[NLA] Research in adult literacy education

Wed Nov 20 12:54:18 EST 2002

Over the past two or three years, there have been a number of articles in 
the Chronicle of Higher Ed. tracking controversies and conflicts of interest 
within the natural sciences and medical research. There is a gap between the 
ideal of valid and objective research and the reality of practice, even for 
those who espouse objectivity. I think the cautionary note for us is to 
choose our role models carefully, and to look not only at the ideal, but at 
the difficulties in achieving those ideals in real practice. If we hold 
ourselves to what we think is the ideal for the natural sciences, but that 
even those scientists cannot achieve in practice, we are setting ourselves 
up to <always> be falling short because we are trying to achieve the 
impossible. We are always in the position of defending ourselves while 
simultaneously feeling inferior (a position familiar to most women at some 
point, I daresay!)

Even in the natural sciences, there is controversy over the ideal of 
research and practice. Debbie mentioned that even some doctors see medicine 
as an art as much as a science, and here are a couple of authors of research 
and theory articles that show the objectivist/naturalistic split exists 
within medicine and medical education. (If anyone wants full citations, let 
me know, but it will take a while for me to provide them as I haven't gotten 
around to building the Endnote database yet!)

Ronald Epstein. Mindful Practice.

Elliot Mischler. Validation in Inquiry-Guided Research.

Patel and colleagues on development of expertise and on tacit knowledge in 
medicine.

I believe that we really do "make the road by walking" and that we're not 
going to get where we (students and educators) need to be by taking someone 
else's road just because it's already paved!

