 |
|
|
|
|
To view any
of the RCBN Occasional Papers for free just follow the links to abstract
or paper. Hard copies are also available to those without internet access
and can be ordered from the Cardiff office. To view these from our website
you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free to download from the
Adobe website:
Please
scroll down to each individual paper and click on the links to view the
abstract and/or the full paper.
Gorard, S., Prandy, K. & Roberts K. (2002) An Introduction to
the simple role of numbers in social science research, Cardiff University
School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 53
Abstract | Paper
Taylor,
C. (2002) The RCBN Consultation Exercise: Stakeholder Report, Cardiff
University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 50
Abstract
| Paper
Taylor,
C. (2002) The RCBN Consultation Exercise: Stakeholder Report (EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY), Cardiff University School of Social Sciences
Abstract
| Paper
Gorard,
S. (2002) Warranting research claims from non-experimental evidence,
Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 48
Abstract | Paper
Gorard,
S. (2002) How do we overcome the methodological schism (or can there
be a 'compleat' researcher)?, Cardiff University School of Social
Sciences Occasional Paper 47
Abstract | Paper
Gorard,
S. (2002) When should we use multi-level modelling?, Cardiff University
School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 46
Abstract | Paper
Gorard,
S. (2001) A changing climate for educational research? The role of
research capability-building, Cardiff University School of Social
Sciences Occasional Paper 45
Abstract
| Paper
Gorard,
S. (2001) The role of cause and effect in education as a social science,
Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 43
Abstract | Paper
Gorard,
S. (2001) The way forward for educational research?, Cardiff University
School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 42
Abstract
| Paper
Abstracts:
Gorard,
S., Prandy, K. & Roberts K. (2002) An Introduction to the simple role
of numbers in social science research, Cardiff University School
of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 53
Social science is facing increasing demands
for research involving 'quantitative' approaches. Among these are the
need, expressed by policy-makers, for practical evidence about what works,
and the demand, exemplified by the new ESRC guidelines for research training,
that all researchers learn something about techniques of analysis involving
numbers. At the same time, however, traditional 'quantitative' approaches
are facing a major upheaval caused by growing criticism of null hypothesis
significance testing (NHSTs), the increasing availability of high quality
numeric datasets, and the development of more and more complex forms of
statistical analysis. This paper shows how a re- consideration of the
nature and function of probabilities (or uncertainties) in research suggests
a new approach to research training that will be more appropriate than
traditional courses on statistics for all learners, and that will help
researchers explain their findings to policy-makers.
To
view the full document, click
here
Taylor,
C. (2002) The RCBN Consultation Exercise: Stakeholder Report,
Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 50
One of the
early objectives of the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme
(TLRP) Research Capacity Building Network has been to undertake an extensive
consultation exercise in order to identify the priorities for research
capacity-building and to generate a database of expertise from across
the UK educational research community. This report provides an account
of the first element of the consultation exercise, interviews with twenty-five
key stakeholders each representing the major constituencies of the UK
education community. In particular, they were asked about the current
state of educational research in the UK, why it is like this, and how
educational research could continue to move forward.
To view
the full document, click
here.
Taylor,
C. (2002) The RCBN Consultation Exercise: Stakeholder Report (EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY), Cardiff University School of Social Sciences
This is a summary of Occasional Paper 50 above.
To view
the full document, click
here.
Gorard,
S. (2002) Warranting research claims from non-experimental evidence,
Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 48
This paper contains a preliminary consideration of the nature and role
of warrants for research conclusions in educational research. It focuses
on warrants for conclusions drawn from findings based on non-experimental
evidence. The paper describes some of the standard non-experimental designs,
and their need for a warrant in the form of a logical and persuasive link
between the evidence produced and the conclusions drawn (with appropriate
qualifications and caveats). It describes social scientific warrants,
and suggests that the elimination of plausible rival alternative explanations
for the evidence is a key approach (and one that is independent of the
method used). The paper then briefly discusses the nature of warrants
as used by practitioners and policy-makers, and examines some objections
to the 'scientific' basis of warranted practice. It concludes by suggesting
that the much publicised criticisms of the quality and relevance of educational
research may be, at least partly, misdirected. What critics may have objected
to is not so much poor research, but inappropriately warranted conclusions
(i.e. overclaiming).
To view
the full document, click
here.
