I've decided to change up my research question to bring some clarity and address some of your suggestions.
The research problem: Typically developing children in general education classrooms are reinforced by vocal praise delivered by the teacher (and other adults). Children diagnosed with autism are frequently not reinforced by vocal praise which means that prosthetic means of reinforcement are necessary (edibles, preferred items) are used to reinforce them. Many general education teachers have not been taught how to use/implement secondary reinforcement systems and the result can be moderate to severe behavior problems and general education teachers not wanting children diagnosed with autism placed in their classroom.
Hypothesis: Using classic Pavlovian conditioning procedures, students diagnosed with autism will be conditioned to be reinforced by vocal praise through an observational learning procedure. That is, they will learn to be reinforced by vocal praise through observing other students receive reinforcement paired with praise.
Population/participants: Children diagnosed with autism (Ages 2-10)
Selection of Participants/Data collection: This is an experimental reversal design (ABAB). I'm going to have a stratified sampling group that is divided by age group. Participants will be randomly selected from each grade level. I'll randomly assign participants to treatment and control groups. Treatment groups will be reinforced for observing vocal praise serve as reinforcement for their peers while the control group will not.
Adam, your new research problem is pretty clear, and you seem to have a good grasp of experimental design (especially since we didn’t cover it in class until after you posted this :-). I’m guessing maybe you have some hands-on experience with this sort of research? One thing you will need to define more clearly is your dependent variable. You have a conceptual definition (“behavior problems”), but you haven’t stated an operational definition. When you write your proposal, make sure you clearly address how you will measure behavioral problems.
ReplyDeleteYou also haven’t completely addressed the blog prompt. Although I understand why you have selected a quantitative experimental approach, I want to make sure you understand. Justify your decision by reflecting on the similarities and differences between these two paradigms and why you feel that the approach you have selected makes sense. 20% off for now, which will be reinstated if you respond fully.
You are correct:) I did a lot of replication-level research and worked with a lot of folks working on their doctorates in this discipline. I'm hoping that my own path through the phd process will help me 'take the training wheels off'. I think it's largely a confidence issue as my understanding of the principles of behavior is pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the additional prompt re: the original prompt.
It's interesting to be asked to think about the difference between qualitative and quantitative when it never came up in my graduate program at Columbia. We've been discussing this phenomenon in my EDUS 702 class with Stemhagen. There are some types of research, usually qualitative, in which theory and the philosophical orientation of that paper are clearly stated. There are other research lines, behaviorism being one, which are so deeply 'positivist' and 'ontologically realist' in orientation that the subject never comes up. I don't mean to be glib but I think I 'chose' qualitative because it's what I know and was trained in. I react to most qualitative studies much as a Catholic reacts to a Mormon. While we may be in the same room, our beliefs are so fundamentally at odds that we have a hard time hiding our contempt.
In keeping with the 'opening of my mind' that this is turning into, I will say I chose qualitative because my research question is specific and deals with discrete variables. My goal is to test a specific theory and show relationships between my dependent and independent variable that is statistically significant so that I can predict with some certainty the generalization of my effects.
In my soul I believe in capital 'T' truth and shudder at a world governed entirely by subjectivity:)
Hey, we all have our Odd Gods;)
I'm going to give you 15 points back because you have clearly thought about these issues and reflected on them. The terms you have discussed here are more about the philosophical underpinnings than the nuts and bolts we've discussed in EDUS 660. Would like to have seen some of those concepts discussed, but I understand that it sort of all bleeds together in the beginning of your program. Although I tend to see things from the post-positivist perspective most of the time, EDUS 703 gave me a better appreciation for the qualitative paradigm. I hope it helps you too.
ReplyDelete