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Elective -Educational Research Unit4 -Survey method: Nature

The survey is a non-experimental, descriptive research method. Surveys can be useful when a researcher wants to collect data on phenomena that cannot be directly observed (such as opinions on library services). Survey is a systematic method for gathering information from (a sample of) individuals for the purposes of describing the attributes of the larger population of which the individuals are members. Surveys are used extensively in field of education.
Types of Surveys
Data are usually collected through the use of questionnaires, although sometimes researchers directly interview subjects. Surveys can use qualitative (e.g. ask open-ended questions) or quantitative (e.g. use forced-choice questions) measures. There are two basic types of surveys: cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal surveys.
Cross-Sectional Surveys
Cross-sectional surveys are used to gather information on a population at a single point in time. An example of a cross sectional survey would be a questionaire that collects data on how parents feel about Internet filtering, as of March of 1999. A different cross-sectional survey questionnaire might try to determine the relationship between two factors, like religiousness of parents and views on Internet filtering.
Longitudinal Surveys
Longitudinal surveys gather data over a period of time. The researcher may then analyze changes in the population and attempt to describe and/or explain them. The three main types of longitudinal surveys are trend studies, cohort studies, and panel studies.
(Source: Survey Research Methods, by Earl R. Babbie. http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/survey.html )

Elective -1 Educational Research

Unit4 - Data collection tool
Questionnaire is widely used in survey method. It is a widely used tool of data collection in research. The researcher is required to bear in mind following important points while constructing the questionnaire so as to get the expected responses.
A good questionnaire should have open ended as well as closed ended questions. The open ended question will help to get more detailed and personalized responses.
The questions should be grammatically correct.
The language should be easy to understand for the respondents.
The questions should be properly logically well sequenced.
There should not be too many questions. The questionnaire should not be too long. Similarly it should have sufficient number of questions to get the relevant data.
The questionnaire should specify instructions for the respondents if required.
The questions framed should be clear and should not have ambiguity.
The questions should be relevant to the information desired to be obtained.
The respondents should be given enough space in the questionnaire to write his or her responses.
The questionnaire if to be mailed for administered should contain necessary information about the address of the organization etc. for sending it back.

Core-3 Question Bank (Unit 1-2 RV)

Objective type of questions

1. Write full form of NAAC.
2. Write full form of GCERT.
3. Write full form of DEO.
4. Write full form of DPO.
5. Write full form of CRC.
6. Write full form of BRC.
7. Write full form of MHRD.
8. Write full form, of NCTE.
9. Write full form of UGC.
10. Write full form of IBO.
11. Write full form of CBSE.
12. Write the full form of CICSE.
13. Which are the three programmes offered by IBO?
14. What is DPEP?
15. Write full form of NIOS.
16. Write full form of NCERT.
17. Write full form of DIET.
18. What was the purpose of operation black board?
19. What is MIS?
20. State different types of leadership?
21. What is the full form of PPP?
22. What is the full form of MRM?
23. What are ideational resources?

Questions (Unit1-2, RV)

1. Explain concept and significance of school management.
2. Discuss in detail the scope of school management.
3. State the objectives and policies of state board affiliated schools.
4. State the objectives and policies of Navodaya schools.
5. State the objectives and policies of Kendriya Vidyalayas.
6. How do national schools contribute to the national integration.
7. State objectives and functions of international schools.
8. How do international schools provide education at par with global standards?
9. What is public private partnership in education?
10. What are quality circles?
11. How are quality circles useful in improving management of the school?
12. Why is school organization important?
13. What is school organization? Discuss its scope.
14. Write points for administrative management of a school.
15. How will you ensure effective management of human personnel in you school?
16. How will you ensure as a leader academic management of a school?
17. Explain aspects included under the scope of school management.
18. Explain the concept and significance of educational management.
19. Explain the concept and significance of educational administration.
20. State the functions of department of school education and literacy.
21. State the objectives and functions of District Institute of Educational Training (DIET).
22. State some of the major initiatives taken up the department of Gujarat to upgrade quality of school education in the state.
23. Work out any ten academic policies for your dream school.
24. Work out any ten administrative policies for your dream school.
25. Construct the philosophy of your dream school by working out vision, mission and goals of your dream school.
26. Draw the logo of your dream school and explain it.
27. Work out the duties and responsibilities for teachers of your dream school.
28. Work out the duties and responsibilities for administrative staff of your dream school.

