The Disconnect Between Research, Teaching, and Learning: Authentic Research to the Rescue!
Location
3030
Format Type
Paper
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
January 2016
End Date
January 2016
Abstract
An admonition that we offer to students is that one of the first things they should do when reading an empirical study is to identify the nature of the evidence that is used to support conclusions. The reason for this advice is that implications for practice are often suggested based on findings that, while “statistically significant”, may be based on evidence that does not get at the heart of the matter. This situation is especially true in educational research where the term “evidence based” research is often a pseudonym for “test scores”. While we are not averse to tests per se, what we are averse to is propagating educational practices based on a narrow view of what comprises quality teaching and learning. The purpose of this discussion/article is to explore the relationship between research and practice from both a philosophical and learning theory perspective and to suggest a more valid way to conduct educational research based on these two considerations. We refer to this new educational research approach as “authentic research” which draws both from a more inclusive view of learning and grounding in the naturalistic research paradigm.
The Disconnect Between Research, Teaching, and Learning: Authentic Research to the Rescue!
3030
An admonition that we offer to students is that one of the first things they should do when reading an empirical study is to identify the nature of the evidence that is used to support conclusions. The reason for this advice is that implications for practice are often suggested based on findings that, while “statistically significant”, may be based on evidence that does not get at the heart of the matter. This situation is especially true in educational research where the term “evidence based” research is often a pseudonym for “test scores”. While we are not averse to tests per se, what we are averse to is propagating educational practices based on a narrow view of what comprises quality teaching and learning. The purpose of this discussion/article is to explore the relationship between research and practice from both a philosophical and learning theory perspective and to suggest a more valid way to conduct educational research based on these two considerations. We refer to this new educational research approach as “authentic research” which draws both from a more inclusive view of learning and grounding in the naturalistic research paradigm.
Comments
Our goal is to provide a rationale for conducting school research that is based on the realities of schools and how children learn with a more inclusive view of what comprises valued learning.