Shear, L., Mislevy, J., Beesley, A., Iwatani, E., Wang, S., Patel, D., Wang, H., Nielsen, N., Gerard, S., Araoz, C., & Benge, C. (2021). The Apple and ConnectED initiative: Research study methods. SRI Education.
Abstract
This report describes the methodology of Apple and ConnectED Research, a six-year study of the Apple and ConnectED Initiative that uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to tell a comprehensive story of implementation and outcomes.
This report describes the research design of the Apple and ConnectED Initiative, beginning with discussions of the theory of change and the conceptual framework that ground the research and an introduction to the Apple and ConnectED Initiative on which the research focuses. The report then describes the research design and methodology, which employ complementary substudies to create research that is both broad and deep. The substudies include:
- Surveys of teachers, principals, and students
- Case studies of selected schools
- Analysis of lessons and student work to determine opportunities for deeper learning
- A student achievement study that uses state test data to investigate student learning outcomes
This report is intended for researchers and other technical audiences interested in understanding the methodological details that underly the Apple and ConnectED Research study. It complements a series of reports that present study results and discuss findings.