Methodological Approach

Abstract

Instead of a series of more limited experiments, the study is based on the whole situation, of which various aspects can be distinguished later. The study is designed as an experiment in reality, in which the independent variable is a specific didactic approach based on a vertical variation in children’s reflections in different teaching situations. Since the experiment is conducted in the everyday setting, it is necessary to violate the rules of traditional experimental design implying that variables should be kept under control. In that kind of experiment one works with various competences to discover a causal relationship, that is, to determine the decisive factor underlying some effect. This is, of course, impossible in everyday situations. The aim is rather to describe different didactic approaches to see what may be achieved in an educational sense. Even if this descriptive approach cannot, strictly speaking, predict what effects are obtained in the form of children’s understanding, it can provide the teacher with a practical guideline. Marton (1986) is of the opinion that, since the students’ conceptions of learning have a bearing on how they describe and get involved in a learning situation, it is necessary for anyone doing research to decide what type of learning conception best serves the type of learning one desires to develop in the student. Similarly, one should determine how various ways of working affect what children learn, even if it is impossible to establish children’s understanding as a direct effect of the teacher’s actions with absolute certainty. In other words, it is a question of obtaining detailed information, not of testing relationships.