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PREFACE

The interest exhibited in the bulletin, "Reporting Educational Research," published by the Bureau of Educational Research, March, 1925, indicated that a more extensive treatment of the techniques of educational research would be welcome. With the exception of Chapter VI, Reporting Educational Research, the present bulletin consists largely of references to illustrations of research procedures. This type of treatment has been employed because it is believed that graduate students, or other persons desiring to learn how to carry on educational research, would profit more from noting the procedures employed by previous investigators than by reading an exposition of research techniques which would necessarily be somewhat abstract. There is a bibliography for each chapter except the last. However, the bibliographies for those chapters that deal with research techniques contain relatively few references. This is due to the fact that as yet there have been relatively few attempts by writers to deal with non-statistical procedures.

Mr. J. A. Clark, a former Assistant in the Bureau of Educational Research, contributed to the preparation of this bulletin by preparing a preliminary list of illustrative references which were mimeographed and placed in the hands of graduate students taking a seminar in educational research. These students contributed a number of valuable suggestions and several additional references. The authors are glad to acknowledge their indebtedness to all who have contributed to the project.

WALTER S. MONROE, Director.

November 2, 1927.

THE TECHNIQUES OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

What is educational research? A brief formal definition of educational research cannot describe the many and varied activities of investigators in the field of education; it can only give an epitomized description of the general character of their activities. The following definition is given to suggest the point of view of the authors in preparing this bulletin. It is not expected that the reading of the statement will result in an adequate understanding of educational research. One who desires to understand this procedure must acquaint himself with the techniques employed in representative studies, or better engage in educational research.

Educational research is the name for a type of procedure employed in answering thought questions1 about education; that is, questions for which answers must be manufactured by reflective thinking. This procedure is one in which the best data obtainable are used and the thinking is critical. At times a research worker may be concerned with fact questions answerable by routine clerical activities. If the answers to such questions are needed as a means of dealing with thought questions, such activities are a phase of educational research.

The ultimate purpose of all educational research is the discovery of procedures, rules, and principles relating to the various aspects of education. Or to express it in a somewhat different way, the function of educational research is to determine what we should do or attempt to do in educating children and adults. However, many of the activities of research workers have as their immediate purpose the determination of what is, or what has been, rather than what should be. This is not inappropriate provided the securing of this information is looked upon as a means for determining what should be.

The general plan of educational research. Educational research begins with the formulation of the problem, usually in the form of a

'The phrase "thought question" is used in contrast to "fact question." As the terms are used here, a fact question is one for which there is a ready-made answer, either in the possession of the investigator or easily obtainable by him. In some instances the answer is obtainable in the required form; in others some organization or calculations are necessary. Hence, fact questions merge into thought questions and it is not possible to specify a definite line of demarcation between. In general, if the calculations are simple and routine in character, the investigator may be said to be dealing with a fact question. If the work of handling the collected information involves decisions and relatively complex calculation, the use of the adjective "thought" is justified.

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