Ron,
Boy do we see things differently (though I agree with much of what you 
have said regarding research).....but....after you said "leap of faith" 
well...you lost me.....not all qualitative research can be so easily 
dismissed.
Leap of faith.....I think it is a leap of faith to believe that the 
scientific approach is the only "research" that can provide an "inside 
look" at something.  
Speaking of elephants....I think that the study of elephants is a 
qualitative project.....observing the animal in its natural 
element....noting consistencies in its behavior and over time 
"discovering" an "explanation" regarding elephant behavior.  
....the scientific approach studies the RON MCDERMOTT spoke of RESEARCH 
2 to DAN TRIPLETT on 11-25-96
RM>RM>that may be sufficient, but may also entail some risk (It's
RM>RM>always a risk to use something you don't understand)....
RM> 
RM>DT>Ahhh...you speak of faith here....
RM> 
RM>Perhaps... The process of induction, widely used in human
RM>thought, is itself an exercise in faith, I suppose.  We have
RM>faith that things will continue to behave as they have always 
RM>done, without the slightest "proof" that this is a resonable
RM>expectation.
RM>  
RM>The scientific method leads to understanding; it may be only 
RM>a partial understanding, but an understanding nonetheless. 
RM>Studies, otoh, lead to leaps in faith, since one can only
RM>glimpse the outward appearance, not the inner structure.  I
RM>guess the clearest analogy I can make is that a study is like 
RM>looking at a box from the outside, or infering the nature of 
RM>an elephant by handling it while you are blindfolded.  The
RM>scientific method allows you to look more closely, to handle
RM>and look inside the box, or remove the blindfold to better
RM>appreciate the true nature of the elephant.  Despite this
RM>closer scrutiny, one is unlikely to ever understand the
RM>elephant sufficiently to create an elephant oneself.  The
RM>"understanding" may never be total, but this doesn't mean
RM>that one is no better off than one was with the blindfold on.
How well do you think scientific studies have assisted in making 
education better?  Recently I read that amount of educational research 
is very low compared to other research being conducted.  One of the 
reasons for the low numbers of studies is funding.  Know anything about 
this?
Dan
--- GEcho 1.11+
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