>From: "Sheryl Gowen" <epssag at langate.gsu.edu>
>Reply-To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>Subject: Re:  [NLA] Research in adult literacy education
>Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 12:11:14 -0500
>
>Ah, Debbie, now I understand your frustration.
>Working with researcehrs from medicine is much different than working with 
>researchers from the social sciences. I understand the expectation for 
>"rigorous" experimental design in medical research, but social science 
>research is a different kettle of fish. And evaluation is not the same as 
>reesearch.  Although they employ several of the same methods, the purposes 
>are quite different.  Ultimately, this is a huge policy issue.  If we shun, 
>fear, or even demonize education research and evaluation, we automatically 
>silence ourselves in public policy debates and render ourselves invisible 
>to policy makers.  I could be wrong, but I don't think we want that.
>
>Sheryl Gowen, Associate Professor
>Research, Measurement and Statistics
>Department of Educational Policy Studies
>Georgia State University
>Atlanta, GA 30303-3083
>sgowen at gsu.edu
>404.651.1152
>fax 404.651.1009
> >>> dwyoho at earthlink.net 11/20/02 11:50 AM >>>
>Andrea: I shall not offer any particular names in this public forum, as we
>are committed to avoiding what could be construed as personal attacks. I
>think a lot of my frustration is coming from my intense work the last five
>years in the area of health literacy, and conversations I've had with
>people in the health professions. In medicine, treatment is entirely based
>on research that requires the strictest adherence to the scientific method.
>I'm glad it does--I personally place my own health in the hands of Western
>medicine. But applying scientific processes to research in education is
>fraught with all kinds of problems already discussed on the NLA. In
>addition to medical practitioners and medical researchers, I've also run
>into this point of view in my tenure as a special education teacher,
>especially in the field of learning disabilities. Now I'm hearing the "call
>for rigor" among adult educators at the policy level in my state.
>
>I value science and struggle hard to deal with my own prejudices and
>pre-dispositions to listen to what science has to offer, trying to open my
>mind as far as possible to discover what might be applicable to my chosen
>field. I think the frustration shows up when I rarely find scientists
>willing to make the same reach in my direction from their point of
>reference.
>
>On a positive note, I have met some doctors and other researchers in the
>medical field who feel that medicine is as much an art as a science, and
>who listen as intently to me as I do to them. They are forging new
>collaborations and looking hard at policies and at their own behavior to
>determine how to serve patients with reading difficulties better.
>
>As I write this I'm wondering if by now our moderator has sighed, "What's
>this to do with advocacy?" Well, advocacy is as much about promoting a
>point of view and a set of values as it is about working to bring about
>specific changes. In this Information Age, the voices of humanitarians,
>philosophers, idealists, artists, educators, etc. are beginning to sound
>downright quaint. Not here, I hasten to add. Perhaps the NLA list is one of
>the few places where warm and fuzzy values might still be offered for
>consideration. Perhaps this is why our conversations often stray from the
>practicalities of advancing the cause. We have precious too few forums.
>
>Deborah W. Yoho
>Moderator, NIFL-Health Discussion Group
>Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
>2728 Devine St. Columbia, SC 29205
>803-765-2555 dwyoho at earthlink.net
>
>Deborah W. Yoho
>Moderator, NIFL-Health Discussion Group
>Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
>2728 Devine St. Columbia, SC  29205
>803-765-2555    dwyoho at earthlink.net
>
>
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Deborah W. Yoho <dwyoho at earthlink.net>
> > To: <Awilderast at aol.com>
> > Date: 11/20/2002 10:39:31 AM
> > Subject: Re:  [NLA] Research in adult literacy education
> >
> > Andrea:  I shall not offer any particular names in this public forum, as
>we are committed to avoiding what could be construed as personal attacks.
>I think a lot of my frustration is coming from my intense work the last
>five years in the area of health literacy, and conversations I've had with
>people in the health professions.  In medicine, treatment is entirely based
>on research that requires the strictest adherence to the scientific method.
>I'm glad it does--I personally place my own health in the hands of Western
>medicine.  But applying scientific processes to research in education is
>fraught with all kinds of problems already discussed on the NLA.  In
>addition to medical practitioners and medical researchers, I've also run
>into this point of view in my tenure as a special education teacher,
>especially in the field of learning disabilities. Now I'm hearing the "call
>for rigor" among adult educators at the policy level in my state.
> >
> > I value science and struggle hard to deal with my own prejudices and
>pre-dispositions to listen to what science has to offer, trying to open my
>mind as far as possible to discover what might be applicable to my chosen
>field.  I think the frustration shows up when I rarely find scientists
>willing to make the same reach in my direction from their point of
>reference.
> >
> > On a positive note, I have met some doctors and other researchers in the
>medical field who feel that medicine is as much an art as a science, and
>who listen as intently to me as I do to them.  They are forging new
>collaborations and looking hard at policies and at their own behavior to
>determine how to serve patients with reading difficulties better.
> >
> > As I write this I'm wondering if by now our moderator has sighed, 
>"What's
>this to do with advocacy?"  Well, advocacy is as much about promoting a
>point of view and a set of values as it is about working to bring about
>specific changes.  In this Information Age, the voices of humanitarians,
>philosophers, idealists, artists, educators,  etc. are beginning to sound
>downright quaint. Not here, I hasten to add.  Perhaps the NLA list is one
>of the few places where warm and fuzzy values might still be offered for
>consideration.  Perhaps this is why our conversations often stray from the
>practicalities of advancing the cause.  We have precious too few forums.
> >
> > Deborah W. Yoho
> > Moderator, NIFL-Health Discussion Group
> > Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
> > 2728 Devine St. Columbia, SC  29205
> > 803-765-2555    dwyoho at earthlink.net
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > [Original Message]
> > > From: <Awilderast at aol.com>
> > > To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
> > > Date: 11/19/2002 4:34:55 PM
> > > Subject: Re:  [NLA] Research in adult literacy education
> > >
> > > Dear Debbie,
> > >
> > > Not to add any more to your woes, but who are the "science-based"
>people you
> > > talked with?  Academics?  Government researchers?  Policy people?
>State?
> > > Federal?
> > >
> > > i am not really uncomfortable with the replicability of research;
>however,
> > > there is darn little for adults. Any idea how the "rigor" people you
>talk
> > > with suggest you handle that?
> > >
> > > How would you feel about volunteering for a pilot study?
> > >
> > > Thanks for your frankness, it is helpful to have some idea of what you
>are up
> > > against  it sounds like quite a lot.
> > >
> > > Andrea
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > http://literacytent.org
>
>
>
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