Shortcomings in Supervision

• Students are not taught processes because lecturers

themselves are not aware of them.
• Students are taught the wrong make-up and/or system of
procedures.
• Students are taught an incomplete repertoire and/or
system of procedures.
• Students are taught particular rather than more general
operations and their systems.
• Students are taught uncertain, vague, or ambiguous
prescriptions, which leave unclear what specifically
should be cognitively done in order to be able to solve
problems.
Adapted from Landa (1983)
 Shortcomings in Supervision
• Scary anecdotes
• Administrative strategies for excellence
• Students have to be good before coming in?
• For me: Can’t really choose or be choosy
about my students
• To my students: If I am not good enough,
dunk me. Please go get someone else
ASAP. I am not “married” to you.
"Conceptualizing the Quantitative
and Qualitative Research"
Merza Abbas, PTPM
 How to

• Conceptualize quantitative research

• Conceptualize qualitative research
• Do Quantitative research:
– Dr Mokhtar
• Do Qualitative research:
– Dr Hashimah
 The differences
• Qualitative research
– Introduce new theories
– Suggest causes
– Descriptive, bottom-up
– Uses inductive thinking
• Quantitative research
– Sharpen old/existing tools
– Suggest a cure
– Prescriptive, top-down
– Uses deductive thinking
 What is research?
• Another process of “tool” or sense making
• The world is a complex place
– Dynamic, ever-changing
– Driven by entropy, chaos
– Built-in rot, decay, obsolescence
– Need to be always in control
• From Science: devices and remedies
• From Soc. Science: mental tools/strategies
Review of some key concepts
Structure Q Paradigm
U
of A Q
Academic N U
thinking T A
I L
T
Theory
I
A T
T A
I T
V I
E Model V
E
Res.
Res.

Practice
 Structure of Scientific
Revolution (Kuhn, 1970)
Quantitative Method

Paradigm Normal Science

New
Anomalies New Paradigm
Normal Science

Another new
More Anomalies
Paradigm

Qualitative method
 Objectivist Paradigm
Theory Focus: Mastery of content/skills

Behaviourist through conditioning and use of

Mental
extrinsic processes
“motivational”processes
are predictable:
External factors
Cybernetic can change of sub-skills
through accumulation
internal processes
and sub-procedures
Cognitive through activation of mental
processes such as schemas,
strategies, & metacognition
Bloom’s Taxonomy

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Knowledge
Learning Hierarchy

Higher Order Rules

Problem Solving

Rules

Concept

Discrimination
 Components of interest

Accumulated
knowledge, Mastery &
rules, & Transfer
facts
 Constructivist Paradigm
Theory Focus: reasoning skills & science
process skills

Mental through inquiry and solving

Development real-life problems
Mental processes
are not predictable:
Humanist Knowledge is private &&
through meaningful
is personally
purposeful learning
constructed
Social through scaffolding,
learning cooperative/collaborative learning,
 Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

• Evaluation •Creating

• Synthesis •Evaluating

• Analysis •Analysing

• Application •Applying

• Comprehension •Understanding

• Knowledge •Remembering
(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 8)
Lawson’s Taxonomy

Draw & apply reasonable conclusions

Organize & analyse expt. data

Plan & conduct controlled expt

Generate logical predictions

Recognize & state alt. H & Theories

Sense & state causal question

Describe nature accurately

 Components of any field

Accumulated
knowledge, Real world
rules, & applications
Facts

Types and
levels
of thinking
/reasoning
 How to begin a study
Identify through literature review:

• Problems,
• Shortcomings,
• Needs,
• Anomalies, etc

inherent the current paradigms, theories, models &

practice
 Types of Needs
• Normative needs --- test norms
• Comparative needs – status/kiasu
• Felt needs ------- desire/wish
• Expressed needs --- waiting list
• Anticipated/Future needs -
------------------ projection

• Critical incidental needs—

------- failures /accidents
 Sample problems

• Performance in math & science

• TIMMS 1999
• TIMMS 2004
Negara
Performance
in 1999

16

22
Performance
in 2003
10

No significant
20
increase
in science
achievement
despite > 5 years
of preparation.

