The logic of causal investigations and the rhetoric and pragmatics of research planning
pp. 173-175
in: Alan , E. Paul Hart, Michael A. Peters (eds), A companion to research in education, Berlin, Springer, 2014Abstract
Must investigations of treatment effects adopt a logic of causal investigation that defaults to the design and application of randomized control trials in education? Does the language of scientific research impel this too for intervention studies? In this brief response to Scriven's chapter, we explore the pragmatics of research planning to identify compounding factors and challenges to such characterizations of "gold standard' research in education. The prospect is tantalizing: if adjudications of explanatory power are the true benchmark for evaluating educational studies, then a requisite variety in research designs and logics must be entertained, and engaged.