🚀 go-pugleaf

Date:   Wed, 14 Oct 1992 19:27:00 -0400
From: <N0G@psuvm.psu.edu>
Subject: Re: Moore;dist.ed.theory
To: KWB107@psuvm.psu.edu
Cc: banthy-m@acs.ucalgary.ca
In-Reply-To:  KWB107 AT PSUVM.PSU.EDU 
Wed, 14 Oct 1992 16:39:00 -0400
 
You ask "elaborate on your perceived differences between the two"
and I think you mean by "the two" the educational theory as opposed
to what you call a scientific theory... I dont accept, for the moment,
the proposition that educational theory should be "looser" than some
other kind of theory called "Scientific". Should be.. I said..
I recognize that at present most educational theories are less well
grounded in empirical data. It is a chicken and egg problem isnt
it... We have no well accepted summaries of knowledge about 
distance learning and teaching. Therefore people gather information
that is a-theoretical... it neither refutes or confirms any theory..
some distance teaching universities sweep up mountains of facts that
do little to advance knowledge in general...
they know how many men or women there are in each region, how old 
they are, their grades, etc.. all useful to plan the system,
but of no contribution to development of
basic understanding about how people learn and teach... So we have
theories with weak foundations in fact, and facts unrelated to
theories....
 
I hope this discussion will help break us out of this circle... 
... we can be more scientific, without yet reaching the stage of being
able to test hypotheses in experimental design..I personally think the
experimental method is an important and the most sophisticated form
or research.. and I also like qualitative, ethnographic and other
inductive research... I dont think we are ready yet for much
hypothetico-deductive research... but we should aspire to it..
in other words we might be "looser" and not what you call scientific
now... but we can get less loose if we applied discipline in our
qualitative methods, aspire and seek ways of testing by experiment...
and build research from our theories.. and seek to developo them in
light of the information we discover... I dont know if this is
answering your question... anyway I am more interested in hearing
what other people think... I would like to get some consensus views
on these issues to take forward to Bangkok...
so let's hear from you....
Michael Moore.



--  
uucp: uunet!m2xenix!puddle!23.0!Nancy.Petersen
Internet: Nancy.Petersen@p0.f23.n105.z1.fidonet.org