The studies on education vary with the questions taking three-dimensional research questions: descriptive, correlational, and causal. They help the researchers to find the best tools to use for studies and analysis of information gathering. The discussion will focus on three studies in the field of education.
Descriptive Study
Overview of the Study
In their article, Makkonen, Tejwani, & Rodriguez (2015) helped to describe the pilot implementation of the student learning objectives in Arizona and Utah. The two states of Arizona and Utah used different purposes to achieve the same goals (Campitelli, 2015). The teachers and their principals measured the classroom-specific student achievement growth for teacher evaluations. The researchers incorporated the Student Learning Objectives into their set of assessment tools. The study helped to identify the critical components in the student’s syllabus. They became the issues that provide the benchmarks for determining the teacher’s ability to meet them. Student proficiency is related to the way the teacher handled his or her need for education (Murnane & Willett, 2011).
Primary Research Questions
The study answers three primary questions.
- How did teachers’ SLO content (goals and assessments) and end-of-year scores vary within each state?
- What associations were evident between teachers’ SLO scores and their scores based on classroom observation and student surveys?
- What were teachers’ perceptions of the SLO process? (Makkonen, Tejwani, & Rodriguez, 2015, p. 11)
Hypothesis
The null hypothesis was that the student determines his/her achievement and grade through personal studies. The alternative hypothesis was that the student relies on the teacher for success in education. The study proved that the success of learning is related to the teacher’s proficiency.
Type of Research Questions
The questions help to define the descriptive study. It produces a report that describes the performance of students in the two countries. It also helps to find the reason some students perform better in their academics (Makkonen, Tejwani, & Rodgriguez, 2015). The teachers’ classroom performance was a result of meeting the students’ objectives.
Correlational Study
Overview of the Study
The study examines that the police presence in schools has increased significantly for over ten years to improve security (Na & Gottfredson, 2013). It would seem that their presence in institutions of learning would reduce crimes. The US department of justice has made a significant contribution to this through increased funding. The research picked on the data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety.
There were more weapons and drugs in schools than in the proceeding years as the number of police officers increased. Another cause for worry was the increase in non-serious violent crimes. The cost that the government is incurring on such security improvements might not be benefitting the intended students and schools (Szafran, 2012).
Primary Research Question
The research had one essential question to answer: Does the increase of police officers in schools affect the growth in school crime and the processing of offending behaviors?
Hypothesis
The null hypothesis was that the presence of law enforcers in learning institutions would reduce crimes. The alternative hypothesis was that the presence of police in the institutions increased crimes. The study proved that the increase in the number of police did not bring down crimes in the institutions of learning.
Type of Research Question
The research question is a correlation study question. The reason is that it deals with the possible relationship between two distinct variables: The increase in the number of police officers in the schools and the rate of student crimes (Na & Gottfredson, 2013). The presence of police officers did not reduce crimes as the government had anticipated.
Causal Study
Overview of the Study
Misty Lacour and Laura Tissington (2011) examined the effect of poverty on academic achievement. They discovered that the number of Americans living in poverty is gradually increasing. The increase is significantly hampering the acquisition of knowledge. Very many citizens are moving towards small achievements in life. The primary cause is the lack of resources.
The study examines the various research analyses available for comparison (Lacour & Tissington, 2011). The government discovered that poverty causes the students to perform below average. Even the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, recognized the need to promote education by dealing with poverty (Lacour & Tissington 2011). The government provides avenues through the provision of welfare income. Even though the state is trying to make life better for the less fortunate, it is upon communities to creatively find amicable solutions in their local arrangements (Morgan, 2013).
Primary Research Question
The primary issue that concerns the study is one: Does poverty affect academic achievement in schools?
Hypothesis
The null hypothesis was that poverty affects academic achievement negatively. The alternative hypothesis was that academic achievement depends on the learner’s attitude and not poverty. The study proved that poverty is the cause of poor performance in school.
Type of Research Question
The researchers seek to know if poverty can cause a change in academic excellence. There could be various reasons for low grades in education. However, the study findings reveal that poverty causes students to perform poorly in schools (Lacour & Tissington 2011).
Conclusions
The difference in the questions related to the studies helps to provide answers to specific problems. Descriptive questions explain the occurrences in the study. Correlation questions provide answers to related circumstances. Causal questions examine the causes of various attributes in the study.
References
Campitelli, G. (2015). Answering research questions without calculating the mean. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. Web.
Lacour, M. & Tissington, L. (2011). The effects of poverty on academic achievement. Educational Research and Reviews, 6(7), 522-527.
Makkonen, R., Tejwani, J., & Rodgriguez, F. (2015). A descriptive study of the pilot implementation of student learning objectives in Arizona and Utah. Institute of Education Sciences, 102(2).
Morgan, S. (2013). Handbook of causal analysis for social research (1st ed.). Dordrecht: Springer.
Murnane, R. & Willett, J. (2011). Methods matter (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Na, C. & Gottfredson, D. (2013). Police Officers in Schools: Effects on School Crime and the Processing of Offending Behaviors. Justice Quarterly, 30(4), 619-650. Web.
Salkind, N. (2012). 100 questions (and answers) about research methods (1st ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA.: SAGE.
Szafran, R. (2012). Answering questions with statistics (1st ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.