A Note on the Processing of Classroom Observation Records

Abstract

With an example of OScAR 5V records from four seventh-grade classrooms, the article illustrates the simple, but often forgotten, fact that conclusions in any study are circumscribed not merely by the question, subjects, or instrument of data collection, but also by the selected mode of data reduction. Conflicting conclusions may be drawn from the same body of data, depending upon how the analyses have been carried out. The danger is that, while other phases of inquiry receive scrutiny, the rationale for the choice of a specific means of information-processing is seldom made explicit. Still, such tacit judgments underlie every conclusion and often lead the unwary researcher to overstatement and misunderstanding. The authors urge a careful examination of this decision-making process.