Foundation –Teaching Reading Unit-1 Definitions and meaning of Reading

Most of us think of reading as a simple, passive process that involves reading words in a linear fashion and internalizing their meaning one at a time. But reading is actually a very complex process that requires a great deal of active participation on the part of the reader. Reading is complex activity. It consists of making out the meaning of written language. The meaningful response is the very heart of the reading process. Reading has been defined as an activity which involves the comprehension and interpretation of ideas symbolized by written or printed page.
However, various reading experts have defined reading in different ways. Fries (1963) indicates that while reading is not a simple process, it can be summed up in a simple statement, ‘one can read in so far as he can respond to the language skills represented by graphic shapes as fully as he has learned to respond to the same language signals of his code represented by patterns of auditory shapes.’ This statement reflects his view that teaching of reading is largely a matter of developing the child’s ability to respond to letters and spelling patterns. If these could be converted from print into spoken form then this could be regarded as reading.

Gibson (1965) also characterizes reading behaviour as (a) receiving communication, (b) making discriminative responses to graphic symbols, (c) decoding graphic symbols to speech, and (d) obtaining meaning from printed page.

Betts (1966) has defined reading ‘as a thinking process’. No doubt thinking is an important aspect of reading process, but not the whole of it.

Goodman (1970) – ‘The purpose of reading is the reconstruction of meaning. Meaning is not in print, but it is the meaning that the author begins with, when he writes. Somehow the reader strives to reconstruct this meaning as he reads’.

Jenkinson (1973) – ‘Reading has been defined as the act of responding to printed symbols so that meaning is created.’

Tinker (1952) – ‘Reading involves the reconstruction of printed or written symbols which serve as stimuli for the recall of meanings built up through past experience, and the reconstruction of new meanings through manipulation of concepts already possessed by the reader.’

Gray (1956) – ‘A good reader understands not only the meaning of the passage, but its related meaning as well which includes all the reader knows that enriches or illuminates the literal meaning. Such knowledge may have acquired through direct experience, through wide reading or through listening to others.’

Walker – ‘Reading is an active process (not a product, like history) in which readers shift between sources of information (what they know and what the text says), elaborate meaning and strategies, check their interpretation (revising when appropriate), and use the social context to focus their response.’

Manzo and Manzo – define Reading ‘as the act of simultaneously reading the lines, reading between the lines, and reading beyond the lines.’ The first part of their definition, reading the lines refers to the act of decoding the words in order to construct the author’s basic message. The next part, reading between the lines, refers to the act of making inferences and understanding the author’s implied message. And finally, reading beyond the lines involves the judging of the significance of the author’s message and applying it to other areas of background and knowledge.

Roy Harris in Rethinking Writing (2000) – ‘What do we read? The message is not something given in advance–or given at all– but something created by interaction between writers and readers as participants in a particular communicative situation.’

Kenneth Goodman in Journal of the Reading Specialist (1967)- ‘Reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game. It involves an interaction between thought and language. Efficient reading does not result from precise perception and identification of all elements, but from skill in selecting the fewest, most productive cues necessary to produce guesses which are right the first time. The ability to anticipate that which has not been seen, of course, is vital in reading, just as the ability to anticipate what has not yet been heard is vital in listening. ,

James Gee in Social Linguistics and Literacies (1996) – ‘Literacy practices are almost always fully integrated with, interwoven into, constituted as part of, the very texture of wider practices that involve talk, interaction, values, and beliefs.’ As you can see, reading involves many complex skills that have to come together in order for the reader to be successful. For example, proficient readers recognize the purpose for reading, approach the reading with that purpose in mind, use strategies that have proven successful to them in the past when reading similar texts for similar purposes, monitor their comprehension of the text in light of the purpose for reading, and if needed adjust their strategy use. Proficient readers know when unknown words will interfere with achieving their purpose for reading, and when they won’t. When unknown words arise and their meaning is needed for comprehension, proficient readers have a number of word attack strategies available to them that will allow them to decipher the meaning of the words to the extent that they are needed to achieve the purpose for reading.

