to what extend teachers’ working conditions affect their wellbeing/mental health.
EDT7001 Research Design Assignment (total 6,000 words)
⦁ Cover, table of contents and table of abbreviations
⦁ Introduction to the assignment
⦁ Introduction to the research (appr. 500 words)
⦁ MRQ
(they can be rewritten to be more academical)
Main research question: to what extend teachers’ working conditions affect their wellbeing/mental health.
Subsidiary questions:
⦁ what we know about teachers’ working conditions and their mental health. (Studies preCovid, during Covid and postCovid)
⦁ Does teacher’s mental health/wellbeing have an impact in the wellbeing and mental health of students. if it does, does it affect students performance.
⦁ What are other sectors/ companies doing to improve staff wellbeing? What kind of impact it has (if it has) to their customers/clients?
⦁ What are the areas that affect the most to teachers (any consequences for teachers and schools), how schools are addressing it?
⦁ Rationale
Why I want to do this research
⦁ Last year, I faced a mental health issue and I needed therapy and councillor to keep going. During that time, I realised that other professionals were experimented similar issue from diverse reasons. Despite some of those issues were for personal reason, I have concerns about if our working conditions created a potential scenario for mental health problems and how it does affect our teaching and our students’ performance.
perhaps is interesting: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-recovery-support
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-and-college-performance-measures
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/reducing-school-workload
⦁ Global context, teachers are leaving the profession (link it to an article) for several reasons, and it is increased so apparently some schools are failing to retain teachers. However, becoming a teacher is not an easy journey it is require high levels of motivation, sacrifice and commitment
https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
⦁ I am currently a supply teacher who has worked in different educational settings, and I realise that some professionals love their workplace, and they seem happier than other teachers in other settings. I got intrigued to understand what those schools with happy staff are doing well and if that can be replicated in other schools.
⦁ Government new focus in improving teacher working experience https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-well-being-at-work-in-schools-and-further-education-providers/summary-and-recommendations-teacher-well-being-research-report
⦁ Research Context + Researcher (rewritten needed)
The school where I am going to do the research is in an Oustanding state all-girls Christian High School in London that offer KS3 to KS5. However, for this research I will exclude KS5 and the teachers who just teach these years as it can affect the reality of the results as the students are more motivated in those subjects that they chose, and the classrooms are smaller in size.
The number of pupils in this school are 900. The performance of students is over the average of the areas and the 99% of students continue their education after KS4.
It is not a selective school, the 18.8% of students are eligible for free school meals. Y7 classes are mixed ability and then they are put in sets from Y8. They are EAL pupils in all sets and a high concentration of Special Educatonal Needs pupils in the low attainment set.
I am a supply teacher in this school, I taught different subjects around all year groups in the school. Also, I went to similar school all around London and I noticed that mood/happiness of members of staff changed drastically even if schools seem very similar from the view of an external professional. The reason why I choose this school is because it is because the wellbeing of their teachers seems to be average to other schools so it is likely to acknowledge that good policies in order to improve working experience and also, make this research useful to the school to progress in the journal of being the best it can be. As an external employer my working conditions differs from the working conditions of the staff members of the school and therefore it makes me a sustainable impartial researcher while I am in constant contact with the environment of the school.
Linked articles (Fullan 2003 and Garrett 2005, Hargreaves and Fullan 2012) – Please, feel free to link more but those two should be mentioned in this section
⦁ Conceptual Framework (300 words) may be included in Lit Review.
Feel free to use the ones your please.
terms used in main research question /subsidiary questions or literature review.
Some ideas: mental health and wellbeing (what do concept mean)// working condition (In Education and external)// academical performance (focus on KS3-KS4)
⦁ Literature Review (1,500- 2,000 words)
⦁ Theoretical Framework (500 words) —
Ontology – how you understand reality;
Epistemology – your theory of knowledge
Methodology – the research approach you will adopt
⦁ Ontology
⦁ Epistemology
References that we see in the lecture and we need to mention some of them in the research.
Atkins L. & Wallace, S. (2012) Qualitative Research in Education, London: Sage.
BERA (2018) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, 4th Edition, accessed from Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, fourth edition (2018) |
Brooks, R., te Riele, K. & Maguire, M. (2014) Ethics and Education Research, London: BERA/Sage.
Crotty, M. (1998) The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and perspective in the research process, London: Sage.
Danby, S., Ewing, L. & Thorpe, K. (2011) ‘The Novice Researcher: Interviewing Young Children’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 17(1) pp. 4–84.’
DfE (2021) Teachers’ Standards, accessed from Teachers’ standards – GOV.Uk (www.gov.uk)
Flint, K. J. & Peim, N. (2012) Rethinking the Education Improvement Agenda: A Critical Philosophical Approach, London: Continuum.
Fox, M., Green, G. and P. Martin (2007) Doing Practitioner Research, London: Sage.
Kincheloe, J. L. (2012) Teachers as Researchers: Qualitative inquiry as a path to empowerment, Classic Edition, Abingdon: Routledge.
Kuhn, T. S. (1970) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2 edition. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.
McIntyre (2005) ‘Bridging the gap between research and practice’, Cambridge Journal of Education, Vol. 35, No. 3, November 2005, p. 360.
Phelan, S. K. & Kinsella, E. A. (2013) ‘Picture this … Safety, Dignity and Voice Ethical Research with Children: Practical reflections for the Reflexive Researcher, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol19(81)
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P. and Thornhill A. (2019) Research Methods for Business Students, 8th Edition, Harlow: Pearson.
Thomas, G. (2017) How to do your Research Project: A Guide for Students in Education and Applied Social Sciences, Third Edition, London: Sage.