Gorard,
S. (2002) How do we overcome the methodological schism (or can there
be a 'compleat' researcher)?, Cardiff University School of Social
Sciences Occasional Paper 47
This paper considers a variety of approaches to combining research findings
drawn from what are traditionally deemed 'quantitative' and 'qualitative'
methods. These include models for Bayesian syntheses, new political arithmetic,
complex interventions, and design experiments, as well as the more usual
literature review and 'new' realism. I argue here that none of these approaches
pose insurmountable epistemological or technical problems. Rather, opposition
to the use of such models stems from wasteful 'paradigm' wars fed perhaps
by fear of the unknown, and leading to pointless methodological schism.
The 'compleat' researcher should presumably be prepared to find, use and
critique all evidence relevant to their quest, regardless of its form.
To view
the full document, click here.
Gorard,
S. (2002) When should we use multilevel modelling?, Cardiff University
School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 46
This paper is intended to be a consideration of the idea of multilevel
modelling. It is not a guide on how to design or perform such an analysis.
There are several references in the text to sources that teach the practicalities
perfectly well, and the technique is anyway not that different from other
forms of regression or analysis of variance. Rather, the paper outlines
a role for statistical analysis in research, describes what multilevel
modelling is, why it is used, and what its limitations are. It does so
in the hope that some readers will be enthused sufficiently to become
appropriately critical 'consumers' of research using this approach, so
building research capacity, and easing pressures on 'specialist' reviewers.
Anyone who can read or perform standard multivariate analyses (such as
linear regression) can understand, referee, or conduct a multilevel model.
To view
the full document, click
here.
Gorard,
S. (2001) A changing climate for educational research? The role of
research capability-building, Cardiff University School of Social
Sciences Occasional Paper 45
As part of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, the ESRC have
funded a totally new kind of project, which is likely to be watched with
interest by others in social science more generally. This Research Capacity-Building
(RCB) project (grant number L139251106) is an innovative attempt to invigorate
an entire research field. Among its aims are to support and encourage:
the management of complex projects, a widening of methodological approaches,
the further combination of different approaches from different contributory
disciplines, the melding of theory-building and method, and the creation
of new models for transforming findings into usable forms. These aims
are not unique to educational research, much less teaching and learning
research. They would be seen by many, not least the ESRC (Marshall 2001),
as appropriate for other social scientific endeavours such as sociology,
psychology, economics and geography. Education is being used as a testing
ground for a new approach to capacity building, and whatever the results
are they will be a valuable guide for future projects with similar aims
in any substantive area.
To view
the full document, click
here.
Gorard,
S. (2001) The role of cause and effect in education as a social science,
Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 43
This paper is intended as a stimulus to discussion on the nature of cause:effect
models, and their role in educational research. It is clearly not intended
to be definitive. Nor is it based on new evidence. It considers in turn
models based on no causation at all, models based on causation alongside
other explanatory processes, models based solely on causation, and variations
of the latter. Among these are purportedly weaker forms of causation,
including Granger causation, social determinants, and so-called fuzzy
generalisation. Cause:effect models have been based variously on temporal
and spatial conjunction, the impact of interventions, and theoretical
explanations. The paper concludes that cause:effect provides a powerful,
persuasive and near-universal explanation for social and psychological
processes, despite our inability to detect it directly. Because of this
inability, cause:effect models are more impressive if they have all three
of the characteristics just noted. This conclusion, if accepted, has implications
for the nature of educational research.
To view
the full document, click here.
Gorard,
S. (2001) The way forward for educational research?, Cardiff
University School of Social Sciences Occasional Paper 42
Educational research in the UK has for some time been criticised in terms
of both its relevance and its quality. Indeed, these issues of relevance
and quality have been presented by critics as somehow linked with each
other, and with a dearth of large-scale 'quantitative' evidence about
teaching and learning. It is, therefore, interesting to consider the recent
Hay/McBer research into teacher effectiveness, one of many responses,
in the light of these criticisms. To what extent has the work used quantitative
evidence in a high quality piece of research to address relevant issues
for practitioners and policy-makers? The answers presented in this brief
account of the research are that it is clearly important work, uses a
variety of numeric and other data sources, but that the design is not
one that the research community should set out to emulate. Despite considerable
prior adjustment to the sample, in favour of the publicised findings,
it remains the case that only 55% of the teachers rated 'outstanding'
in a dichotomous classification by Hay/McBer actually achieved pupil-results
higher than would be expected (once prior attainment and contextual variables
were taken into account). This success rate in identification is insufficiently
better than would occur by chance for the researchers to then present
the characteristics of these supposedly outstanding teachers as ones that
other teachers should take note of. If this report is being presented
by the DfEE as the form of research that they and other client bodies
are seeking, then we must conclude that quality is linked neither to research
relevance, nor is it necessarily an outcome of the use of quantitative
evidence per se.
To view
the full document, click
here.
|