Reading is also a complex process in that proficient readers give to the text as much as they take. They make meaning from the text by using their own prior knowledge and experiences. Proficient readers are constantly making predictions while reading. They are continuously anticipating what will come next. Their prior knowledge and experiences with texts as well as with the world around them allow them to do this. It is this continuous interaction with the text that allows readers to make sense of what they are reading.

Unit-1 The importance of reading

Educational researchers have found that there is a strong correlation between reading and academic success. In other words, a student who is a good reader is more likely to do well in school and pass exams than a student who is a weak reader.

Good readers can understand the individual sentences and the organizational structure of a piece of writing. They can comprehend ideas, follow arguments, and detect implications. In summary, good readers can extract from the writing what is important for the particular task they are employed in. And they can do it quickly!

Educational researchers have also found a strong correlation between reading and vocabulary knowledge. In other words, students who have a large vocabulary are usually good readers. This is not very surprising, since the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to read extensively, and if you read extensively you are likely to be or become a good reader! “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” - Mark Twain.

The ability to read is generally regarded not only as the basis of education but also as an essential possession of the citizens of civilized countries. Of all the valuable skills the average person learns in his life time, the ability to read is the most important since it is the most universal and the most useful for everyone today.

Strang (1967) says, “Reading proficiency is the royal road to knowledge; it is essential to the success in all academic subjects. In modern life, learning depends largely upon one’s ability to interpret the printed page accurately and fully.”

Reading helps the individual to understand society and his role as a citizen, as a worker and individual with his own personal needs and problems.
Reading involves the whole personality, promising countless personal and social values. It is essential for fuller personal development and enrichment of life.
Reading is one of the most rewarding uses of the expanded leisure that comes as a result of automation. Reading provides experience through which the individual may expand his horizons; identify, extend, and expand his interests, and gain deeper understandings of himself, of other human beings, and of the world.
Reading has social significance in the modern world. The democracy of any country can survive only if the people of that country achieve a certain general level of reading competence.Russell (1949) has rightly said, “A good general level of reading ability is essential to the working of democracy.” Reading is, no doubt, a potent force for national integration.

Some of the importance of reading is as follows:
1. Reading develops a person’s creativity. Unlike movies where everything is determined by the producer, writer and director, books allow students to create in their minds how a particular character looks like or imagine how a scene plays out. Reading a book therefore, allows a student to exercise and cultivate her/his creative thinking skills.
Developing good reading skills can improve students’ ability to comprehend concepts and ideas.
Reading develops critical thinking, thus, ensuring that students will be able to think and make good decisions for themselves.
Ones’ fluency in a language and, consequently, communication skills are improved by reading.
Reading introduces students to new things and has the ability to broaden their interests. A student who reads a biography of Albert Einstein for example, may be inspired to take his high school Physics class more seriously.
Reading regularly increases the vocabulary.
Reading can develop positive values in students. According to a study conducted in the United States for example, students who learn to read by the time they are in third grade are less likely to take drugs, drop out of school or end up in prison.
One of the main problems of today’s students is their inability to concentrate on their lessons (a result of their shortening attention span.) A solution to this problem is to encourage students to read. According to studies, reading increases a student’s ability to concentrate.
Developing students’ reading and comprehension skills early on in their education also means that you are preparing them for the “real world.” Being able to read well means that they would have no problem understanding manuals, guides or contracts – vital documents and papers they will surely encounter when they join the work force.
Spelling improves when words are seen in print.
Reading also improves students’ writing skills as they are able to “subconsciously acquire good writing style.”

Unit-1 Purposes of Reading

Following are some of the purposes of reading:

· To get information
· To be motivated
· To motivate others
· To encourage ourselves and others
· To improve one’s linguistic skills
· To pass leisure time
· To get delight
· For mental development
· For spiritual development
· For learning social skills
· For learning about other cultures
· For sharing your views
· For passing knowledge to next generation
· For recreational purpose and so on