Characteristics and Classifications of Scientific Inquiry in Educational Research
Characteristics of the Scientific Inquiry
Control of Biases - Scientific inquiry requires the management and control of personal views and preconceptions. - Researchers must report observations accurately, regardless of their own feelings or ideas about a situation. - Example: In a study investigating why teachers do not use teaching and learning materials (TLMs) in the classroom: - A researcher might personally believe teachers are lazy. - However, if teachers report they lack materials or cannot afford to use personal money for them, the researcher must report this exactly. - One must prioritize what is observed and stated in the field over personal observations or feelings.
Willingness to Alter Beliefs - A researcher must be prepared to throw away their own beliefs when findings contradict them. - In research work, one does not bring in personal ideas but rather reports the information found by asking others. - Even if a researcher is a professional in the field being studied (e.g., a teacher studying teachers) and suspects participants are lying, they must report exactly what people are saying as part of the research record.
Verification - Research is not personal; it is for the public and subject to collective reading. - If a study finds that TLMs are unavailable in basic schools leading to poor performance, other researchers investigating the same area should find the same results. - Verification depends on Replication, which is defined as conducting the same research again to confirm or reject whether previous findings are true or false.
Induction (Inductive Reasoning) - Scientific research often involves studying a Sample (a smaller group) rather than an entire population (e.g., all teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area or Adnan East). - The principle of induction assumes that what a small group tells the researcher will be the same as what the entire group would say if they were all surveyed. - Example 1: In a class of students, conducting research on a sample of people should yield the same reasons for failing a course as surveying the full . - Example 2: The Ghana presidential elections of and . - While the population was approximately , only about people voted for President Akufu Addo. - Using inductive reasoning, the decision of those who voted represents the likely decision of the entire population had they all voted. - Induction makes a study authentic by allowing a smaller group's beliefs to represent the majority.
Precision - Statements in scientific method must be exact to prevent readers from interpreting words in different ways. - To ensure precision, researchers include a Definition of Terms section in Chapter 1 of their research. - Example: Defining the word "gender." - For some, gender means "male and female." - In other contexts, it may include "bisexual," "homosexual," "transgender," or "LGBTQ plus plus." - Precision requires the researcher to explicitly state that in their study, gender refers only to "male and female" (if that is the case) to avoid confusion.
Tentative Nature of Truth - Findings in research are Tentative, meaning they are subject to change and are not true forever. - Example: A study in a village may find that poverty is the cause of teenage pregnancy. - However, over time, a subsequent study might find that teenage pregnancy continues even without poverty, perhaps due to personal interest or other social factors. - Scientific truth is only valid within a specific period and context, and can change as new studies are conducted.
Differentiating Scientific Ways of Knowing
Objectivity - Unlike radio presenters who may include their own emotions or agendas, scientific researchers do not put their voices or feelings into their reports. - Every research work is an objective report of what the researched subjects feel, not the investigator.
Empiricism - Scientific research must be measurable in scientific terms. - Statements that cannot be perceived, classified, or measured are rejected. - Example: A claim by a newspaper that declining subscriptions are "God’s will" is not scientific because "God’s will" cannot be identified or measured through data gathering. - If data cannot be gathered on a topic, it is not empirical and therefore not scientific.
Systematic and Cumulative Nature - Systematic: Research follows a step-by-step process for gathering information. - Cumulative: Science builds on previous knowledge. Every study includes a Literature Review to compare current findings with what others have found. - Consistency with previous findings reinforces the scientific validity of the work.
Predictiveness - Rigorous research should enable the prediction of future events based on current data. - Example: If research identifies high rates of absenteeism, it can predict poor performance in the nearby future. - If a phenomenon cannot be investigated to predict outcomes, it is considered heresy rather than science.
Public Nature - Scientific research is subject to Public Scrutiny. - The methods and results must be exposed to the public so others can verify the accuracy and argue for or against the findings. - This prevents researchers from faking results or making up untruths in isolation.
Classification of Educational Research
Criteria for Classification - Research can be classified based on three primary factors: 1. Purpose: The reason for the research. 2. Procedure/Method: How the data is collected and interpreted. 3. Role: The activity or role it plays in society.
Classification by Method - Experimental Study: - Involves dividing people into subgroups. - Includes an "intervention" given to one group but not the other. - Researchers compare the results of the intervention group vs. the control group. - Example: Testing a COVID-nineteen vaccine by exposing both a vaccinated and unvaccinated group to the virus to compare survival rates. - Non-Experimental Study: - No intervention is given by the researcher; they observe things happening naturally. - Types include: Descriptive survey, correlational research, career comparative research, and case studies.
Classification by Purpose and Method (Data Type) - Quantitative Research: Reports data through numbers, bar charts, pie charts, and frequency tables. This is often called the Positivist Philosophy or approach. - Qualitative Research: Reports data through narratives, recording verbatim what people say. This includes methods like interview recording and Thematic Analysis.
Classification by Purpose: Basic Research - Basic research seeks information at the "bottom" of a subject to establish theoretical frameworks. - It is original research that seeks to bring out a new theory. - Examples: - JNPRJ (Jean Piaget): Developmental studies on human behavior at different ages. - Pascal’s Theory and Akemi’s Principle (Archimedes): Studies on physical relationships, such as surface tension and how objects float in water.