What is a topic? It is expounded in many theoretical books. However, combined with practical work, I think there is a big difference between the research topics undertaken by primary and secondary school teachers and the research conducted by experts. Can we define the connotation of primary and secondary school teachers' research projects in this way?
First of all, "subject" is a problem. It is a realistic education and teaching problem that I need to pay attention to, clarify and solve in a period of time. The purpose of the research is to analyze the essence and root of the problem, seek the path to solve the problem, sum up useful experience, and record your feelings and experiences in the process of solving the problem.
Secondly, "subject" is a vision. It is my vision and sketch of "future" education and teaching driven by advanced educational concepts, educational values and educational ideals, and it is a project that I need to work hard to build or build in a period of time, such as the construction of a characteristic education, an ideal classroom and a teaching model.
Third, "subject" is a theme. Every teacher reflects every day, and often records his thoughts in educational practice in the form of educational narratives, educational cases, educational diaries, teaching notes, educational papers and educational essays. However, it is often messy, scattered and random, and the topic provides a relatively concentrated theme for these studies for a period of time, and there is a main line running through it, which makes our research topic focused, clear in direction and clear in goal.
The subject of primary and secondary school teachers' research is actually to carry out education and teaching activities at a higher level, that is, to strengthen the research elements contained in daily education and teaching, re-examine the education and teaching process with scientific research ideas, find problems, think about problems, form strategies to solve problems, and verify and improve them through education and teaching practice, so that education and teaching work can gradually develop in an optimized direction, and at the same time improve and leapfrog its own quality level.
First, the changes of education and scientific research in primary and secondary schools under the background of the new curriculum
Under the background of the new curriculum, some changes are quietly taking place in the research of primary and secondary education, and the research direction is returning from the theoretical level to the practical level; Participants in the study returned from passive participation to active exploration; The research field returns to micro-analysis from macro-research; The research form returns to multiple thinking from single presentation; The research space is moving from closed to open. Specifically, there are the following obvious changes.
1, the focus of the research moves down, highlighting the school-based thinking.
(1), concept change
① School-oriented
Highlighting the autonomy and culture of schools is the common trend of education and teaching reform in all countries in the world today. School is the place where education really takes place and is implemented. In the past, we paid more attention to education or education reform itself, but neglected the school as the carrier of education and education reform. School is the main body of education, the development of education must be realized by developing schools, and the reform of education must be realized by improving the educational ability of schools. "School-based" has therefore become the focus of much attention.
Educational research in primary and secondary schools is school-based, school-based and school-based. Serving education and teaching practice and improving teachers' quality is the scientific orientation of the purpose of primary and secondary education research.
② Highlight practice.
The return of educational research to schools, teachers and teaching practice is the common trend of teaching research in the world today. Practicality is the most fundamental feature of primary and secondary education and teaching research. For primary and secondary school teachers, if they can't solve their own practical education and teaching problems, improve their own education and teaching level and quality, and promote their own professional development, it is not a real education and teaching research.
The purpose of school-based education and teaching research is to promote the development of the school, make the school have the research function and ability, form the internal mechanism of self-development, self-improvement, self-innovation and self-transcendence, and become a real learning organization.
(2) the innovation of ideas
Breaking through the single top-down teaching and research mode, connecting top-down and bottom-up channels, focusing on solving the practical education and teaching problems encountered by specific schools and promoting the continuous improvement of education and teaching research ability at the school level have become the core work of education and research in primary and secondary schools.
(3) Diversification of subjects
Teachers' self-reflection, teachers' collective peer assistance and professional guidance of professional researchers are the three basic forces to carry out school-based scientific research and promote teachers' professional growth, and they are indispensable. Self-reflection, peer assistance and professional guidance are relatively independent, and at the same time complement each other, complement each other, penetrate each other and promote each other. Only by giving full play to their respective roles and focusing on integration can we effectively promote the formation of school-based education, teaching and research atmosphere.
