File(s) under permanent embargo
Longitudinal studies into science learning - methodological issues
The Gold Standard for education research promotes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that can produce generalizable knowledge claims across similar problems and situations. Unfortunately, the Gold Standard does not fully recognize the need for developmental research to better understand the problem space, formulate theory and approaches to teaching and learning, and formulate and pursue associated research questions. This developmental research has been a precursor to the development of interventions together with the necessary instrumentation and technologies required to fully investigate these through the more formal evaluative processes imagined by the Gold Standard. This chapter focuses on longitudinal studies that cover a continuum from such developmental research to research that uses control-experimental features to evaluate interventions. These studies attend to a set of issues dealing with developmental progressions and learning trajectories that require investigation over an extended period of time. It will be argued that
these longitudinal studies of a variety of methodological types represent quality research in that rigorous design and implementation produce evidence-based claims. The chapter examines the nature of the relationship between evidence and claims in these studies, to show the possibility of building in control features every bit as strong as those in classic Gold Standard designs. Further, it will be argued that, given the complexity of learning pathways, a simplistic interpretation of RCTs conducted over the shorter term can be misleading in terms of both internal and external validity claims.
these longitudinal studies of a variety of methodological types represent quality research in that rigorous design and implementation produce evidence-based claims. The chapter examines the nature of the relationship between evidence and claims in these studies, to show the possibility of building in control features every bit as strong as those in classic Gold Standard designs. Further, it will be argued that, given the complexity of learning pathways, a simplistic interpretation of RCTs conducted over the shorter term can be misleading in terms of both internal and external validity claims.
History
Title of book
Quality research in literacy and science education : international perspectives and gold standardsChapter number
5Pagination
83 - 106Publisher
SpringerPlace of publication
Dordrecht, NetherlandsISBN-13
9781402084263ISBN-10
1402084269Language
engPublication classification
B1 Book chapter; B Book chapterCopyright notice
2009, Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Extent
28Editor/Contributor(s)
M Shelley II, L Yore, B HandUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC