Pursuing Truth in Narrative Research

In substituting aesthetic criteria for the time-honoured yardsticks of reliability, validity and generalization, narrative researchers are sometimes criticized for devaluing the notion of truth. This paper suggests that what is an issue here is not so much empirical quantitative truth as rather artistic literary truth. The latter notion of truth is characterized in terms of ‘authenticity’ and the ramifications of authentic truth for narrative research are posited and explored. Only such an understanding of truth and the resolve seriously to apply it will garner narrative researchers the epistemic respectability they seek.     

符合论发展的历史考察

系统地考察了符合论的历史发展,认为:古典符合论是符合论的萌芽;近代符合论是符合论发展的中心环节;以普遍必然性与客观性结合问题的解决为目的,康德真理观对近代符合论进行了综合研究;马克思主义符合论是近代符合论的继承和发展,是唯物经验符合论的最高发展阶段;现代符合论则继承和发展了唯心经验符合论和怀疑主义符合论。     

On the Epistemology of Narrative Research in Education

The purpose of this article is to explore the epistemological foundations of narrative research in education. In particular, I seek to explain how one can obtain knowledge, given its origin in teachers' subjective experiences. The problem with rhetorical and aesthetic criteria that narrative researchers use to warrant their knowledge claims is not that they don't meet a correspondence criterion of truth as post‐positivists contend, but rather that they fail to connect teachers' ethical views with their practice. Since narrative research is aimed at understanding teachers' actions and not at seeking some kind of mechanism in teachers' behaviour, the link between past experiences and present teaching practice is not causal but teleological. I suggest that although the knowledge claims of narrative researchers may not be justified (because they don't meet the criteria of truth as correspondence theory), we might nonetheless be intellectually entitled to accept them. Entitlement is an epistemic right or warrant that constitutes knowledge as justification, but uses different reasons—teleological not causal explanations. I offer three criteria to establish entitlement to accept narrative researchers' findings: (1) the meeting of rhetorical standards such as plausibility, adequacy, and persuasion; (2) the inclusion of teachers' stories about their pedagogical practice; (3) the meeting of ethical criteria that connects a teacher's actions to an articulate and defensible end‐in‐view or vision of the good.     

杜威的真理观述评

杜威是美国实用主义的代表人物。他提出了“真理即工具”的真理观。认为真理是人们思想和行为的一种工具,真理的真在于其有效性和实用性。杜威的真理观与传统的真理观有所不同。传统的真理观强调的是静态的符合。而杜威的真理观强调的是动态的符合。     

形而上学符合论述评

形而上学符合论包括经验主义符合论和唯理主义符合论。在真理问题上,经验主义和唯理主义具有严重的形而上学性。虽然如此,形而上学符合论是符合论发展史上不可或缺的一部分,是符合论发展的中心环节。     

This is my truth,tell me yours: some aspects of action research quality in the light of truth theories

In this article the authors introduce some aspects of various truth theories in the context of action research. The traditional ways of determining quality are based on the correspondence theory of truth, which, in their view, conflicts with the basic assumptions of action research. The pragmatic theory of truth seems to be clearly represented in the world of action research. In their opinion, other theories of truth can be productively applied as well. In addition to the classical theories of truth – the correspondence theory, the coherence theory and the pragmatistic view on truth – they discuss the truth as ‘aletheia’ (a Heideggerian view on truth), as Habermasian consensus and as Foucaultian power/knowledge.     

Reclaiming Metaphysical Truth for Educational Research

It is not uncommon in educational research and social science in general either to eschew the word truth or to put it in scare quotes in order to signify scepticism about it. After the initial wave of relativism in the philosophy of natural science, a second wave has developed in social science with the rise of postmodernism and poststructuralism. The tendency here is to relativise truth or to bracket out questions of truth. In contradistinction, this paper revindicates the metaphysical nature of truth. Truth is a transcendental precondition of educational inquiry and is best understood as a formal, regulative norm. Realism about truth enjoins a defence of the correspondence theory, which is provided here. At the same time, however, the development of realism in the social sciences has ironically followed the postmodernists in its scepticism about truth and its rejection of the correspondence theory. This paper critically appraises such recent developments, since all research is unintelligible without realism about the social world and whether our substantive knowledge-claims correspond with it.     

唐君毅真理四标准综合说——兼论唐君毅和金岳霖真理标准综合说比较

唐君毅作为港台新儒学的代表性人物,海内外学者研究其思想的著述着实不少,但对于唐君毅知识论思想的研究却很少.在知识论研究领域,关于真理标准问题,唐君毅有着自己独到的见解,并提出了真理四标准综合说,通过一语句与事实的四项关联完成了对符合真理说的改造.金岳霖将符合说与照相式的符合划清界限,通过对符合说的命题、实在和符合三个关节的限定和说明,完成了对符合说的改造.二者最大的不同在于:符合说在他们各自体系中的地位不同.     

