Multiple methods: research methods in education projects at NSF1

1. First presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, April 2005. The opinions expressed in this paper represent those of the author and not of the National Science Foundation.

Abstract

Projects on science and mathematics education research supported by the National Science Foundation (US government) rarely employ a single method of study. Studies of educational practices that use experimental design are very rare. The most common research method is the case study method and the second most common is some form of experimental design. However, most studies use a combination of methods to study educational practices such as case study and survey. The types of methods found in this group of education researchers represent the best quality available to the education community. The proposals were selected from those carefully reviewed by a panel of senior researchers.

Notes

1. First presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, April 2005. The opinions expressed in this paper represent those of the author and not of the National Science Foundation.