2. Expand the content of educational research around the goal of curriculum reform.
(1). Research on curriculum function: from focusing on knowledge to focusing on human development. For example, implementing three-dimensional goals and advocating learning to learn.
(2) Research on curriculum structure: from subject-based to balanced, comprehensive and selective curriculum. For example, the study of comprehensive courses, the study of discipline association and integration.
(3) Research on the course content: from paying attention to book knowledge to paying attention to students' life experience. For example, the study of "teaching materials" and "using teaching materials" and the evaluation of experimental teaching materials.
(4) Curriculum implementation research: from single receptive learning to studying students' learning transformation and ability training. Such as autonomous, cooperative and inquiry learning, and the cultivation of learning ability.
(5) Curriculum evaluation research: from emphasizing screening and selection to giving full play to the function of evaluation in promoting people's development and improving teaching practice. Such as students' academic examination, comprehensive quality evaluation research, and evaluation research to promote teachers' professional growth.
(6) Curriculum management research: from over-centralized curriculum management to three-level curriculum management and school curriculum development. For example, the specific operation mechanism of three-level curriculum management and the research on school-based curriculum development.
3. The research method is pragmatic and advocates educational action research.
(1), the connotation of educational action research
Educational research is generally divided into two categories: basic research and applied research. The former is called "pure research", and its main purpose is to construct the theory of causality between phenomena with universal significance under certain conditions, or to improve the existing theory. The latter is also called "action research".
Educational action research is an applied research suitable for practical workers in the field of education. It is emphasized that teachers working in the front line of schools are the main body of the study. In view of the problems encountered by teachers in subject teaching and class management, through diagnosis and analysis, the causes of the problems are found out, specific plans and schemes to solve the problems are formulated, and the implementation effect is evaluated. In this way, teachers' education, teaching and management behaviors are constantly improved and improved.
(2) Characteristics of educational action research
Learn for action, learn by action, and learn by actors.
(1), the subject of learning, teachers. Teachers are both researchers and users of research results. Therefore, educational action research, also known as "teacher research", is a major way of teachers' professional growth. Students should carry out "research study" and teachers should carry out "research work".
② The starting point of the research comes from the problems, puzzles and ideas in teachers' own practical work. At the same time, the theoretical guidance of external experts is helpful to awaken and cultivate teachers' problem consciousness.
(3) The purpose of the study is to improve teachers' own teaching and management behavior, which will help teachers to form good reflective habits, improve professional sensitivity and cooperation spirit, and work more effectively.
(4) Research scenario: research in real education and teaching practice. The research process is also a practical process, involving practice, research and problem solving.
⑤ The research is dynamic: the scheme can be constantly revised and the methods can be flexible and diverse.
Action research can be summarized in one sentence: "The problem is the subject, the work is the research, the teacher is the expert, and the effect is the result."
(3) the significance of educational action research
The first is a good way to solve the tendency that theory is divorced from practice in educational research.
Second, educational action research is helpful to break through the limitations of scientific experiments, which is relatively simple and easy to be accepted by primary and secondary school teachers.
Third, educational action research is conducive to improving school work and improving the quality of education and teaching; It is conducive to improving teachers' educational theory level and teaching ability and cultivating scientific research teachers.
(4) The general procedure of educational action research.
The process of educational action research can be divided into the following five steps: diagnosis, learning, planning, implementation and reflection.
① Diagnosis: that is, to study and analyze the present situation of education and teaching. What are the successful experiences that can be carried forward and what problems need to be solved? What's the key question? What is its objective reason? This process can be a teacher's self-diagnosis or a teacher's group's simultaneous diagnosis.
② Learning: Learning should run through the whole process of educational action research, but it is absolutely necessary to concentrate on learning for a period of time after the problem is diagnosed. The contents of the study are mainly the national policy and line on education reform and development, the concept of quality education and the advanced experience of various places, theoretical materials related to their own problems, development goals and requirements formulated by the school, etc. Through learning, we have improved our understanding, recognized the gap between new educational ideas and the present situation, and can grasp the existing problems more accurately; Through learning, the direction is clear, and the methods to solve problems will also be inspired, which can lay a good foundation for making action research plans.
