EIPPEE Workshops: Introduction to Systematic Review Methods
- Published on Monday, 23 April 2012 11:54
On 15-16 March 2012 IBE hosted research methodology experts: Janice Tripney and Mark Newman from the Institute of Education of the University of London, who conducted a workshop on the methodology of systematic reviews.
Dr Mark Newman - Associate Director, EPPI-Centre, IoE - is a reader in evidence-informed policy and practice in education and social policy. He deals with problems concerning health, social sciences and education.His research interests focus on three interrelated areas: 1) developing methods for and conducting systematic reviews concerning the practice of decision-making in various areas of social policy, including education, 2) capacity building among practitioners, researchers and policymakers in producing systematic reviews, critical appraisal and utilizing research results, 3) methods for the design and evaluation of effective learning environments in professional and clinical education. Janice Tripney is a research officer in the Institute (Social Science Research Unit, EPPI-Centre). She specializes in historical research, including teaching history at secondary level. Her research interests include the history of the twentieth century (feminism and attitudes to citizenship and the welfare state) as well as research into policy and practice process including strengthening the relevance of history to contemporary policy-making. In 2011 she co-authored "Evidence Informed Policy in Education in Europe: EIPEE final project report."
The workshop, attended by almost 40 researchers from the Educational Research Institute, the Jagiellonian University and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education was co-organized by the Educational Research Institute and the Institute of Education of the University of London and funded by the European Commission network of institutions promoting the use of research results in educational policy and practice ("Evidence Informed Policy and Practice in Education in Europe", www.eippee.eu/cms/)
Systematic reviews rely on sythesizing of the results of primary research relevant to a particular issue checked against a pre-defined set of criteria for the selection, evaluation and the assessment of the results. The method, derived from medical sciences, is increasingly used in other fields of science, including educational research, providing an opportunity to make better use of existing knowledge in educational policy and practice. Worldwide, systematic reviews of research are the basis of analyses, evaluations and comparisons of interventions in various aspects of medical and social science, including education (evaluation studies, recommendations concerning educational practice, analyses, funding procedures as well as other programmes and initiatives).
The materials on systematic reviews are available on the EPPI-Centre (a research center of the Institute of Education, University of London, specializing since 1993 in the methodology, conduct and inventory of systematic reviews) website: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=67
.IBE in the "Digital School" programme
- Published on Friday, 20 April 2012 12:50
On April 3, 2012, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on the government programme to develop the competence of students and teachers in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) "Digital School" and on the draft of the regulation of the Council of Ministers on the conditions, forms and procedures for the project implementation. The Educational Research Institute will take active part in the programme.
The "Digital School", whose implementation is planned for the period from April 2012 until the end of August 2013, is the pilot programme for a long-term project, implemented by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Administration and Digitization, the Centre for Education Development, the Educational Research Institute, voivodship governors and local authorities running schools. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of schools to respond to the changing realities of modern life.
.IBE in the European Association of History Educators
- Published on Thursday, 19 April 2012 12:21
The Educational Research Institute became an associate member of EUROCLIO, the European Association of History Educators. EUROCLIO's mission is to promote innovative ways of teaching of history based on critical thinking, multi-perspectivity as well as international cooperation in creating teaching tools for inclusion of controversial issues in historical education.
EUROCLIO brings together educators and organizations from 77 countries worldwide. Membership in the Association opens up the possibility of better and more effective exchange of experience concerning the quality of historical education research in Europe. More euroclio.eu
.Learning and teaching foreign languages study starts in schools
- Published on Thursday, 29 March 2012 22:54
“Study of learning and teaching foreign languages in lower secondary schools" starts on 5 March, in 120 selected schools in Poland. During the conference on 27 February, headmasters and representatives of the schools participating in the study had an opportunity to learn more about its assumptions and purpose as well as find out how schools will benefit from the project.
The meeting was primarily organizational in nature: IBE experts and representatives of Millward Brown SMG/KRC, which conducts the study on behalf of the Institute, presented its schedule and organization and responded to questions. The main purpose of the study is to observe how lower secondary school students' skills in using English are changing and to find out what factors positively influence the acquisition of language skills. The study will also help to gain valuable insights into the process and organization of English language teaching and provide information on the expectations of students concerning schools and teachers, their opinions about the classes, what motivates them to learn and their attitude to the lower secondary school external examination. The study will also yield information on the conditions for home language study and exposure to the language outside of school - IBE experts hope to find out whether students have opportunities to learn the language informally.
The voice of students is often ignored, and yet they are the primary recipients of the curriculum content, which is why it is so important to us, said Magdalena Szpotowicz, Ph.D, from IBE.
The study will take three years to complete (2011-2014). It will involve six thousand students from 120 lower secondary schools as well as English language teachers and headmasters. In March, the students will take their language skills tests. Also in March, headmasters, teachers and students will complete questionnaires (headmasters and teachers will use an online version) and a survey of textbooks and curricula will take place.
Individual interviews with headmasters, teachers and students will be conducted in April and May. During the two months lesson observations in 40 selected schools will be held.
Piotr Jakubowski from Millward Brown SMG/KRC discussed the organization of the study: deadlines for individual parts of the study, the need to obtain parental consent for children's participation in the interviews and tests. He also presented tangible benefits for the schools and students.
Michał Sitek, Ph.D, Deputy Director for Research at IBE, reassured teachers that the objective of the study was not an assessment of a particular school or teacher, but – while maintaining full anonymity – a diagnosis of foreign language teaching in schools throughout the country. He also emphasized that the study would be conducted so as to minimally interfere with school.
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