Foundations of Qualitative Research for Education Ch1

Notes on the following book:

Qualitative research for Education: An introduction to theories and methods (4th ed)
Robert C. Bogdan and Sari Knopp Biklen
Boston, Mass: Allyn and Bacon, 2003

Ch1 Foundations of qualitative research for education: An introduction

(italics are materials not taken from the book)

p2

“qualitative research” this term was first introduced in 1960s.

characteristics:

• rich description
• not easily handled by statistics
• investigate the complexity
• not to answer hypothesis
• understand behavior from the subject’s own frame of reference
• participate observation and in-depth interviewing
• supplemented by memos, records, articles, photos.

p3

open-ended questions let subject answer from their own frame of reference

in education, often “naturalistic”.

ethnographic – describing culture

p6

Inductive – theory emerges from the bottom up, theory is grounded in the data

p7 Meaning

• what assumptions do people make about their lives?
• how different people make sense of their lives (participant perspectives)
• capture perspectives accurately so data checked by infromants/subjects/respondants

p20 Postmodernism

modernism

• rationalism and science
• stable, consistant, coherent
• positivist

postmodernism

• not rational anymore
• human know something only from a certain positon
• ermphasize interpretation
• increase in interest in discourse analysis

p21 critical theory

• research benefits a specific group, so better benefit the poor
• society is currently unjust
• research should empower the powerless and transform existing social inequalities and injustices
• increased in interest in gender, race and class
• how edcation institutions silence or privilege particular groups

p23 Phenomenological approach

• meanings to events and interactions in particular situation
• subective aspects of people’s behaviors
• believe multiple ways of interpreting experiences

p29 Ethnomethodology

• the study of how people create and understand their daily lives
• how people go about seeing, explaining and describing order in the world they live
• micro-issues, conversation and vocabulary, details of action and understanding

p30 feminists, critical theorists, postmodernist reject that the world is “directly knowable”, while phenomenologist say that it can

all social relations are influenced by power

p31 researchers have ideas about the things they are going to research. researcher’ own theoretical and ideological views are also shaped by what they learn from their informants

Methodology – general logic and theoretical perspective

Method – specific techniques such as surverys, interviews, observations

define precisely what is aggressive behavior then count them in a classroom. This is observational research, but is not qualitative research.

If not concerned with the informants’ point of view, if not letting them teach you what is important, neglect informants’ meanings (e.g. in system theory), these are not qualitative research.

p32 Are qualitative findings generlaizable?

• do not mean to reporting results that all clasrooms are like that one
• may conduct a larger number of less intense studies to show the non-idiosyncratic nature of their own work
• concerned with other settings that they are generalizable/applicable
• exploring the extent to which the communication between doctors and parents also occur in educational settings (grounded theory)

p33

• specific findings in a study provide knowledge that should be addressed to in future research and discussions.

p34 What about the researcher’s opinions, prejudices, and other biases and their effect on the data?

• objectively study the subjective state of the subjects
• researcher must constantly confront his or her own opinions and prejudices with the data
• most prejudices and opinions are superifcial while data provide detailed rendering of events
• researcher’s aim is to add knowledge, not to pass judgement.
• guard against biases by detailed fieldnotes that include reflections.

p34

• work in teams and filednotes critiqued by colleagues.
• try to acknowledge and take into account their own biases
• for feminists or critical theorists, subjectivity is considered a part of all research and is important
• an author describes how her own identities, or standpoint, gave her a particular angle of vision for analyzing the data

Doesn’t the presence of the researcher change the behavior of the people he or she is trying to study?

• called observer effect or Heisenberg effect

p35

• qualitative research try to investigate in subjects’ own natural setting
• model interviews as a conversation between two trusting parties
• understand their effect on the subjects through an intimate knowledge of the setting, and use this understanding to generate additional insights
• take some time before actual recording, let the subject feels at ease and used to the presence of researcher

 

 

 

 

Reference materials for MOI

Under this title I will post reference materials about MOI. This will be updated from time to time.

