Timperley and Parr's research plan for educational implementation

Timberly and Parr

Alka Johar

In order to better, understand ways of broaching a field-central-field paradigm, researchers Timperley and Parr focused on evidenced based inquiry that would identify ways that research design and implementation would flow from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand to the tactical use within the public school system (Timperley and Parr, 2009). Previously, we examined the research from a macro-perspective, defining the thesis and applicability to the pedagogical system. We found that the boundary issues between information sharing were the predominant theme, and that actionable research data was necessary in order to disseminate the information throughout the educational system. This paper will focus more on the mechanics of the research, and how the strategies and tactics tie the research plan together, as well as the data set and collection methodologies and interpretations.

Research Plan of Action -- The plan for the research in this study is based on a structured and hierarchical model from the Literacy Professional Development Project (LPDP). In many ways, the plan resembles Bloom's Taxonomy in both treatment of the overall subject and movement upward toward more clarity and synthesis of issues (See Figure 1 for a comparison). In general, the plan is complimentary, flexible and evolving. It begins and ends with the core beneficiary of the results -- the students. Movement is both top down and bottom up, but the research plan of action originates with the Ministry of Education and Policy Makers who, at the very broadest of levels, are key to change management. The middle layers are composed of research teams, school literacy leaders, and teachers and form both a subjective and objective group of stakeholders. Within each step of the process, there are different strategies and tactics for uncovering appropriate data sets and variable, type of relevant data, and overall planning for implementation.

Figure 1 -- A Comparison of the LPDP Research Objective with Bloom's Taxonomy

(Timperley and Parr, Bloom's Taxonomy, 2009).

In this case, note how the tactical nature of the research corresponds with the remembering and understanding stages of the taxonomy, while the basic research issues of analysis and application correspond with the research team portion of stakeholders, while the creating and evaluating section are higher level, focused on policymaking and national leadership paradigms.

For Timperley and Parr, the research plan also takes into account the idea of sense making, or a general framework and common direction for schools. In combination with a Best Evidence Synthesis model (BES) an informed research project must build upon the same overall philosophical derivations as sense making, which is a cycle that integrates the importance of self-regulated learning and content knowledge as core values (Timperley and Parr, p. 4). In addition, the research plan included a focused look at three important issues for each level of participant: 1) the learning needs of those for whom they are responsible, 2) their own learning needs, and 3) the impact of any changes in practice that might result from new research applications (Timpereley and Parr, p. 5). In this way the research plan took into consideration all aspects of the central plan from student to government, as well as the needs of the environment as a whole, echoing a true constructivist approach as outlined by pedagogical scholarship (e.g. Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner, etc.) (Branco, et al., eds., 2012, pp. 66-9).

Data Collection Methods - For this study, the data was collected using a qualitative approach. The participants included school leaders (principals, literacy leaders), teachers, facilitators, research professionals and governmental experts on education. Students were not interviewed, but data from test scores and other materials were used within the overall analysis. As far as we can tell, the data was collected through interviews during the latter part of 2007, which also corresponded to the second cohort of schools who completed their involved in the broader LPDP project. "The purpose of the interview2s was to find out about these participants' experiences in relation to the inquiry and knowledge-building cycle and about the policy messages that were important in the context of their work." In addition, the participants were quizzed about the individuals and project tools that resulted in the most efficacious impact on their learning, and then subjectively, their ability to use those tools in pedagogical settings (Timperley and Parr, p. 6).

Only certain segments of the actual data were included in the published study, one assumes this was for brevity and space requirements, and also that the researchers used the most typical response to give an overview of the significant points made by the participants. However, by not having access to either a cross-tabulation of the overall number of participants and views, the reader is left without sufficient backup to buttress all the conclusions.

Data Analysis - From a methodological standpoint, Timperley and Parr used the case study/interview approach. Qualitative research is a form of academic inquiry that tries to get at the heart of a behavioral issue and the reasons that surround that behavior. Instead of investigating the what, when and how, qualitative research asks more about the why and how decisions are made, actions are taken, and a side of the process that is sometimes best explained from an subjective and verbal paradigm instead of a strict objective and mathematical or numerical model. The characteristics of qualitative research place the researcher within the world they are researching- through a use of interpretations and help transform the data into representations that may be understood and extrapolated to others. Qualitative research beings with assumptions that address social, cultural and human problems primarily. To study this the approach is emerging and evolving, and takes into account opinions, views, prejudices, bias and the entire aspect of human emotion -- making it necessary to often use small sample sizes and collect more verbal and interpretative data. Over the last few decades in fact, qualitative research has turned more to an interpretive, postmodern and critical practice that allow for action research, problem solving and the relationship between truth, knowledge and interpretation (Creswell, 2013).