③ Planning: Planning is to design an action plan. The form of expression is to write an opening report. Its contents include: ① research background; . ② Research content. ; (3) Steps and timing of action; ④ Expected results and their performance.
④ Implementation: The implementation process of action research is a dynamic development and improvement process, and it is also a process of "planning-action-feedback-adjustment-re-action", that is, in the process of implementation as planned, attention should be paid to observing the effect, summing up experience, finding problems, conducting mid-term demonstration (feedback), then adjusting the research plan, and then implementing the newly revised research plan.
⑤ Reflection: Reflection is actually a process of stage summary. Its contents include: ① arrangement and description. That is to sum up and sort out the whole process of making plans, learning theories, implementing plans and stage inspections, and outline a multi-faceted and vivid action process. ② Evaluation and explanation. That is, judge the process and result of the action, analyze and explain the related phenomena and reasons, find out the inconsistency between the plan and the result, and then put forward the revision opinions of the idea and plan. (3) write a research report.
4. Pay attention to micro-anatomy and strengthen the narrative function of education.
(1), the connotation of educational narrative
Narrative, in short, is to describe things, describing all kinds of things that are happening or have happened in people's lives. As the name implies, educational narrative is to describe some things that happen in the process of education and teaching. It contains two meanings. First, as a way of writing, it is a description and record of things, and it pays attention to the description of events, the portrayal of characters' hearts and the vivid use of language. Second, as a way of educational research, it refers to exploring the laws of education and teaching by narrating things or telling stories, and expressing the author's views on some educational issues, that is, "educational research through narration." That is, "explain the truth behind the flow phenomenon through the qualitative description of small events at the micro level."
(2) the content of educational narrative
① Demonstrate successful education and teaching experience.
Successful teaching experience is not only the concrete embodiment of teachers' teaching ideas, but also the true reflection of teachers' teaching ability. For example, a well-designed educational activity, a wonderful teaching method, a remarkable educational activity and so on. Describing these successful educational and teaching experiences will help the narrator to increase the accumulation of educational and teaching experience. For other teachers, it can provide educational and teaching cases worth thinking about and learning from, so as to enjoy the teaching resources.
② Record educational and teaching research activities.
Educational narration requires teachers to focus on the process of educational and teaching research activities, record all kinds of meaningful events in the research process, record all kinds of problems they encounter in the research process, and record all kinds of learning, discussion and practice activities, so as to fully reflect the traces of your thinking and practice in the research process. It can not only fully reflect the overall appearance of your research, but also truly reproduce your research process for readers.
③ Record unforgettable educational and teaching experiences.
Teachers have to experience many things at school every day, some important and some trivial; Some things can inspire teachers, and some things can teach teachers some lessons. Some things can change teachers' views on certain issues and become unforgettable. Telling these unforgettable educational and teaching experiences can accumulate personal educational wealth on the one hand. On the other hand, through narration, teachers can clearly review their own teaching growth process and reflect on their own teaching behavior, which is conducive to reflecting on their own education and teaching practice.
④ Prompt some problems in education.
Teachers often encounter various problems in their daily education and teaching life. Some problems will bring enlightenment to teachers, some problems will bring ideological confusion to teachers, and some problems will bring new challenges to teachers' teaching.
Revealing the problems in education through educational narration can make readers relate the problems with some events, fully feel the situational and life-oriented problems, and thus make it easier to know and understand the problems.
(3) Basic requirements of educational narrative.
(1) is objective and true. We should respect the objective facts, dare to expose the true "self", express the real thoughts of the narrator in the narrative, and prove the truth of things with some concrete materials.
There are details. Details are often condensed with rich connotations. A small action, a short word and an instant expression can often convey rich thoughts and feelings of characters and express rich connotations. From the details of education and teaching, we can understand the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and see the teachers' teaching thoughts and ideas, teachers' educational skills and wisdom.