Wellington, J. (2015) Educational Research: Contemporary Issues and Practical Approaches, Second Edition, London: Bloomsbury.
——————– please what others did in the examples that I have added to this work.
⦁ Methodology (300 words)
⦁ Methods (1,000 words)
case study, random sampling: all teachers of KS3-KS4 can take part. Qualitive Methods of data Collection that can be used: Questionnaires to teachers, Documentary methods (school policy…) and narrative methods(students performance data… ).
⦁ Sampling
⦁ Data collection
⦁ Data analysis
Martin (2018) ‘Historical and documentary research’, in Cohen, Manion, L and K. Morrison (2018), Research Methods in Education, ch. 16.
Flick, U (2018) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 6th Edition, London: Sage, ch. 6, in particular.
Atkinson, P. & Coffey, A. (2011) ‘Analysing Documentary Realities’ in Silverman, D. (ed.) (2011) Qualitative Research: Issues of Theory, Method and Practice, 3rd Edition, London: Sage, pp.77-92.
⦁ Ethics (500 words)
BERA (2018) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, 4th Edition, accessed from Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, fourth edition (2018) |
Interesting to explore Table 1: Ethical considerations drawn from Stutchbury and Fox’s ethical grid
Stutchbury, K. and Fox, A. (2009) ‘Ethics in educational research: introducing a methodological tool for effective ethical analysis’, Cambridge Journal of Education, Vol. 39, No.4, December 2009, 489-504.
⦁ Action Plan — You have it in a separate sheet
⦁ Trial of one data collection tool: (1,000 words) —- wait for aproval
⦁ Choice of method
⦁ Design
⦁ Evaluation
⦁ Conclusion
⦁ I would use questionnaires. It would be two parts of the questionnaire, once is to see the professional mental health and wellbeing of the teacher and the other to check the teacher point of view of his working condition (to create those, the literature review need to be done before hand)- perhaps a pre-created measurable test to check wellbeing and mental health can be use (one designed by psychologists).
⦁ The test is going to be done twice to see if teachers situation are stable and if there are not if that affect students’ performance.
Guidance Notes
1. Research Topic and Aims
⦁ What is your topic?
⦁ Why is it worthy of research?
⦁ Show that you are aware of the literature and debates relevant to your field of study
⦁ Provide:
⦁ an explanation and defence of your conceptual and theoretical frameworks
⦁ an explanation and defence of your selected research methodology within the context of research paradigms;
⦁ a robust and realistic proposal and outline design of the inquiry
⦁ clarity regarding the framework of analysis for the methods proposed, linked to a time-frame and consideration of ethical issues.
⦁ Consider how your research topic fits into the general landscape.
Aims can be stated in two or three sentences. If this proves not possible then you may need to re-think what you are actually going to do until you are able to write two or three sentences succinctly. A useful strategy – at first, think of as many aims as you can which you believe are relevant to your project. Then, consider each one by asking:
⦁ how will the aim be achieved?
⦁ what is the main/central aim of my inquiry?
⦁ are there any overlaps between the aims? Keep them discrete.
⦁ is there a sequence/hierarchy which links one aim to another? Are they in logical order?
⦁ are there too many aims to be realistically achievable?
2. Research Question
Specify the main research question you are investigating and state its practical and theoretical importance.
⦁ State your subsidiary research questions
⦁ What is the practical importance of these questions?
⦁ What is the theoretical importance of these questions?
A useful strategy – to help form your central question(s) is to make a list of all the issues you wish to address in your study. Summarise them in a few words. Put them in an ordered sequence. Keep the list brief but make sure it covers all essential issues.
3. Research Setting
Demonstrate that your research is feasible in the setting that you propose to work in. (A setting could be a classroom, school, university department or other institution).
Give a brief history of the problem or issue as it relates to the context. Include a description of the roles and relevant responsibilities of those who lead, manage or engage in the practices you will be studying.
4. Researcher’s Relationship to the Setting
⦁ Describe any involvement you have with the setting and whether this relationship poses any risks to the independence of your research. Steps to reduce identified risks?
⦁ Describe your relationship with the research setting and where relevant the power relationships and risks to the Independence of your research.
⦁ If there are any potential conflicts of interest, show how will they be mitigated.
5. Collaborative Processes
How will you seek permission to conduct your research? From whom will institutional approval be required?
⦁ What permissions do you need to conduct the study? How will you obtain them?
⦁ How will you approach gaining access to required information? Who will be the main participants/stakeholders?
⦁ What are the key ethical implications?
6. Sampling strategy and methods for collecting data
Justify your sampling strategy and describe and justify the methods of data collection.
⦁ What information is required to answer your question?
⦁ From whom/what source will that information be gathered
Give an indication of the range of methods required, the general scale of the procedures and why you intend using those particular methods.
7. Design and Trial a Research Tool
Provide a detailed critique of the design and trial of one data collection tool (research instrument) you designed and how you used it).
How does its design make it a suitable tool for the purposes of your enquiry?
8. Methods for Analysing Information
Describe how you will analyse your data.
⦁ What approach will you take?
⦁ How will you ensure the validity or authenticity of your research?
9. Research Timetable
Provide a draft timetable for completing your research (an action plan/gantt chart)
1. Initial literature review
2. Design of the research
3. Contacting stakeholders and gaining access to the participants
4. Inviting participants and gaining consent
5. Data collection (probably at a number of points)
5. Data analysis (probably at a number of points)
6. Feedback to research participants
7. Revise analysis and written report
8. Submission of dissertation
9. Dissemination of findings including MA Education Conference Presentation
