Essay: Need for accountability in education research (articles review)

When researchers take individual accountability, they are willing to defend the results of their decisions, their practices, and their activities in all circumstances in which they are involved. Responsible researchers assemble a precise understanding of their research where it exceeds expectations and where it has the opportunity to reflect the research. Responsible researchers question the choices and procedures that shape their research. The responsible researcher makes inquiries and then finds answers, but does not force answers (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Educational research is a repetitive procedure of steps that regularly starts by distinguishing a research issue or area of study. It includes evaluating the writing, indicating a reason for the examination, gathering and dissecting information, and framing an understanding of data (Creswell, 2014). Educational research is essential as a result of contributing to learning advancement. Accordingly, school leaders can utilize research discoveries to enhance the educating and learning process (Bhattacherjee, 2012).
In an article by Peter R. Litchka titled No leader left behind: Planning to prepare effective educational leaders in this era of accountability, educational leaders have the information, abilities, and knowledge to lead the nation’s schools but feel isolated and unsupported. The goal should be that all students can accomplish their personal aspirations and be effective members of society. Thusly, a lot is required of educational leaders so that they can better enhance the instruction learned in the classroom (Litchka, 2007). Today, educational leaders are tasked with the higher demands on teachers to meet student progress but are doing so with a shortage of educational leaders. Superintendents feel as though they are not being provided with the support they need in order to effectively run their school districts. In 1996 a research was collected and a set of standards for educational leaders were adopted in 30 states with the goal that educational leaders are offered the support they need in order to better accomplish the task of supporting the nation’s schools (Litchka, 2007).
In an article by Gail Uellendahl, Diana Stephens, and Lisa Buono titled Support Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC): A Measure to Support School Counselor Accountability Efforts, one realizes that the there is an unfulfilled need for accountability in the field of school counseling. Over the years the role of a school counselor has changed from being simply a guidance position to now a complete support for students. Unfortunately, school councilors are not included in the school leadership team which means that accountability assessments are not being readily offered to school counselors. As the profession of school counselor changes so does their education. SPARC is used as a means to measure the support that school counselors are provided. SPARC is important because school counselors are not frequently encouraged to provide support data in order to demonstrate their progress in schools (Uellendahl, Stephens, Buono & Lewis, 2009). There is a need for instruments to assess the effectiveness of school counseling programs and SPARC is hoping to fulfill that need. These tools aim at providing a framework for national standards and guidelines (Uellendahl, Stephens, Buono & Lewis, 2009). SPARC (Support Personnel Accountability Report Card) is used to establish guidelines for school counselors. SPARC was used as a training tool for school councilors and research was administered on how well it met the needs of accountability as school counselors incorporate the role of practitioner and researcher into their professional identities as a school counselor (Uellendahl, Stephens, Buono & Lewis, 2009).
In an article by Jacalyn Lund & Jennifer Shanklin titled The impact of accountability on student performance in a secondary physical education badminton unit, one is able to better reflect on the impact of educational reform and its impact on physical education and the impact of physical education on classroom learning time. A study was conducted on a 10 day, female badminton class. The purpose was to examine the accountability of motor responses of students in a controlled environment. According to this article, teachers often consider assessment something that needs to be accomplished after a lesson is completed (Lund&Shanklin, 2009). The study addressed in this article demonstrates that introducing assessments and criteria throughout the lesson will improve performance and allow students to better retain information (Lund&Shanklin, 2009).
The three articles relate and differ in several ways. The first is that in each article an assessment of the need to better the learning application obligation occurs, but the way each article handled the assessment was different and contained a different objective. Reflectively the school leaders, school counselors, and physical education teachers understand their role in the assessment thus taking accountability to improve consequent performance. Secondly, each article addresses an assessment by producing an atmosphere where there is a shared understanding of the assessment process and the measures for success, each group is able to become actively involved in the assessment process rather than simply observing. Thirdly, self-assessment standards apply to their work and the ability to make observations about the extent to which they met the criteria and standards. In each article, one sees that assessment require greater levels of accountability, both in the composition and the process itself. Thusly, significant themes in each assessment helped to improve future performances of school leaders, school counselors, and teachers.