③ Description includes analysis and explanation. The narrator can add some descriptive and analytical language to the narrative to express the inner thoughts of the narrator and explain some problems in the narrative. "Let ordinary educational stories contain extraordinary educational wisdom" (Zheng Jinzhou)
(4) Highlight key points and have details. In the narrative, the central content should be written in detail, and the general content should be written simply, not comprehensively.
⑤ The language is vivid and decorated. Generally speaking, narrative language should be simple, accurate, fluent and vivid.
(4) the theme of educational narrative
(1) mining topics. First, explore the "bright spot" of teaching; Second, emergencies in teaching; Third, teachers' "teaching wit"; Fourth, contradictions and problems in teaching.
② Exploration of students' themes. First, students' "thinking sparks"; Second, the psychological feelings of students; Third, students' family stories; The fourth is the story of students' growth.
③ Exploration of teachers' theme. First, record successful education and teaching activities; The second is to record psychological confusion; Third, teaching exploration activities; Fourth, unforgettable things; The fifth is "regret" in teaching.
Second, how to do the project
1, how to choose a topic
The basic principles of topic selection: first, the principle of foresight, new objects and new perspectives; Second, scientific principles; Third, the principle of feasibility, the topic should conform to the objective reality and can be realized; Fourth, the principle of value should be applied to teaching practice, which has the significance of guiding teaching practice; The fifth is the principle of clarity, and the topic selection can accurately reflect the connotation and extension of each research element.
Matters needing attention in topic selection: First, proceed from reality, practice in research and learn in practice; Second, don't be greedy for perfection; Third, pay attention to peacetime accumulation, start from a small place, have a sense of problems, be a caring person in education and teaching, find problems in peacetime teaching and sum up teaching experience; Fourth, what suits you is the best;
What aspects should we start with?
(1) Obtain the topic from the topic guide issued by relevant departments.
Every place has educational and scientific research management institutions or educational and scientific research planning leading groups, and these institutions or departments will issue some educational and scientific research topic guides regularly or irregularly within a certain period of time. These topics in the Guide can also be further concretized according to their own reality and put forward questions that are in line with their own actual situation. Of course, whether these problems have the value of research depends on their own actual situation.
(2) Propose topics from the problems that need to be solved urgently in teaching practice.
What are the urgent problems in the work? Is it the routine management of school teaching? Is the quality of classroom teaching in schools unsatisfactory? Or is the student's learning effect not ideal? Some questions like this often have the theme you are looking for.
For example, some class teachers are very effective in class management, especially in the education management of some "naughty" students, so some teachers put forward: "A study on managing classes with unconventional methods?" Theme.
(3) Discovering topics from ordinary teaching practice.
For the average person, the teaching work done every day and the phenomenon seen seem to have no special feeling. It seems that these jobs and phenomena have become a habit, and they don't even want to think about it, because it's too common, too common. However, a sharp-thinking person can often see the problems, and most of these problems are worthy of our study and valuable topics.
For example, some teachers found through a large number of lectures that students didn't pay attention to or listen carefully to a lot of what the teacher said in class, but in the teacher's view, these words have an impact on students' learning, so they can put forward: "Research on cultivating students' listening ability in classroom teaching?" "This topic.
(4) Transplant and learn from advanced experience and methods in other fields and put forward the topic.
People often say that stones from other mountains can attack jade. What kind of effects and functions will be produced by the application of advanced experience and methods in different disciplines and fields? I'm afraid this is also a very attractive question.
For example, can we use the teaching method of activity class to teach mathematics? English teaching pays special attention to situational teaching and dialogue to deepen students' understanding and application of grammar and vocabulary. What will happen if it is applied to Chinese teaching?
There are still many problems like this. As long as you open your heart and imagine boldly, you won't worry about not finding valuable problems you care about. As long as you can ask questions, the topic is easy to get.
