Responding to a message by Dan, to Ron on ...
DT>I am referring to qualitative research.  Educational research is 
DT>changing and is no longer dominated by measurement, rationalized 
DT>definition, variables, and empirical fact.
And this is why you and I continue to disagree over whether any 
decent research exists supporting whole language.  You believe that 
if a teacher writes a book and says that process XYZ works, then it 
must be so.  I only believe that the teacher *thinks* it is so.
Surely you are aware of the placebo effect - what we want to be true 
we make come true.  Personal bias is far too important an element in 
the observational process to allow us to accept *any* research based 
on casual observations.
My point, to be precise, is that educators *must* stop adopting new 
teaching techniques on a large scale until they have been rigorously 
tested under strict scientific rules.
Chuck Beams
Fidonet - 1:2608/70
cbeams@future.dreamscape.com
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