罗素的“符合论”真理观研究

人类发展的历史离不开对真理的执著追求。在众多真理理论中,罗素的真理符合论（Correspondence Theory of Truth）是影响较为广泛的一种理论。不过,罗素的真理理论在其学术生涯中也经历了几次变化和研究侧重的转变,因此,梳理罗素的真理观有助于厘清其真理理论牵涉的若干问题,有助于从罗素关注的基本问题入手认真思考语言与事实之间的对应关系,并进一步探索符合论真理观的不足与意义。     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE: VALIDATION PROCESSES AND TRUTH CRITERIA IN SIX FIELDS OF STUDY

The validation processes and truth criteria employed in a field of study govern both the knowledge to be learned and how it is applied. To determine what validation processes and criteria are used, professors from three major research universities in six matched pure and applied fields of study: physics and engineering in the natural sciences; psychology and education in the social sciences; and English literature and English language in the humanities, were interviewed. Analysis of the professors' statements suggests differences and similarities across fields of study in validation processes and the criteria by which truth is judged. A comparison of these views provides insight into possible differences as to how decisions are made in different disciplines and the nature of knowledge in them.     

Development and validation of an instrument for evaluating inquiry-based tasks in science textbooks

This article describes the development and validation of an instrument that can be used for content analysis of inquiry-based tasks. According to the theories of educational evaluation and qualities of inquiry, four essential functions that inquiry-based tasks should serve are defined: (1) assisting in the construction of understandings about scientific concepts, (2) providing students opportunities to use inquiry process skills, (3) being conducive to establishing understandings about scientific inquiry, and (4) giving students opportunities to develop higher order thinking skills. An instrument – the Inquiry-Based Tasks Analysis Inventory (ITAI) – was developed to judge whether inquiry-based tasks perform these functions well. To test the reliability and validity of the ITAI, 4 faculty members were invited to use the ITAI to collect data from 53 inquiry-based tasks in the 3 most widely adopted senior secondary biology textbooks in Mainland China. The results indicate that (1) the inter-rater reliability reached 87.7%, (2) the grading criteria have high discriminant validity, (3) the items possess high convergent validity, and (4) the Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient reached 0.792. The study concludes that the ITAI is valid and reliable. Because of its solid foundations in theoretical and empirical argumentation, the ITAI is trustworthy.     

大学生民族认同量表的编制

基于社会认同理论和个体认同发展理论,借鉴国内外相关问卷,编制了民族认同量表。以1101名不同民族的大学生为被试,采用探索性因素分析、验证性因素分析等方法对量表的信度、效度进行了检验。本量表由三个维度构成,即探索、肯定和确认,相关指标表明量表具有较好的信度、效度,很好地测量了民族认同一般、核心的成分,可以比较不同民族成员对其所属民族的认同状况,本量表可以用来测量不同民族大学生的民族认同。     

The Ontological Reversal: A figure of thought of importance for science education

The German philosopher Edmund Husserl critiqued natural science for contributing to an 'ontological reversal', meaning that abstract mathematical models of phenomena are taken as more real than phenomena themselves, as they appear in our everyday experience. Nowadays many scientists have abandoned the correspondence theory of truth concerning their theoretical models, but the effects of the 'ontological reversal' may still linger among lay people. The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate whether this 'reversal' is present in the thinking and reasoning of pre-service science teachers. In the project upon which the paper is based, twenty-three student teachers were introduced to Goethe's theory of colour. They were then placed in small groups and given the task of discussing whether Goethe's theory is scientific or not. The group discussions were recorded and analysed in terms of thematic contents. The ontological reversal seemed to be present as an implicit 'figure of thought' in some of the statements made in the discussions. The educational consequences of this kind of thinking for science teaching are discussed.     

Interpretive validity theory: mapping a methodology for validating educational assessments

Background:?Validity theory has evolved significantly over the past 30 years in response to the increased use of assessments across scientific, social and educational settings. The overarching trajectory of this evolution reflects a shift from a purely quantitative, positivistic approach to a conception of validity reliant on the interpretation of multiple evidence sources integrated into validity arguments. Moreover, within contemporary validity, interpretation has been emphasised as a central process; however, despite this emphasis, there have been few explicit articulations of specific interpretive methodologies applicable to the practice of validation.

Purpose:?To link contemporary theoretical foundations in validity to practical methods and structures to help guide the collection and analysis of interpretive validity evidence. By building upon existing validity theory, this paper aims to provide greater clarity on the practice of validation and contribute toward the larger developing framework for the validation of educational assessments.