2. How to demonstrate the topic?
Since we have chosen the topic, we should analyze, predict and evaluate it to avoid the blindness of the topic. Understand the research status of this topic at home and abroad, including the achievements and existing problems, and understand the theoretical system to which this topic belongs. A comprehensive understanding of the subject can make us take fewer detours in the research process and establish the main direction of research. This is what we often say: "Know yourself and know yourself, and you will win every battle."
The demonstration of a subject is mainly to clarify the following questions:
(1) The nature and type of the problem to be studied.
(2) What is the practical significance of the problem to be studied? Its theoretical and practical value. What are the breakthroughs in theory and practice? )
(3) What research results and trends have been achieved for the problems to be studied.
(4) Condition analysis of the problem to be studied.
(5) Strategies, steps and manifestations of research results.
3. How to make a project plan?
The research plan of educational scientific research project is the concrete idea of implementing the research project, which initially stipulates the specific contents and steps of all aspects of the research project.
The research scheme plays a key role in the smooth development of the whole research work, especially for people with less scientific research experience. A good scheme can avoid the phenomenon that the research cannot be started after the project is established, and ensure that the whole research work is carried out in an orderly manner. It can be said that the level of research scheme is an important embodiment of the quality of a project and the scientific research level of researchers. It is also an important basis for scientific research management departments to conduct mid-term inspection and conclusion appraisal.
The basic contents of the project research plan
There are many kinds of educational research topics, different research methods and different research schemes, but the structure is similar. It basically includes the following aspects.
(1) Project Description
A research topic must have a name to express its research content. This seems to be a small problem, but in fact, many people often write inaccurate and inappropriate project titles, which affects the image and quality of the whole project.
A good title should meet the requirements of accuracy, standardization, conciseness and eye-catching.
Accuracy means that the topic should explain clearly what the problem (research content) of the topic is and what the research object is. Whether the title of the topic is clearly expressed and whether it can cover the content and methods to be studied is a sign to test and measure the understanding and level of researchers in a certain sense. The title of the subject must be consistent with the research content, not too big, with a suitable incision, which can accurately summarize the research objects and problems.
Normalization means using words and sentence patterns to standardize science. Some specious words can't be used, and slogans and conclusion sentences can't be used. For example, "Cultivating students' autonomous learning ability and improving classroom teaching efficiency" is a good topic as an experience summary paper, but it is not good as a topic, because the topic is the problem we want to solve, and we are discussing and preparing for research, so there can be no final tone. In addition, questions should be used with caution when determining the title of the topic. Because interrogative sentences express a question, not an argument or hypothesis. The theme should be expressed in declarative sentences. For example, the question "What is the influence of family pressure on primary school students' academic performance" is generally not suitable for project topics. If we want to study it as a topic, we should change it to "Study on the influence of family pressure on primary school students' academic performance" or "Study on the relationship between family pressure and primary school students' academic performance".
Concise, that is, the name should not be too long, and words that can or cannot be used should not be used as much as possible, generally no more than 20 words.
Eye-catching means that the incision of the subject research is appropriate and novel, which makes people leave a deep impression on the subject at first sight.
(2) The purpose and significance of the research.
As a project plan, we should first explain the research background and the research purpose we need to achieve, and answer the question "Why do we need to conduct research?".
In the scheme, the background of the research project is usually described in the form of "project proposal" or "project background", which mainly introduces the purpose and significance of the research project, that is, why to study and study its value. This can generally be based on the actual needs, pointing out that there is this problem in reality, which needs to be studied and solved, and what practical role the research of this topic has, and then writing out the theoretical and academic value of the topic. These should be written more specifically and pertinently, and we should not shout slogans aimlessly.
(3) Research status, level and development trend at home and abroad.
In view of the research content of the subject, it is necessary to explain whether anyone has studied it within the scope of the subject and what aspects have been studied? What achievements have you made? Are the views expressed in these achievements consistent? If there are differences, what are their differences? What are the shortcomings and in what direction. On the one hand, the analysis of these contents can explain the status and value of this research, on the other hand, it also shows whether the researchers have a good grasp of this research and whether they have a certain research foundation. Because we conduct scientific research on a certain problem, we must have a clear understanding of the research status of this problem.
