General steps and methods of small project research

The project is the problem we want to study and solve. Small projects refer to educational scientific research on specific problems encountered by teachers in teaching practice, which can be achieved in a short period of time by the cooperation of individual teachers or several people. Project research is an essential quality for teachers and an important way to improve teaching quality. Small project research generally has the following four steps.

1. Selecting a topic

Selecting a topic is the key to topic research. The topic determines the depth, breadth, significance, content and process of the research. Don’t choose the topic blindly and hastily. The general idea is to discover the problem - find information - analyze the problem - determine the topic. There are certain misunderstandings in topic selection: the more fashionable, the better; the more popular, the better; and the bigger, the better. In fact, what is fashionable, popular, and big is not necessarily right or good. The characteristics of small-topic research are seeking coldness in hot topics, seeking differences in common ground, and making big fuss out of molehills. There are several basic ways to select topics:

(1) Select topics from problems and confusions in education and teaching

The purpose of small topic research is to solve various problems existing in education and teaching. For this kind of specific problem, teachers are exposed to the educational scene every day, which is the origin of educational problems. For example: how to improve the efficiency of students' group cooperative learning; how to improve the efficiency of students' homework; how to make classroom teaching open and orderly; how to deal with differences among students, etc. Teachers can choose topics from areas where they feel dissatisfied or need improvement, accumulate over a long period of time, and dig out issues worth studying to build their own "question bank."

When faced with many practical problems, which problem should teachers choose as a small topic to study? This should be considered from the perspective of the value and urgency of the problem worthy of research. When a problem becomes difficult, teachers need to analyze the main manifestations and causes of the problem. Then consult information, learn from other people's experiences, and seek solutions to problems. In this way, teachers pay attention to, track, and analyze a certain teaching problem, and this problem can become a topic. If some students cannot complete homework independently, which is mainly manifested in failure to master the content they have learned, the solution is to improve students' classroom learning efficiency and cultivate learning abilities. From this, a topic can be formed: research on strategies to promote students to complete homework independently.

(2) Discover topics during discussions and exchanges

Discussions and exchanges between teachers are one of the sources of small topics. Communication can broaden their horizons and allow teachers to learn more about education and teaching. In this way, problems that teachers themselves are not aware of may be stimulated and gradually form small topics.

(3) Reflect on topics in theoretical learning

In reading learning, the most important thing is that teachers should always pay attention to targeted thinking based on the actual work of their own work. Interpret and analyze relevant issues or experiences in your own work, so that valuable issues or experiences gradually become clear through connection and interpretation.

(4) Find topics from students’ reactions

Teachers should learn more about students’ reactions, observe students’ words and deeds, communicate with students, and better discover students’ actual needs , solve problems in education and teaching, and at the same time, explore some small topics that are unexpected by teachers but have research value.

(5) Summarize topics from applied research with existing results

The research orientation is mainly to apply the results of other people’s research to one’s own educational practice. This type of project is more suitable for young teachers because it is based on learning the results of others and then implementing it in educational and teaching practice. Generally, the topic should be selected from the achievements of others that the teacher is interested in, but the operability must be paid attention to.

(6) Summarize experience and form topics

Teachers analyze and summarize self-education teaching experience based on their own interests, and conduct systematic sorting and rational analysis. This helps teachers discover their own educational and teaching highlights and successes, promotes teachers' personalized development, and forms self-education characteristics. This type of small topic is generally suitable for research by key teachers who already have certain teaching practices.

(7) Innovation work generates topics

Such small topics often require more scientific research methods and require higher educational and scientific research literacy for teachers, so they are more suitable for those with certain scientific research capabilities. teachers to choose. The research orientation is mainly to discover new rules, explore new methods, and elucidate new relationships.

2. Formulate a plan

After determining the topic, first conduct the topic demonstration. That is to analyze and study the significance of the topic, the content of the topic, the current situation of the topic, the benefits of the topic, and the feasibility of the topic. Then determine the goals, process, content and methods of the research (form hypotheses), and write a research plan. For small-project research, teachers do not necessarily have to write a detailed and standardized research plan, but they must clarify their research goals and content, as well as the research process and methods. There must be a clear and specific research idea. Finally, fill in the project research "evaluation form" and apply for approval by the relevant departments.

