Evidence that counts

The reports in this publication demonstrate the potential of practising teachers to carry out research which applies a scientific method, both in terms of the generation of school-based local and contextual evidence and with regard to the development of a research-engaged, research-informed and research-led teaching profession. They also illustrate how poster-style reporting can offer an engaging and immediate way of understanding a piece of education research of this type, how the research was conducted and its implications for other teachers. 

The 12 reports of teacher experimental research include:

Chapter 2 Between-subject design: what is a between-subject design and when can it be used?

Example 1 Verbal and visual-digital feedback on creative writing in rural primary schools improves progress rates compared to written feedback – a preliminary study (James Siddle)

Example 2 Peer reading improves the reading age of pupil premium children compared to reading only to adults – a preliminary study (Theresa Peacock and Bridie Bear)

Example 3 Preliminary evidence from a small-scale randomised controlled trial into the effectiveness of a ‘RUCSAC’ individual checklist approach (Alison Turner, Dean Flood and Kate Andrews)

Chapter 3 Within-subject designs: the advantages and use of a within-subject design

Example 4 Two mathematics lessons of flipped learning improve performance in numerical reasoning tasks for Key Stage 3 students (Daniel Lear)

Example 5 The use of flipped learning, prior to beginning a new concept in mathematics, has a positive effect on pupils’ learning (Matthew Maughan and David Ashton)

Example 6 A preliminary pilot study into the effectiveness of a ‘rich task’ contextual style of teaching mathematics, compared to a traditional procedural approach (Timm Barnard-Dadds and Allison Davies)

Example 7 Using a story map approach can be an alternative treatment when solving reasoning problems – evidence from a small-scale preliminary study (Sarah Baugh-Williams, Ceri Bibby and Graeme Jones)

Chapter 4 Adding in a third condition: when to consider using a third condition

Example 8 A collaborative teaching approach enhances the performance of students in mathematical problem solving (Gavin Jones and Rob Wilson)

Example 9 ‘Look, Cover, Check, Write’ improves attainment in Year 1 primary school lessons (Charlotte Morris)

Chapter 5 Case-matching and matched-pair designs: another way to deal with between-participant variation

Example 10 A small-scale, case-matched pilot study into the effects of mixed-ability groupings versus ability groupings on pupils’ attainment in and enjoyment of numerical reasoning tasks (Wendy Blyth and Rachel Elphick)

Example 11 A six-month mentor programme for underachieving GCSE students in an international school context increases progress across all subjects, as evidenced in GCSE examination results – a non-randomised case-matched study (Emmet Glackin)

Chapter 6 Quasi-experimental studies comparing two existing groups: looking at the effects of a single treatment on different groups

Example 12 Drop Everything and Read (a one-year reading intervention) closes the attainment gap for a significant number of low-ability Year 7 learners in a zone 5 Academy in London (Jess Moore and Simon Andrews)