Educational Research and Development RD

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents information about the method used in this study. The discussion involves the method of the research, the research participants, the setting of the research, the research instruments, the process of collecting the data and the research procedure. Each of these instruments is described to give a clear verification on how this study is conducted.

A. Method

According to Sprinthall 1991:99, research or a study is typically called descriptive. Descriptive study is done on particular types of populations to measure one or more variables that can be used to describe the group of interest. Since it is a descriptive study, it is not aimed at proving a hypothesis about a particular phenomenon. However, it is conducted to attain as much information as possible from the learners’ textbooks as the basis for designing instructional materials.

1. Educational Research and Development RD

The researcher used Educational Research and Development RD in conducting her designing materials. Educational Research and Development RD is a process used to develop and validate educational product Walter R. Borg, 1983. Product here included not only material objects such as 31 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI textbook instructional materials but also referred to establish procedures and processes such as a method of teaching or a method for organizing instruction. The steps of this process are usually referred to as the RD cycle which consists of studying research findings pertinent to the product to be developed, developing the product based on these finding, field testing it in the setting where it will be used eventually and revising it to correct the deficiencies found in the field testing stage. The course designer selects five cycles out of ten because there are some reasons why the course designer cannot apply the whole cycle. The design of an R D product does not need to be based on trial and error; there are many validated methods of instructional technology. These methods cover various aspects of R D design; front-end analysis needs assessment, systems analysis, task analysis, analysis of skill hierarchies, typologies of learning outcomes, the matching of instructional techniques to learning outcomes, the match of learners characteristics to instructional methods, meta- cognitive processes in learning, individualized instruction and domain referenced assessment. The major steps in the R D cycle used to develop design materials are as follows: a Research and information collecting – includes review of literature, classroom observations, and preparation of report. b Planning – includes defining skills, stating objectives determining course sequence, and small scale feasibility testing. c Develop a preliminary form of product – includes preparation of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI instructional materials, handbooks and evaluation devices. d Preliminary field testing – conducted in one to three schools, using six to twelve subjects. Interview, observational and questionnaire data are colleted and analyzed. e Main product revision - revision of the product as suggested by the preliminary field test results. f Main field testing – conducted in up to 15 schools with thirty to a hundred subjects. Qualitative data on subjects’ pre-course and post- course performance are collected and the results are evaluated with respect to course objectives. Results are then compared against the data from the control group, as appropriate. g Operational product revision –revision of the product as suggested by main field test results. h Operational field testing - conducted in ten to thirty schools involving forty to two hundred subjects. Interviews, observational and questionnaire data is collected and analyzed. i Final product revision – revision of the product as suggested by operational field test results. j Dissemination and implantation – report on the product at professional meetings and in journals. Work with the publisher who assumes commercial distribution. Monitor distribution to provide quality control. The researcher chose five steps in conducting the research, which are as follows: PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI a Research and information collecting – including a review of literature, classroom observations and preparations of a report. The researcher used library research to conduct the review of literature. A literature review is undertaken to collect research findings and other information pertinent to the planned development. Some purposes of the literature review is to determine the state of knowledge in the area of concern, to locate research that could be used to develop a basic instructional model, questioning and discussing skills to identify specific techniques that teachers could use to accomplish these goals. b Planning – includes defining skills, stating objectives, determining the course sequence, and small scale feasibility testing. The researcher used an Instructional design model from Kemp for the design materials to determine the goal, topics and general purpose, learning objective, subject content, and teaching and learning activities. Hutchinson and Water’s model designed materials used to identify learner characteristic. A Needs analysis was conducted for two respondents, firstly, Dentistry students at Gadjah Mada University and secondly, the respondents were chosen who were able to evaluate the materials. The most important aspect of planning a research based educational product is the statement of the specific objectives to be achieved by the product. The objectives should state the specific performance levels to be achieved by teacher completing the course, that is, the number of times they will demonstrate each skill within a given time period. c Develop the preliminary form of the product – including the preparation of instructional materials, handbooks and evaluation devices. The researcher designed the materials of Academic writing using some theories of instructional design and various other sources. This involved a wide range of tasks and materials designed to supplement the instructional lessons, which were drafted, revised and printed. d Preliminary field testing – included interviews, observational and questionnaire data, which was collected and analyzed. The researcher conducted interviews, and questionnaires to obtain the data, which was then analyzed. The researcher made two questionnaires; the first was distributed to the students of Dentistry. The second was distributed to the respondents able to evaluate the materials. The purpose of the preliminary field test is to obtain an initial qualitative evaluation of the new educational product. Questionnaires and interviews that served as guides to be used in the preliminary field test were developed. In developing the preliminary form of an educational product, the product must be structured so as to permit obtaining as much feedback as possible from the field test. Therefore, questionnaire and interview data should be obtained from all participants. e Main product revision – revision of the product as suggested by the preliminary field test result. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI The researcher revised the materials designed to improve the designed materials. The purpose of the main field test was to determine whether the educational products under development meet the performance objectives, to determine the success of the new product in meeting its objectives, and to collect information that can be used to improve the course in its next revision. This cycle of field-testing and revision would continue until the product meets the minimum performance objectives set for it.

2. Need Surveys