Wednesday, August 11 Chapter 11 & 12 Educational Research
Vocabulary
1. Ethnography: (text pg. 276) in-depth involvement in a culture to describe naturally occurring behavior.
Anthropologists have used ethnography to investigate primitive cultures for years.
2. Emic: (text pg. 283) participant wording.
Emic data contain information provided by the participants in their own words.
3. Phenomenological: (text pg. 291) understanding the essence of experiences.
A phenomenological study describes and interprets the experiences of participants in order to understand how it is perceived by those individuals.
4. Grounded theory: (text pg. 293) theory generated from qualitative data.
Grounded theory studies look at qualitative data, analyze it, and then create a theory based upon the information.
5. Triangulation: (text pg. 296) compares the findings of different techniques.
Triangulation enhances the credibility of a study by collect data in a variety of manners including observation, research and interviews.
6. Reconnaissance: (text pg. 333) self-reflection of focus.
Reconnaissance occurs as you take time to self-reflects on the area from the perspective of your own beliefs and from the context of the classroom or school.
Reflection
After listening to the lecture on what defines qualitative studies, much of the interest in the class, and subsequent discussion, turned to the debate between qualitative and quantitative studies. Some members of the class advocated for quantitative studies because the numbers or facts present a more compelling argument. Yet others pleaded on behalf of qualitative for the story they tell including the span of human emotions. It seems to me that a mixed-method approach, or something close to it, would get the most attention from a reader. A study based mostly on numbers, without a story highlighting the “why” or significance of those numbers, lacks punch. Yet a story without much empirical evidence seems to be too “fluffy”. Imagine a study that looked at the impact of inquiry-based learning in a social studies classroom. If the researchers could include not only the numerical impact (using a test like the Stanford Achievement) to show improvement, but also provide quotes from students on why they like the method, then there exists a more compelling argument. The mix of human experience and numerical proof of improvement would seem to me to get the most attention from educators, administrators, teachers, and parents. With their attention in hand, the chance of implementation increases as well.
