Philosophy of Social Science
And Education Research
Chapter 7
By Ashley Dziedzic and
Shawn Brodie
How Does Science Grow?
According
◦Basic
to Karl Popper
idea is that no scientific idea is ever totally
confirmed
◦The best science can do is to show that test after
test fails to refute the idea
◦Science grows by continuing testing and retesting
ideas to prove they are false
◦Scientific claims must be stated in such a way that
it is clear what sort of evidence would falsify them
Karl Popper Video on Justified Truth
Click the link if the video does not load
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VTFcNDJqyts
What about the Unprovable?
The
American Psychological Association
(APA) had to deal with recovered memories
for victims of abuse
◦Some
psychologists insisted repressed memories of
abuse can and have been recovered.
◦Others believe memories are constructed in the brain
by the process of psychoanalytic methods and should
be cast in doubt
◦How do you disprove memories without attacking and
blaming the victim?
What about the Unprovable?
Click the link if the video does not load
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XRW-m_8nZzw
Imre
Redefining the Scientific
Process
Lakatos tried to redefine Popper’s ideas
and better describe the process by which
science proceeds.
◦The
concern is not with a specific hypothesis but with the
results of the parent theory guiding the research.
This
is valuable for educators because it
focuses on the programs of research rather
than specific, individual research.
Thomas Kuhn's: Science Grows Through
Evolution
●
Kuhn's theory looked at the APA controversy a new paradigm.
●
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Paradigm: a pattern or model. Describes distinct concepts or thought patterns in
any scientific discipline or other epistemological context.
Kuhnian Paradigm = basic theory, set of concepts and ways of working that
guide a particular branch of science for some interval of time
New Paradigms in research cover up old paradigms which result in a,
“paradigm clash.”
Kuhn focused on paradigms that succeeded and the changes they induced
When related to science and research, Kuhn argued that workers in A, could
not criticize those who worked in B because they worked in different worlds.
This very concept is relative to the education system we see today.
Paradigm Video
click the link if the video does not load
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3cp6pEzx3uw
Educational Research Debate
Which
is better, Qualitative Research or
Quantitative Research?
Quantitative
Research
◦Theory
driven
◦Proceeds by testing hypotheses
◦Aims for generalization
◦Data is in the form of numbers and statistics
Qualitative
◦Regarded
Research
as more exploratory
◦The aim is a complete, detailed description
◦Data is in the form of descriptive (words, pictures, etc.)
Educational Research Debate
Quantitative
research was perceived as “normal
science”
The educational research community felt that
physical science approach (quantitative) to
research was inadequate for the study of
education
Qualitative methods (ethnographic studies,
case studies, historical summaries, etc.) were
felt to help better understand why some
methods work some students, teachers, or
situations, but fails with others
Educational Research Debate
Currently,
the U.S. government has placed an
emphasis on randomized experiments for
education research
Current laws (IDEA and NCLB) requires that
programs are “scientifically-based” for core
academic areas and to meet the needs of all
students
Scientifically-based means having at least two
scientific studies done
Educational Research Debate
The
exclusive use of randomized experiments is debated.
It is based off of the medical research field and
requirements. Some faults of this are:
1.It
ignores the crucial fact that the model has limitations
2.Education is very different from the field of medicine
3.Insistence on one form of scientific research is short-sighted
and sacrifices the significant contribution of other forms
4.Insistence on the use of randomized experiments neglects
ethical problems by having one group be the treatment group
while the other is the control group
5.Randomized
experiment is just one type of scientific research
and scientific research is just one form of educational research
Where to Find Educational
Research
What
Works Clearinghouse
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
Center
for RTI
http://www.rti4success.org/
AERA:
American Educational Research Association
Http://www.aera.net/
NCER:
National Center for Education Research
http://www.ies.ed.gov/ncer
RER:
Review of Educational Research
http://www.rer.sagepub.com/
ERIC:
World's Largest Digital Library of Educational Research
http://www.eric.ed.gov/