A comparative analysis of the article in Chapter eleven of the Introduction to educational research by Burrow-Sanchez and Lopez (2009) in Metler and Charles (2011) and a survey research of satisfaction levels of graduate students enrolled in a nationally ranked top-10 program at a mid-western university by Sum, McCaskey and Kyeyune (2008) reveals both similarities and differences.
The purpose of the first article was to carry out a survey on high school counsellors to identify substance abuse among high school students.
On the other hand, the researchers in the second article sought to “determine the satisfaction level of existing master’s students attending a two-week summer session towards the same master’s program in education with specializations in career and human resources education” (p. 1).
Both articles adopt a similar organizational pattern as expected of a research article.
They have detailed literature review sections, which outline approaches adopted by the researchers in demonstrating the existence of research gaps, articulating research questions and the effectiveness of the adopted methodological frameworks.
In addition, the articles have outlined their research problems, purposes of the studies, significances of the studies, methods of data collection and analysis, findings and implications of the research.
Concerning data collection, Burrow-Sanchez and Lopez (2009) employed a proportional, stratified random sampling procedure to select “sample of 289 participants, of which data from their surveys were coded and entered for data analysis” (p. 73).
Sum, McCaskey and Kyeyune (2008) employed a convenient sampling design because of time constraints to select a sample population of 2008 students. In order to address the research questions, the researchers used SPSS Version 14.0 to perform measures of frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations.
Burrow-Sanchez and Lopez (2009) presented “a clear focus on understanding the perspectives on student substance abuse issues from counselors at the high school level” (p.78).
The researchers recommend more research on the role of middle school counselors in developing substance abuse prevention or intervention programs.
Sum, McCaskey and Kyeyune (2008) concluded their research by presenting “the need to allow stakeholders to pinpoint what each group (on-campus and non-traditional) of students need to be successful in obtaining their Master’s degree” (p.16).
Similarly, the researchers recommend future research for the improvement of quality of human resource education career to attract and retain future students.
The difference between correlation research and other types of research is that it focuses on an examination of mutual relationship between two or more things.
The sources of data for experimental and quasi-experimental research are points of overlap. Both research approaches use standardized assessments. However, in addition to standardized assessments, quasi-experimental research uses surveys, interviews, and observations to obtain data.
Planning study on community satisfaction would involve the views and perceptions of a large sample population. Quantitative data using survey questionnaire and qualitative data using focus group discussions would provide adequate data to gain insights on the levels of community satisfaction with the school.
The selection would be random sampling technique because the focus of the study would be to collect data from all community members irrespective of their levels of education, social class or race.
The data would be collected, corded and analyzed using SPSS Version 14.0 to perform measures of frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. This is a mixed research approach that employs both qualitative and quantitative data to gain insights into a phenomenon.
References
Burrow-Sanchez, J.J. and Lopez, A.L. (2009). Identifying Substance Abuse Issues in High Schools: A National Survey of High School Counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development.87 (4): 72-79.
Metler, C, and Charles, C. (2011). Introduction to educational research. San Francisco: Allyn and Bacon
Sum, V., McCaskey,S.J. and Kyeyune, C. (2008). A survey research of satisfaction levels of graduate students enrolled in a nationally ranked top-10 program at a mid-western university. Research in Higher Education Journal. 3(2): 1-16.