(4) Theoretical basis of the research.
The research that our primary and secondary school teachers are doing is basically applied research, which requires that our research must have some basic theoretical foundations to ensure the scientific nature of the research. For example, if we want to carry out experimental research on activity classes, we must take curriculum theory, learning psychology theory and educational psychology theory as the theoretical basis of the experiment. The experimental study of educational model innovation must be based on teaching theory and educational experimental theory.
(5) research hypothesis
After selecting a topic, one or several possible answers and conclusions are conceived for the research topic according to the facts and existing data, which is called "hypothesis". Hypothesis is a speculative judgment and hypothetical explanation of the law or reason of the studied problem according to certain scientific knowledge and new scientific facts. Before the study, it was conceived and attempted in advance.
There are some variables involved in the research hypothesis, which can be divided into independent variables, dependent variables and control variables according to their relationship.
Independent variables are variables manipulated and changed by researchers, and they are conditions, factors or combinations of conditions that can be changed independently and cause changes in dependent variables. Such as the reform measures taken by researchers in learning content, teaching methods and learning methods.
Dependent variable is a variable that causes the corresponding response of subjects' behavior or related factors and characteristics through the change of independent variables, and it is an index that needs to be observed in research.
Control variables are non-research variables that have nothing to do with specific research objectives, also called irrelevant variables. Because it will have an impact on the research results, it needs to be controlled during the research process.
(6) Research object and scope
Educational research always points to a certain object. These objects are often people, groups and organizations composed of people and their behaviors and characteristics. Because of the extreme complexity of people, people's behavior and people's characteristics, we must define them clearly when studying to avoid the confusion caused by different people's understanding from different angles.
① Defining the fuzzy concept of the research object.
Some research objects are vague, such as "weak schools" and "students with bad moral character" We can define a school according to a certain standard (authoritative standard is the best). For example, according to the evaluation criteria of the education administrative department, a "weak school" is a school with an evaluation score below.
② Define the overall scope of the research object.
Population is a statistical concept, which refers to the whole research object. The scope of the research object must be considered according to the research objectives. Its scope includes source scope and feature scope. The source range includes regions, schools and classes; The range of characteristics includes gender, age and psychological characteristics. For example, the investigation of students' mental health, whether the scope of students is a certain region or a certain school, what kind of school, what grade or age group, these should be clearly defined. Different scope, the final research results will be very different.
③ Define some key concepts.
In the research of educational science, there are many schools and different viewpoints, so there are many nouns and terms that often appear the phenomenon that "different people have different opinions". In order to avoid the ambiguity of some key terms, which leads to the inconsistency of understanding and concepts between scientific research managers and researchers in the process of evaluation and research, and avoid the difference in understanding and acceptance of research results caused by these ambiguities, it is necessary to make clear definitions of important concepts and terms involved in research when making research plans.
(7) the content of the study
The research content is the main body of the research plan, answering what questions to study and what aspects to study. It further refines the research questions raised by the subject into several small questions. The amount of research content is related to the size of the topic, and the bigger the topic, the more content. However, when determining the research content, many teachers often do not consider it very specifically. The research content written is particularly general and vague, and it is very unfavorable for the whole research to regard the purpose and significance of the research as the research content. Therefore, we should learn to decompose and refine the questions and do them bit by bit.
(8) Research methods
Research method mainly refers to educational research method, which answers the question of how to study. There are various methods of educational research, including literature research, investigation research, experimental research, comparative research, action research and experience summary.
According to the different functions of various research methods, they can be roughly divided into two categories. The first is the method of collecting research data, such as investigation, observation, measurement, literature and so on. These methods are aimed at obtaining the objective information of the object without any influence on the object. The other kind of methods are methods aimed at changing and influencing variables, such as experiments and action research. These methods achieve some desired results by applying some interventions. Some studies may adopt a single research method, while others may adopt multiple methods. For example, if the method of experiment or action research is adopted, the first data collection method must be adopted to understand the final result of the experiment.