Why?
 Solutions
• Simple answers
– Logical, general one dimensional answers
– Black and white thinking
– Quick cure, as in policy formulation

• Scientific answers
– Identification of multiple factors & complex
inter-relationships between them
– Only from research
 Quantitative Research
• Sharpen / replace existing practices / tools
• Prescribe, top-down intervention
• Paradigms, theories & models play Critical
Roles
• Justification: “….no study has yet explored
the use of this P / T / M in this context…..”,
• Title: “The effects of an IV on a DV among
an MV…..”
 Quantitative Research
Problem or Need

Identify an alternative
Structure to guide
research: Create a structure
Theoretical Framework to guide research:
Conceptual
Framework
Grand theory
Midrange theory
Micro-range theory

Conceptual Definitions
of Study Variables,
Research Questions, Operational Definitions to Instruments
Hypotheses measure the study variables
 What is obtained?
• A new cure / remedy
• A more dynamic & productive paradigm
 Acute Anomalies
Malaysia:- 5 As + Sc + IS + BSc = killers
• PhD + Datukship + CEO = CBT
• Car + Motorcycle + License = accidents
• Schooling + F in all subjects = millionaire
The US:- Best of everything + Best of
everything + best of everything
= killers
World: Islam + marginalization = terrorists
How to study / solve these problems?
 Qualitative Research
• Reassess known paradigms, theories & models
in specific contexts
• Non-invasive data collection
• Justification: “….no adequate P / T / M currently
explains this phenomenon…..”,
• Title: “Violence in the Malaysian Premier
Schools-A case study”
• Or “Social construction of technology in the
Malaysian Smart School-A case study…..”
 What is obtained?
• A new mind set / problem situation
• A hidden/grounded theory
Qualitative Research
Problem in a
given context

Reveal Survey related theories to

Grounded guide the development the
theory research instruments

- Piece together bits &

pieces of data to
address the research
questions
 More Research Questions
• Which develops first:
– Scientific thinking or Critical thinking?

• What are some classic qualitatively

discovered theories?
– Darwin’s theory of evolution
– Piaget’s theory of mental development
– Vygotsky’s ZPD
 Theory of Evolution
• Man descended form ape
• Mammals from fish
• Birds from dinosaurs
• (Present from the past)
• Survival of the fittest
• Natural selection
• Adaptation
How was the theory developed?
• Darwin went to the Galapagos Islands
• Collected data /very fine observations
• Analyzed each case closely
• Drew conclusions
– Form follows function
– Adaptation produced each form
– Lifeforms change, mutate, gain flight… at will
• Extrapolated to the primordial soup
 What did Darwin do?
• Discovered a grounded theory
• Offered an elegant theory that has
– Internal consistency
– Explicit boundaries and limitations
– Parsimony (i.e., simplicity)
– Usefulness
– Comprehensiveness
– Breadth of applicability, etc
• That became upgraded into paradigm
• But is this theory final?
 What happened in Physics?
• What did Newton do?
– Introduced a new paradigm, F = ma
• What did Einstein do?
– Introduced another paradigm, E = mc2
– And F = ma is a special case of E = mc2
• Newton’s laws were subsumed under Einstein’s
theory
• Also, Einstein assumed his theory is subsumed
under another theory (unified theory)
What happened in Physics?

A higher order paradigm

subsumes
A lower order paradigm
 What’s happening in biology?

Theory of True:
Evolution More proofs
That support

•Fossils
•DNA
Is it really •Survival of
•Not consistent with the fittest
true? •Natural selection
Theology
Philosophy Cases that •Adaptation
Some Scientific data do not fit •ET life
•Outer space
proteins/chemicals
 Could This happen?
• Creation / Intelligent design becomes the
higher order paradigm and evolution
becomes a lower order paradigm?

Intelligent design subsumes evolution?

What do these have to do with us?
• Part of a community of researchers / tool
makers / sense makers
• Design new tools for our eras
• Refine accepted theories / models based
on new data
• Introduce new theories / paradigms
• Refine the educational paradigms like the
ones in Physics
 Beliefs in Science
• Anything that exists is quantifiable,
measurable
• Laws of nature are regular, replicable
• A theory (or paradigm) is held true for as
long as it cannot be rejected
• Refinement through Research
 Summary
Survey of issues, paradigms, theories, models, frameworks

Suggest
Cured?
a cure Choose
Identify a Collect the
Problem/ P/T/M/F.
Data &
need Develop the
Analyse
Identify instruments
Grounded
hidden
Theory?
Lit. review causes