Premium
Exploratory Group Technique: an approach to sensitising school‐focused research
Author(s) -
Brown Ron,
Constable Hilary,
Williams Ralph
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1080/0141192900160102
Subject(s) - normative , perspective (graphical) , exploratory research , value (mathematics) , psychology , mathematics education , research design , pedagogy , sociology , computer science , epistemology , social science , philosophy , artificial intelligence , machine learning
A technique is described for sensitising normative school‐focused research by enabling the practitioner's perspective to be uncovered and systematically incorporated into research design. The procedure is based upon small group discussions, but involves specific procedures, sampling, timing and methods of recording. It is claimed that the approach not only permits teachers to articulate their views and practice in a manner which is relatively undistorted by received rhetoric, but also results in data which readily inform the design of normative research aimed at investigating the process of schooling. Two examples are given of the technique in operation, one concerned with investigating the ways that infant teachers value and use pictures and the other an evaluation of the implementation of GRIDS (Guidelines for Review and Internal Development in Schools) in a group of schools. In each case, the results of the exploratory group are shown to have substantially influenced the extent to which the related studies were able to address issues from the school perspective.