Different problems require different methods, and all education researchers must understand the nature of the problems they study and the nature of the methods available so that data can be ethically gathered and reliable conclusions can be drawn. In general, education researchers may use either quantitative research methods or qualitative research methods. Quantitative methods are Read More
Category: Using Data
My Elevator Pitch on Data
“Data’ has been the mantra of educators for a generation. Unfortunately, they appear woefully unprepared to manage data in a responsible manner. Here are the things I would tell school leaders, especially those who claim to be “data-driven” if riding in the elevator with them: Blind your data. The analysis must be done by someone Read More
Decision-making and Facts
Research depends on “facts.” In the vernacular, fact typically means information that is true and accurate; implicit also is the assumption that the fact is objectively defined so that every observer will agree on the both reality of the fact and the meaning of the fact. A more sophisticated view of facts recognizes the role Read More
Is Your Data Similar to Research?
“Data driven” or “evidence driven” (as they like to call themselves now) educators and leaders have always sought to co-opt the authority of research. It seems, however, that these leaders and educators lack a consistent and sophisticated understanding of research, and this leads them to use suspect data to support dubious conclusions. A few years Read More
What Leaders say about Iterative Design
I recently worked with some education leaders to design some educational technology projects that were organized around educational design research. Some of their reflections after we finished give us insight into the workflow of leaders. Rachel (one of the leaders) made observations of the differences between the planning that was commonly expected to be followed Read More
On the Value of Theories
While analyzing some interview data in the last year or so, my colleague and I discovered our coding was remarkably consistent with Roger’s (2003) theory of the diffusion of innovations. For me, this illustrated exactly why we spend time and energy conducting research, consuming research, and returning to the research when we are unsure of Read More
On Design and Research
There are deep connections and similarities between design and research. Both activities progress through problem setting (understanding the context and nature of the problem), problem framing (to understand possible solutions) and problem solving (taking actions to reach logistic goals). Both design and research find participants understanding phenomena, which affects decisions and actions that are evaluated Read More
What Gould Wrote about Data
Biologist Stephen Jay Gould was well-known for his insightful essays. In my teens and early twenties, he influenced my thinking as an undergraduate science education major. As I reread his works these years after his death and on the other end of my career, they seem as timely and insightful as they did back then. Read More
Improving Conceptual Artifacts
Conceptual artifacts are ideas that we use in planning, but these are ideas whose definitions never change. We are all familiar with the compromises that we make when planning and decision-making, but when planning is organized around conceptual artifacts, we do not compromise on what we mean. When planning with conceptual artifacts we cannot even Read More
Why Educational Design Research
A previous post described educational design research, a method for designing and understanding interventions: Educational Design Research: An Emerging Planning Tool In this post, I continue developing the rationale for using this method. Compared to other planning methods and other methods of gathering data and evidence, educational design research may be perceived as necessitating greater Read More