Title: What is Scientifically Based Research?
Headings: What is Scientifically Based Research?
Using Research and Reason in Education
What is Scientifically Based Research?
A Guide For Teachers
Becoming a Wise Consumer of Education Research
The federal perspective on scientifically based research
Recognizing Effective Research
Independent peer review
Not all education journals are peer-reviewed
Replication of results by other scientists
Consensus within a research community
Scientific Investigation Proceeds by Stages
Using the Research Literature as a Guide
Teachers supporting teachers
In Summary
The basic principles of the scientific method

Content: But because there are different stages of scientific investigation, teachers should take care to use data generated at each stage in appropriate ways. For example, some teachers rely on their own observations to make judgments about the success of educational strategies. A collection of observations leads to some understanding of the world, but observations have limited value. Scientific observations must be structured in order to support or reject theories about the causes that underlie events. Scientists--and teachers--make predictions about causes based on their structured observations and then use other techniques to test specific outcomes. In the early stages of investigation, case studies-- highly detailed descriptions of individuals or small groups and the context surrounding them--can be useful. Case studies provide descriptive information about how an educational program operates in a classroom, for example, descriptions of instructional strategies, amount of time, and types of materials used in a new vocabulary program. This qualitative design uses a variety of data collection methods from multiple sources to study a single entity in depth, over a period of time, and in its context. Case studies lack the comparative information needed to determine cause-effect relationships, but they can point researchers to variables that deserve further study and help generate hypotheses. They can be helpful in developing theories about what is or is not working instructionally.