Pet735 week 4 presentation

Macdonald, D., Kirk, D., Metzler, M., Nilges, L., Schempp, P.,

Wright, J. (2002). It's all very well, in theory: theoretical perspectives and their applications in contemporary

pedagogical research. Quest, 54, 133-156.

Annie Machamer

Type – Purpose - Background• Position Paper• Considers how multiple different paradigms

inform the questions we ask and shapes the conduct of current physical education research.

• Background of educational research is concerned about the relationship of knowledge and power, and who holds “truth” and how they arrived at it.

Key Points• A theory refers to a unified, systematic explanation of a

diverse range of phenomena and that aids prediction• “Good Theory” is grounded empirically, allowing for points

of investigation to rise, is strong in explanation/interpretation, and is stated simply.

• Discussion of theory has to be discussed with discussion on paradigm(s) used. (Working Together)

• Per slide

Activity• Tyler: The Positivist Perspective (135-137)• Karl: The Interpretive Perspective (137-140)• Adam: The Socially Critical Perspective (140-

142)• Renee: The Poststructuralist Perspective (142-

144)• Kathleen: The Feminist Perspective (145-148)• David: Cautions and Conclusions (148-151)

Perspective Questions to Answer?• What does the paradigm mean (definition)?

• What are its strengths?

• What are its weaknesses?

• Does it make any connection to other paradigms? If so, how?

Cautions & Conclusions Questions to Answer?

• What were the main points of caution?

• What main conclusions did the authors come to?

• How does this effect the standings, or relate to all paradigms?

Positivist Perspective• Define: Society like the physical word holds itself to laws, the perspective uses

objective measurements to establish correlations between sets of variables.

• Strengths: Strong focus on teacher and student behavior, places high value on observing teacher/student behavior as it is happening in the most valid environment, provides a snapshot description, and goes beyond simple description of behavior.

• Weakness : underlying theory was shown to be in error, methodogical flaws, and applications ineffective.

• Connections: Research has moved from roots in behavior psychology to roots based in cognitive and social.

Interpretive Perspective• Define: Anthropological approach to research questions and data

collection

• Strengths: Provides insight to multiple levels of attitudes and ‘truths’ to experiences

• Weakness: Unrepeatable results, each situation is different depending on researcher and/or participant so same questions in ‘same’ environment can still yield very different results

• Connections: Feminist paradigms, since it can ‘give voice’ to participants that may be in a small, fringe group of a specific population whole.

Socially Critical Perspective

• Define: All information is theory dependent.

• Strengths: Commitment to social justice, equity and inclusivity and social change.

• Weaknesses: Can be seen as occupying the moral high ground and as critics.

• Connection: it is similar to the interpretivist paradigm, as both are based on previous research.

Poststructuralist Perspective• Postructuralist Perspective investigate how selves and social relations are

constituted in particular relations of power-knowledge. They make visible, what has been invisible and provides new ways of seeing things. In this research, they understand how social practices affect gender relations.

• Strengths: Potential as theory to inform empirical research projects.• Weakness: Focus too much on “hyperindividualistic.” Meaning they over

emphasize on identity politics consumerism, pluralism--they lost sight of reproductive power and structural constraints.

• connection to other paradigms including interprevist, critical, and post-modern. It rejects the notions of a reality that is fixed and humanist/modernist view of the rational autonomous (not controlled by others or by outside forces) meaning making individual. The only thing different about the Postructualist Perspective is that it differs with the kinds of questions that drive planning, research, collection and interpretation of data.

Feminist Perspective• Define: An attempt to more fully explain women's oppression and offer

solutions for its elimination.

• Strengths: Data collection is generally qualitative in nature in order to capture the complexities of diverse women's lives. Large population size

• Weaknesses: Fragmented and splintered, feminist perspectives have not been readily conceded to or uncritically accepted. Bias

• Connections: Gender is understood from a multifaceted and complex position where a variety of identity categories (e.g., race, class, physical ability, sexual orientation) intersect with context in the construction of gender identity.

Cautions • Connect theory to important political, economic, and cultural

issues. Get hands dirty forming alliances with practioners.• Connect theory to observations and data collection. “Theory

itself can only be refined and advanced when tested and tried out in the field (p.149).

• Avoid theory becoming instrumental in academic self- promotion. Need to consider everyday lie-world to forge theoretical perspectives.

• Avoid theoretical fads.• Retain and develop our collective memory. Recognize gains

made and incorporate perspectives, such as structural and post-structural.

Conclusion• Positivist Approach-student’s perspective in physical

education and class interactions.• Interpretivist Approach-student’s experiences in the

physical education class.• Critical Approach-action research model to give

students a stronger voice in teaching and learning.• Postmodern-poststructural-how the learning

environment came to be.• Feminists—impact of the classroom interactions on

girls.

Effects on Paradigms

Theory is indispensable to quality research; but• -ask good questions;• -seek well considered ways of coming to know;• -communicate inclusiveness if the field is to progress!

Conclusions/implications for practice and/or future research

• Researchers need to understand each paradigm/theoretical perspective and how they are using their particular theory, in relation to the “bigger picture” of what their research is adding.

• Different paradigms are used to answer different kinds of questions, yet using multiple theories together can answer the questions with more “richness” and provide more insight for future research .

• Bullet points

• Per slide

Questions?

• After reviewing this material, what are you thinking might be your underlying paradigm of your research?

• With the physical education world today, what might be the best paradigm to use in research?

• (David Robertson):D

What it meant to me?• Theory and how it relates to practice

• No theory is better than the other

• Choose the best paradigm that fits your questions (or multiple)

• Not mutually exclusive, mixed method analysis can be used