EMB documents about MOI

Which Agenda? Medium of Instruction Policy in Post 1997 HK

Bowe, R., Ball, S. J. & Gold, A. (1992) Reforming education and changing schools. London: Routledge.
Colebatch, H. K. (2002) Concepts in the Social Sciences: Policy. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Dale, R. (1989) The state and education policy. Milton Keynes [UK]: Open University Press.
Ozga, J. (2000) Policy research in educational settings: Contested terrain. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Richardson, J. J. (1982) Policy styles in Western Europe. London: Allen & Unwin.
Roberts, G. K. (1971) A dictionary of political analysis. London: Longman.
Vidovich, L. (2002) Expanding the toolbox for policy analysis: Some conceptual and practical approaches. Occasional paper series, No.2, p.1.
 

MOI – History of MOI policy

In 1963, a report examining the education needs of Hong Kong stated that there should be more Chinese medium schools.

In 1973, the Report of the Board of Education on the expansion of secondaryschool education in Hong Kong in the next decade suggested that Chinese should become the usual language of instruction in the lower forms of secondary schools.

In 1982, a review on education in Hong Kong (A Perspective on
Education in Hong Kong) recommended mother tongue as the best medium for teaching and learning.

In 1984, Education Commission Report No. 1 suggested the promotion of mother tongue teaching.

In 1986, Education Commission Report No. 2 also suggested the use of mother tongue as the teaching medium. The Government provided additional resources to schools adopting Chinese as the MOI.

In 1990, a timeline for schools adopting Chinese as the teaching medium was mentioned in the Education Commission Report No. 4. It was stipulated that from 1998 onwards schools would be ‘firmly guided’ on the choice of medium of instruction. It also suggested the provision of Medium of Instruction Grouping Assessment (MIGA) to secondary schools so as to assist them to choose their MOI.

In 1994, MIGA were provided to secondary schools.

In 1996, the Education Commission Report No. 6 urged the Government to set clear directives on the MOI issue.

In 1997, the Government published a consultation document on the MOI and consulted the public for several months. Then through the Medium of Instruction Guidance for Secondary Schools, secondary schools were told to adopt Chinese as the medium of instruction for the 1998 Secondary One intake unless they were able to satisfy some requirements for teaching and learning using English. 124 schools applied to remain as EMI but only 100 were approved. Later 14 more schools are added to the EMI list after appeal. Consequently, 307 schools had to adopt Chinese as the MOI while 112 schools could continue to use English as the MOI.

In 1998, the MOI policy was launched.

In 1999, the University of Hong Kong had surveyed the CMI schools, 52.7% stated that better students were leaving and 32% indicated that quality of intakes was declining. However, 71.4% of teachers reported that students were more motivated when using Chinese to learn.

In 2001, the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) began to review language education in schools.

In 2003, SCOLAR published the consultation document Action Plan to Raise Language Standards in Hong Kong, stating that mother tongue should be used as the MOI. The Education Commission (EC) set up a Working Group to review the MOI policy.

In 2005, the Working Group published a consultation document, the Review of Medium of Instruction for Secondary Schools and Secondary School Places Allocation – Consultation Document. The consultation period began in February and ended in July. In December, EMB accepted final recommendations from the EC and published a booklet and a full report (Report on Review of Medium of Instruction for Secondary Schools and Secondary School Places Allocation), stating the final decisions with regard to the MOI policy. 

MOI – Definition of Policy

Colebatch (2002) has stated that “although (or perhaps because) the term is so widely used, it does not have a clear and unambiguous definition” (p. 7). The term may mean normal practice, commitment or statement of values. 

MOI is a public policy. I intend to analyze the process of developing this policy. I employ Roberts’ definition that provides a good description about how a public policy is made: 

A set of interrelated decisions taken by a political actor or group of actors concerning the selection of goals and the means of achieving them within a specified situation where these decisions should, in principle, be within the power of these actors to achieve (1971, pp. 152-153). 

 

MOI – introduction

In 1998, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) forced secondary schools to use Chinese as the medium of instruction. This is called the “MOI” policy or the “Mother Tongue Policy”.

Traditionally most secondary schools used English textbooks and students sat for examinations with English versions of test papers. However, the majority of teachers and students speak Cantonese (a certain kind of Chinese local dialect) during lessons. This “talking and thinking in Chinese but reading and writing in English” was considered undesirable. EMB  held  “language inconsistency in learning” responsible for the poor standards of English and other subjects. The MOI policy was meant to rectify this malpractice.

Under this policy, unless there are evidence that students can learn effectively through English medium, otherwise secondary one to secondary three students must use Chinese as the medium of instruction. Schools must have a good proportion of high ability students in order to maintain the English medium. As a result 114 schools stayed English (called EMI schools) while 300 had to use Chinese (called CMI schools).

