Description
Book SynopsisThis book poses and ultimately answers the question of whether the public schools would have been affected if no educational research had been conducted during this century. To answer this question, 12 genres of educational research are evaluated. The genres are accompanied by non-technical, annotated synopses examples of each. A case is made that the science of education as a whole is repetitive, non-cumulative, and is characterized by a circular rather than a linear trajectory.
Trade ReviewIn this exciting new, two-volume trek, Bausell introduces us—with insight and levity—to diverse genres of unproductive research. Happily, he also tosses us several solution strategies to make our schools sparkle. -- Dr. W. James Popham, professor emeritus, UCLA and former president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Dr. Bausell provides an insightful and long overdue summary and critique of educational research, which, in addition to upsetting the status quo, should inform decisions made by academics, professionals, administrators, and policymakers alike. -- Harold Murai, professor emeritus, College of Education, Sacramento State University
In this volume, Barker Bausell effectively captures and demystifies the real crises in education: the myths, lies, legends, and fads (e.g., the validity of value-added models used to evaluate teachers) proliferated and perpetuated by politicians, the public, the media, philanthrocapitalists, and education “experts,” all of whom claim dominance over those with less power (e.g., educators in schools) who work first hand, and daily, with the real crises impacting America’s school-aged children. -- Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, PhD, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University
Barker Bausell’s orientation toward education research and practice is consistent with his other body of work: careful analysis, removal of poetic distraction from science, with a dash of logical positivism. His desire is not to tear down education research—but rather to help build a better applied scientific foundation. Indeed, various applied sciences are directed by political and financial motives as well as by a desire to understand a topic and, in this case, help people learn better. Sometimes other motives are barriers to improvement. He illustrates misdirected efforts and effective direction, using logic, systematic empirical summary, aspects of philosophy of science, and honesty. -- Steve Sussman, professor, Preventive Medicine, Psychology, and Social Work, University of Southern California
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One: Some Examples of Educational Research that Aren’t Chapter Two: Contributors to this Sad State of Affairs Chapter Three: Four Once Useful Influential Genres That We Probably No Longer Need Genre #1: Classic Learning Research Genre #2: Secondary Analyses of Test Scores Genre #3: Preschool or Extra-School Descriptive/Correlational Educational Studies. Genre #4: School-Based, Descriptive/Observational Studies. Chapter Four: Three Research Genres That Were Never Useful and Should Be Abandoned Research Genre #5: Psychometric research: Research Genre #6: Meta-Analysis: Genre #7: Scale-up experiments. Chapter Five: Three Genres that Could Have Some Potential for Creating a Meaningful Science Genre #8: Experiments Conducted under Veridical Schooling Conditions. Genre #9: Natural Experiments (Evaluations) Conducted within Schools. Genre #10: Experiments Conducted in Schools under Laboratory Conditions Chapter Six: Genre #11 – Programmatic Educational Research Conducted by a Single Investigator Chapter Seven: Genre #12 – Recent, Well-Designed Genre-Crossing Research Considered Important Enough to Garner Media Attention Final Thoughts References
