RON MCDERMOTT spoke of RESEARCH 2 to DAN TRIPLETT on 11-28-96
RM>DT>Speaking of elephants....I think that the study of elephants is a 
RM>DT>qualitative project.....
RM>Doesn't have to be....
RM>DT>observing the animal in its natural element....
RM>Very few people are in a position to actually DO this....
Ever hear of Elephantologists?  
RM>DT>noting consistencies in its behavior and over time 
RM>DT>"discovering" an "explanation" regarding elephant behavior.  
RM>Inferring an explanation, and my example was of understanding
RM>elephants, not just their apparent behavior....
Part of understanding elephants would be understanding their behavior.  
And haven't you ever watched National Geographic or Wild Kingdom?  
RM>DT>How well do you think scientific studies have assisted in making 
RM>DT>education better?
RM>I don't think many have been done, but it may be, as you
RM>say, that human behavior doesn't lend itself very well
RM>to scientific study as the variables are too extensive..
Yes....but the qualitative approach..if well-structured {:)} lends 
itself very well to education....
RM>DT>One of the reasons for the low numbers of studies is funding.  
RM>DT>Know anything about this?
RM>One of the problems is that everyone observes and then draws
RM>conclusions (in other words, everyone has had an opportunity
RM>to conduct a "study"), and therefore "understands" the
RM>educational process and what its "problem" is... Of course
RM>everyone has different ideas as to the "problem", and
RM>different "solutions" (also based upon no scientific study,
RM>just "commonsense").  Add to that the ridiculous way we fund
RM>education in the FIRST place, and you have funding problems.
You use the term "everyone" improperly.  Not "everyone" conducts a 
qualitative study and arrives at "different" ideas and solutions.  Most 
of the material I have read shows others studies as supporting each 
other in their findings.  I wouldn't put any stock in a group of studies 
that came up with different findings.  Who would?  
Dan 
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