Research methods must match the researcher’s plan and desired outcomes. It is imperative to select between quantitative or qualitative research in relation to the hypothesis and desired collection of evidence. While quantitative uses externally created methods to collect numerical representation of data, qualitative uses best practices and researcher-created methods to document narrative forms of research. Bang (2012) documented collection of data relative to current shifts in our population in “Promising Homework Practices: Teachers’ Perspectives on Making Homework Work for Newcomer Immigrant Students”. Watkins and Stevens (2013) discuss finding the perfect balance in “The Goldilocks Dilemma: Homework Policy Creating a Culture Where Simply Good Is Just Not Good Enough”.
Structurally, both articles include standard formats. The articles begin with an abstract and keywords before providing an opening narrative that discusses leading research within the same topic. Both also include discussion and conclusion sections to extrapolate the findings and lead to next steps. After these similarities, Bang’s (2012) research provides more structure and details in his writing. The article includes beginning sections on theoretical frameworks and a more descriptive and explicit section on previous literature. Additionally, the article includes details on the study setting and its participants. These sections and the additional detailed subsections shared with Watkins and Stevens (2013) provide more validity and clarity when contrasting the articles. Readers looking too apply the findings and researchers looking to build upon the research will find Bang’s (2012) work more applicable. The rationale of the research design in both articles is linked directly with the outcomes the desired. Both articles looked to capture perspectives of students and teachers. Bang (2012) states, “Teachers explained various strategies they use in designing homework assignments that are appropriate for students with different levels of English proficiency and academic skills” (p. 14). Watkins and Stevens (2013) also documented perspectives: “The teacher focus group agreed that most of the parents wanted to be informed” (p. 83). The quantitative focus would not apply here as authors sought documentation of the differing perspectives on the topic of homework. Both research aligned with Lodico, Spaulding, and Voegtle (2010), “Qualitative researchers study their participants in naturalistic settings while searching for the meaning and understanding of the human experience” (p. 34). Watkins and Stevens (2013) chose focus-group discussions and principal interviews with principals and teachers responding to the same questions in the same order to document positions on No Excuse Homework. Bang (2012) randomly selected participant teachers from a previous research database performed at immigrant heavy schools in New York. These participants used an interview protocol included in the article. This process allowed Bang to document the different perspectives and policies used in eight different classrooms. The results of the articles provide key shifts in mindsets and school systems to increase effectiveness of homework. Watkins and Stevens (2013) document the shift to collaboration: “Homework must be completed with an effort from everyone, beginning with faculty, continuing with parents, and ending with students” (p. 83). This idea moves away from independent work simply done by the student in seclusion. The authors continue by providing quantitative support by the means of grades: “The program became fully implemented in the fall of 2009. He went on to say that ‘the number of students receiving Ds has decreased by 57% and Fs by 72% in the first semester of 2009. Grades of a D or F dropped by 63% and 75% respectively for the second semester of 2010’” (p. 83). The added data in the findings further support the qualitative pieces of focus. Bang’s (2012) article seems less effective in this same regard, as it remains true to qualitative research and does not document and discuss the outcomes from applying findings in the research. The author acknowledges this in the conclusion: “The present study was exploratory in nature. It was collected from a site that serves only newcomer immigrant students. The study offers insights into the realities that shape the instructional practice of teachers in a promising-practices site, though not characteristic of the everyday experiences most teachers serving immigrant students encounter” (Bang, 2012, p. 20). References Bang, H. J. (2012). Promising Homework Practices: Teachers' Perspectives on Making Homework Work for Newcomer Immigrant Students. The High School Journal, 95(2), 3-31. doi:10.1353/hsj.2012.0001. Lodico, M., Spaulding, D., & Voegtle, K. (2010). Methods in educational research: From theory to practice (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. Watkins, P. J., & Stevens, D. W. (2013). The Goldilocks dilemma: homework policy creating a culture where simply good is just not good enough. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 86(2), 80-85. doi:10.1080/00098655.2012.748642.
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