The project research plan generally includes the following contents: 1. Description of the topic (topic name); 2. The meaning of the topic (research object and scope); 3. The purpose and significance of the research; 4. The content of the research; 5. Research methods; 6. Research steps; 7. The form of expected results of the research; 8. Members of the research team and their division of labor; 9. Budget and equipment requirements.

3. Implementation Research

Implementation of project research is the process of practicing the research plan and is the core part of the project research. Teachers should not only clarify the approach to topic research, but also pay attention to the method of topic research. There are many methods for researching educational topics, with special emphasis on document research, case study and action research. The core of small project research is action. Action is the process of putting research plans into practice, and it is a process of finding solutions to problems. The research process must be substantial and practical. Collect, organize and save original data in a timely manner. This will become the most vivid and powerful material for teachers to write papers. Special attention should be paid to some meaningful details in the education and teaching process. Reflection and improvement of details can improve the level of teaching practice. We should pay attention to studying while practicing, practicing while studying, and revising repeatedly. When conducting research on small projects, attention should be paid to downplaying the formality and focusing on practical results. Based on teachers’ personal characteristics, interests and hobbies, we focus on solving problems, changing ways of thinking, changing ways of behavior, serving daily education and teaching activities, and serving teachers’ professional development. Teachers should pay attention to cooperation and communication with colleagues, and seek expert guidance when necessary. At the same time, managers should pay attention to the personalization of project research operations. Teachers are encouraged to choose and use methods and strategies that suit them to conduct research based on their own conditions.

4. Expressing Results

The thesis (report) is a summary document of the research process and results of the project. Writing a thesis is an important means to improve the results of the research project. There are many ways to express the research results of small projects, such as: papers, educational narratives, diaries, case descriptions, lesson reports, experience summaries, etc. These methods are easy to operate, complement each other with teachers’ work practice, can well solve the contradiction between work and research, and are an important carrier of teacher education and research activities. In fact, in the process of describing the results, teachers can generate new experiences, new discoveries, new understandings, and engage in new thinking.

The general format of the conclusion paper is as follows:

Introduction

The introduction is the starting part of the main text. The introduction should be written to briefly explain the following content : The source of the research problem, the background, purpose and significance of the research; the content, methods, processes and stages of the research, as well as the issues that need to be explained in the research

Text part

The text is the topic The core part of the research report. Its expression forms are diverse and can be determined according to needs. Usually the following format is adopted:

1. Raising the question

The raising of the question is crucial in the research report. Why study this problem (or why decide on this topic)? What is the main background, what is the current status of the research, and what are the key issues to be solved? What’s the innovation? This section provides answers to these questions. It can be said that whether the project establishment has important value can be judged by raising questions.

The question raised mainly includes three major points: one is the background, the other is the reason, and the third is the basis.

2. Design of project research

The design of project research mainly explains the connotation and extension of the project concept, research hypotheses, main content, research objectives, research objects and methods, and the purpose of the research. Guiding ideas and principles, etc.

3. The implementation process of the project research

This part should write down the implementation steps and specific research situation of the project research process, and include the first-hand materials and perceptual understanding obtained during the research process. , rise to rational understanding through comparison, analysis, induction and abstraction and generalization. Fully reflect the progress of the subject research.

4. Results and analysis of the project research

This part mainly includes the results, conclusions and analysis of the project research. Results should include effectiveness, achievements and results. The main purpose of writing this part is to present the research results as objective facts. This part strives to include pictures and texts, to combine qualitative and quantitative results, to be innovative, and to produce results with certain influence and promotion value.

5. Reflection on the project research

The reflection on the project research is the last part of the text of the project research report. It mainly describes the problems that have not yet been solved in the project research; New unsolved problems; put forward some assumptions and exploratory opinions on unsolved problems, etc.

Appendix part

The appendix part refers to the citation notes, references and original materials (such as articles, survey reports, documents, charts, materials) related to the research report that are attached to the text. , questionnaire content, test questions, etc.).