificial.
 Case Studies
• A case study is an in-depth look at an
individual/subject/social unit
• Case studies are often used when unique
circumstances in a person’s life cannot be
duplicated, for either practical or ethical
reasons.
• Example of Case study
Brandi Binder is evidence of the brain’s hemispheric
flexibility and resilience. Despite having the right side
of her cortex removed because of a severe case of
epilepsy (at 6 years old), Brandi engages in many
activities often portrayed as only “right-brain
activities” such as music and art at the age of 17
(after years of therapy). Brandi’s remarkable recovery
provides evidence against the stereotype that left
hemisphere of the brain is solely the source of logical
thinking and the right hemisphere exclusively the
source of creativity, and brains are not that neatly
split in terms of most functioning, as in Brandi’s case
illustrated (Santrock, 2001, p. 22).
• The development of theories in psychology
through case study:

 Sigmund Freud - Psychoanalysis Theory

(studied his patients).

 Jean Piaget - Cognitive Development

(studied his children) Theory
Advantages
• Generate useful and meaningful information or
knowledge
• Provide dramatic, in-depth portrays of people’s
lives.
Disadvantages/Limitations
• Researcher Biasness, therefore need to exercise
caution when interpreting the results.
• Difficult to make generalization/conclusion
based on a single case because the subject of a
case is unique with a genetic makeup and set of
experiences that no one else shares.
Surveys
• Use interviews and questionnaires to gather
informations such as experiences, beliefs,
perceptions, attitude, and feelings from a group of
subjects.
• Interviews can take place face-to-face, over the
phone or internet.
• Questionnaires are usually given to individuals in
printed form.
• E.g.: 30% of the adolescents who smoke were
found to be influenced by their peers.
Advantages
• Surveys can provide huge amount of
meaningful information in a single study with
the low/minimum cost
• However, good surveys involve concrete,
specific, unambiguous questions and
authenticity of the respondents’ replies
which will determine the accuracy of the
information gathered, besides the selection
of the survey participants.
Disadvantages/Limitations
• Information accuracy: many individuals lie or give
socially desirable answer rather than what they truly
think or feel (e.g. teachers hesitate to admit honestly
how frequently they punish their students). Hence
skilled interviewing techniques and questions that
increase of forthright responses are crucial to obtain
accurate information.
• Surveys are not the best methods to make
predictions and do not provide information on the
‘cause and effect’ of the behaviour studied.
Correlational Research
• Correlation research investigates the
relationship between two or more variables
(e.g.; events or characteristics).

• Correlation research is useful to make

predictions between the research variables.
Eg.: the more strongly two events are
correlated or related/associated, the more
effectively we can predict one from the other.
Example: The correlation between permissive
parenting and children’s self-control suggest
that permissive parents increase the tendency
of children being lack of self-control.
Two components of the relationship
investigated:
1. The strength of the relationship (the
magnitude of the correlation index, 0-1)
2. The direction of the relationship (the
positive or negative sign of the correlation
index. E.g.: -0.5)
 The strength of the relationship
Rules of Thumb:

Cohen (1988):
.5 1.00 (high/strong)
.3 .49 (moderate)
.1 .29 (low/weak)
The direction of the relationship
Advantages
• This design allow researchers to study
variables as they are, without creating artificial
situation.
• Many important research can be studied only
in correlational study (e.g. gender vs maths
achievement, gender cannot be manipulated)
• This design let researchers study the
interrelationships of many variables at the same
time.
Disadvantages/Limitations

The principal disadvantage of the correlational

method is that while it may tell us that two
variables are related, it does not tell us what causes
what. This method cannot answer questions on
causal relationship between the variables.
Experimental Research
allows educational psychologist to determine
the causes of behaviour

is a carefully regulated procedure in which

one or more of the factors believed to influence
the behaviour being studied is manipulated and
all other factors are held constant.

If the behaviour changes when a factor is

manipulated, we say that the factor causes
the behaviour to change.
 Cause is the event being manipulated, and effect is
the behaviour that changes because of the
manipulation.
involve at least one independent variable and one
dependent variable
Independent Variable (IV):
• is the manipulated variable, influential, experimental
factor (can be changed independently of any other factors)
Dependent Variable (DV)
• the factor that is measured in an experiment and
changes according to the manipulation of the IV
• labeled as dependent because its values depend on
what happens to the respondents as the IV is being
manipulated.
Experimental Group
• A group whose experience is manipulated.
Control Group
• A comparison group that is treated in every
way like the experimental group except for the
manipulated factor.
• Serve as a baseline against which the effects of
the manipulated condition can be compared.
Random assignment: researchers assign
participants to experimental and control group
by chance, because they must be homogenous
 The Effects of Time Management on Students’
Grades
Participants randomly assigned to
experiment and control groups

Experimental Control Group

Group (time (no time
IV management management
program program

Students’ grade’s in
DV school
Extraneous Variables
• Variables that are not included in the
experiment influence the DV
• post threat to the validity of the experiment
• examples: Students’ grades are influence by
the tuitions they attended instead of the time
management program
Advantages

Researchers are able to investigate the

causal relationship between variables and
make predictions.
Limitations/Disadvantages
Researcher biasness
Difficult to control the interference of the
extraneous variables.
Researches with specific aims (to determine how well
a particular educational strategy or program is
working):
Program Evaluation Research
• Research that is designed to make decisions about the
effectiveness of a particular program (McMillan, 1886).
• e.g.: gifted program
Action Research
• A research used to solve a specific classroom or school
problem, improve teaching and other educational
strategies, or make a decision at a specific location
(McMillan, 2000). E.g: how to improve class control