These articles provide a great insight into the need for accountability in education research. Research in education provides a voice for needed change. The research for the development of education leaders, school counselors, as well as student assessment, becomes part of the learning process. In each article one is able to understand that research is not simply something that occurs. Research in education provides an enhancement to education, rather than just the documentation of knowledge gained. While research is not always necessary for quality education it does provide feedback for leadership concerning a need and a way in which to solve that need. Research in education can provide justification for new thoughts and ideas within the classroom setting. Effective research practices in education are essential to helping school leaders understand progress in the achievement of education and is accomplished through responsible researchers who question the choices and procedures that shape their research (Creswell, 2014).
The significance of research in education is that it addresses the needs of the whole educational system. This is accomplished by helping leaders address all the needs and changes in education. The classroom is more than just a place for students to achieve high scores on the test. It should be a place where active learning takes place (Bhattacherjee, 2012). Research can be a major influencing factor in the learning process. Educational research provides school leaders and educators with the knowledge to help students envision new ideas, learn traditional concepts, experiment with their own ideologies, and collaborate with others in a way that is full of probabilities (Creswell, 2014).
Research advances education in many ways. It is important that educators understand that teaching is more than providing information for students to retain, but in turn, it is about finding the best way for that information to ingrain itself in the student. In the article by Jacalyn Lund & Jennifer Shanklin titled The impact of accountability on student performance in a secondary physical education badminton unit, research is not merely about researchers transmitting findings to educators, but it is about making sure that information has a purpose and is used accordingly. Lund & Shanklin address this when discovering that by providing assessments early and throughout the lesson they were able to discover that students retained the information better. Using research evidence is a process whereby people revise their internal representations of the world in light of new information (Creswell, 2014).
Applying research is an active and dynamic process. It is influenced by people’s prior experience (Bhattacherjee, 2012). In an article by Peter R. Litchka titled No leader left behind: Planning to prepare effective educational leaders in this era of accountability, one understands that education leaders are provided with insight into their combined needs. Education leaders were able to benefit from interacting with researchers who therefore enable educational leaders to gain a better context of their combined needs.
Research based on randomized experiments have significant limitations. The limitations of experiments are not free of human inconsistencies because they are a matter of human construction and therefore are subject to bias. While a researcher’s bias does not necessarily mean that preconceptions dictate the outcome of the research, it does impact one’s ability to be reflective. Individual accountability in research is vital because researchers control all the variables which can manipulate an experiment (Creswell, 2014). .Even if randomization is used when determining the different variables of an experiment there is still human behavior making outcomes fallible. Responsible researchers question the choices and procedures that shape their research (Creswell, 2014).
Research findings can inform change, provide accountability, and produce evidence-based practice in education by first providing a somewhat clear indicator of good instructional practice. Research outcomes may not always be clear, but they compare averages which school learners can take into account as a professional calibrator (Bhattacherjee, 2012). A research finding can provide tools for evaluating the credibility of information by providing a source. Education is known for being susceptible to fads and research can be used to provide the groundwork for standards-based reform in education and not a fad based reform in education. Research can provide the professional calibrator needed for teachers to develop skills based on educational research (Creswell, 2014). School leaders can utilize research discoveries to enhance the educating and learning process.
In conclusion, the responsible researcher makes inquiries and then finds answers, but does not force answers. Educational leaders are tasked with the higher demands on teachers to meet student progress but are doing so with a shortage of educational leaders. Research in education can provide an enhancement to education, rather than just the documentation of knowledge gained. Research can be a major influencing factor in the learning process but is not perfect. Research is not free of human inconsistencies because experiments and research can often be a matter of human construction and therefore are subject to bias (Bhattacherjee, 2012). However, research finding can provide tools for evaluating the credibility of information by providing a source for ideas.