[NLA] Philosophical Naivete--Evidence and the Personal

[AWilder106@aol.com]

There could be a list of methodologies used in the social sciences which 
includes  discussion of their measures of validity.  The list put out by OERI 
ranks educational studies by methodology, saying that studies which use some 
methods are better than other studies which use other method, as I recall. 

ANY study should be able to defend the method used and to show how threats to 
validity have been countered.  

Many studies in the social sciences are judged valid even though the method 
of control group/treatment group is not used.  If we want to assemble a list 
of valid studies the methodologies should be scrutinized on their own merits, 
and judged as to whether they have successfully met challenges to validity.  
I am sure NCSALL could rank its own studies in this way.  I think we should 
know what studies are out here and how they rank in relation to the 
methodological criteria set up by OERI.

I am not talking about an either/or world, but a range of studies considered 
valid.  There are many perfectly valid studies which do not use the 
treatment/control group method, BUT the treatment/control croup studies MAY 
be judged most satisfactory and hence desirable because they demonstrate 
clear results, changes in outputs given certain inputs.  

Other types of studies are not less "scientific" they exemplify different 
kinds of "science."   "Science" is a big field.  One example:  "Street Corner 
Society," a description of male street life in one particular group of 
Italian-American males.  There have probably been hundreds of spin-off 
studies from this book which describes small group dynamics.  It would be 
very useful in a classroom study of adult literacy leadership among a group  
of students.  Maybe someone has already done the work and put it through a 
regression equation--now THAT would be useful as it could put the reading 
methodology used in a classroom (s) together with group leadership qualities. 
 I bet everyone who has ever taught knows the importance of student 
leadership in a classroom.

So, my point:  there are reputable studies using different criteria for 
validity.  I am sure a case could be made for these, but the evidence would 
have to be assembled first, then defended by a politically adept group 
extremely knowledgeable in the field.  And probably some locally interested 
Congresspeople, validity does not exist in a political vacuum.

Andrea
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