Source of evidence:?An interdisciplinary, integrative review of over 60 research articles and sources related to the theory and practice of educational validation and interpretive inquiry approaches. Sources include literature from the fields of educational assessment and more broadly social scientific research.

Main argument:?As assessments in education increasingly aim to measure complex constructs that are value-laden and socially dependant, validity theory must keep pace and evolve in ways that address the inherent complexities associated with contemporary educational assessment. Through this paper, I assert that a greater understanding of interpretive methodologies represents one of the most promising areas for development of validation theory and practice. Specifically, I argue that dialectic, hermeneutic and transgressive forms of inquiry can be integrated within current argument-based structures for the collection, analysis and representation of validity evidence in several useful ways.

Conclusions:?Interpretive inquiry processes, namely dialectic, hermeneutic and transgressive forms of interpretation, serve to expand validation practice to include diverse evidences for the generation of multiple-perspective validity arguments. The paper concludes with specific implications for future research and practice within the field of interpretive validity theory.     

"判决性实验"的非科学性

理论的真理判定是一个复杂的、长期的历史过程.从经济证据的易谬性、科学理论的整体性、经济证据对理论的依赖性、竞争理论问题的互补性、理论判定的历史性等五个方面可看出"判决性实验"的不科学性.判定理论的真理性只有在人类的反复实践活动中才能完成.     

教育行动研究的效度问题

:教育行动研究是教育理论和教育实践结合的有效途径 ,效度则是决定这种结合的程度的主要因素。基于不同理论基础的研究效度具有不同的特点 ,教育行动研究的效度既不能以量化研究的效度来衡量 ,也不完全等同于质化研究的效度 ,而要从教育行动研究的目的和过程来把握     

Contemporary Test Validity in Theory and Practice: A Primer for Discipline-Based Education Researchers

Most discipline-based education researchers (DBERs) were formally trained in the methods of scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics, rather than social science disciplines such as psychology and education. As a result, DBERs may have never taken specific courses in the social science research methodology—either quantitative or qualitative—on which their scholarship often relies so heavily. One particular aspect of (quantitative) social science research that differs markedly from disciplines such as biology and chemistry is the instrumentation used to quantify phenomena. In response, this Research Methods essay offers a contemporary social science perspective on test validity and the validation process. The instructional piece explores the concepts of test validity, the validation process, validity evidence, and key threats to validity. The essay also includes an in-depth example of a validity argument and validation approach for a test of student argument analysis. In addition to DBERs, this essay should benefit practitioners (e.g., lab directors, faculty members) in the development, evaluation, and/or selection of instruments for their work assessing students or evaluating pedagogical innovations.     

真理的异化与复归--伽达默尔真理观揭示

伽达默尔认为西方自从柏拉图之后,就走上了一条主客二分的思维模式,符合论的真理观自那时以来就一直盛行不衰。近代以来,人们试图运用自然科学的方法来探求真理,伽达默尔则认为,科学方法不能保证人们获得真理;他认为科学的方法导致人类成为自然的主宰,同时,也变成了主宰人的生活的东西。伽达默尔认为在当代,真理已经无家可归并处于放逐的途中,只有通过艺术、历史、语言的途径,才能回归到主客统一的原始的真理,才能使它从异化中重返家园,在更高的水平上回归到古希腊的前真理。     

Developing and Validating a Science Notebook Rubric for Fifth-Grade Non-Mainstream Students

We present the development and validation of a science notebook rubric intended to measure the academic language and conceptual understanding of non-mainstream students, specifically fifth-grade male and female economically disadvantaged Hispanic English language learner (ELL) and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students. The science notebook rubric is based on two main constructs: academic language and conceptual understanding. The constructs are grounded in second-language acquisition theory and theories of writing and conceptual understanding. We established content validity and calculated reliability measures using G theory and percent agreement (for comparison) with a sample of approximately 144 unique science notebook entries and 432 data points. Results reveal sufficient reliability estimates, indicating that the instrument is promising for use in future research studies including science notebooks in classrooms with populations of economically disadvantaged Hispanic ELL and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students.     

Validity in mixed methods research in education: the application of Habermas' critical theory

Mixed methods approach has developed into the third methodological movement in educational research. Validity in mixed methods research as an important issue, however, has not been examined as extensively as that of quantitative and qualitative research. Additionally, the previous discussions of validity in mixed methods research focus on research design and procedure, rather than validity per se. This paper presents another perspective by using philosophical and methodological insights generated from Habermas’ critical theory, especially his Theory of Communicative Action and validity claims. Theoretical assumptions and how they are consistent with principles of mixed methods research are introduced. Three types of validity claims are explained with an example and how they are applied to understanding validity in mixed methods research is further discussed. This paper concludes with implications for educational research and future directions.