The problem is that Hong Kong parents prefer EMI schools very much. This is because they think that English is very important and good students would gather in EMI schools. Studying in EMI schools means that their children are smart and they are having high quality classmates. Consequently, CMI is a label for second-class schools, schools with poor ability students.

EMI schools teaching top grade students while CMI schools teaching average to low banding students arouses conflict between these two streams of schools. Adding fuel to the fire is the drastic dropping birth rate. CMI schools are now facing not only the problem of low ability students, but also the problem of having not enough students. Teachers will become redundant and schools have to be closed.

Parents do not welcome the policy either. They are asking for more EMI schools and call for the freedom of using Chinese or English in their schools. The concept of “English medium must be good while Chinese medium must be bad” is extremely deep rooted in parents’ minds. The Government has been publicizing the advantages of Chinese medium of instruction and promoting the image of CMI schools. It is working a little bit at the present moment but there is a long way to go.

In this assignment, I try to look back the history of events generating this MOI policy. Different views from different parties are also reviewed. Using the concepts that I learned in Education Policy, I will analyze the reasons, processes and outcomes of the policy. As this policy produced lots of conflict and disgruntlement, some measures are suggested to improve the policy (the discourse and its process). What could be done to amend the present situation is also discussed. 

(all rights reserved)

An interesting advertisement

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What’s the alternative? – Colebatch

Policy and politics

Legislators decide policy. In the process, they struggle with one another, and appeal for support. This is politics.

It might be ‘good politics’ but ‘bad policy’.

Policy and administration

Policy: decide the goals
Administration: decide the best way to achieve the goals

Politicians may perform some administration while administrators may assume some political responsibilities.

Policy and management

Establish objectives and devise plan to achieve them. Manage staff and external constituencies.

Policy and organizational process

There has been a long debate over ‘rational’ and ‘incremental’ decision-making. In practice, policy emerges from a succession of small changes rather than a single clear decision. A good decision is not whether it achieves objectives, but that people agree with the process.

There is not a single decision-maker, but many participants, each with diverse perspectives and interests. The outcome is reached by a process of give-and-take.

Three lenses to view the policy process:

1. choice (rational actors have clear goals and decide the best way to achieve these goals)
2. routine (governmental process)
3. contest (bureaucratic politics)

Policy and structures

Policy has to be seen as a structured commitment of important resouces. Setting up the agency demonstrates the importance of values.

Changing policy means change of discourse, organizational forms and values.

Policy and governance

Governments do not simply make decisions and enforce them, but negotiates with other organizations, knit together agreed courses of action.

Policy seen from the vertical perspective, as a process of authorized decision-making.

Policy seen from the horizontal perspective, as a process of structured interaction.

 

What’s the idea – Colebatch

3 assumptions about social order:

1. instrumentality (oragnization is to achieve objectives)
2. hierarchy (endorsement down the line)
3. coherence (coordination of policies)

3 attributes of policy

1. order (establish system and consistency)
2. authority (legitimate policy down the hierarchy)
3. expertise (skilled problem-solving)

Reflection: EMB allows the existence of EMI and welcomed by the public (oder) but experts said that CMI should be used in all schools (expertise).

Policy, governing and government

Functions of policy

1. objectives
2. guiding principles
3. problem solving
4. standardization

Variations and policy style

Dimensions of policy style (Richardson, 1982)

X-axis: Policy-makers anticipate problems——–Policy-makers react to problems

Y-axis: Policy-makers seek to attain consensus—–Policy-makers seek to impose decisions

Choice and structure

Does the consequence of a policy meet its original objectives?

Reflection: For EMI schools, they should use English as medium to teach, but is that true in reality?

Policy is

1. what government does
2. resources commited
3. objectives
4. principles

Over time, because of past commitments and establishments, policy innovations become institutionalized. Commitment to maintaining status quo becomes very strong - Choices vs Structure

Reflection: It is difficult to turn an EMI school to CMI.

Policy and labelling

Politics is the continuing struggle for advantage. Policy is a settled, considered choice.

Reflection: Different parties are struggling for power, EMB, union, schools, parents. MOI is only one of the policies to play with.

It is inappropriate to have policies which override professional judgement. But officials of the education department would feel more secure if there was a standard practice.

Policy as a concept in use

Policy reflects values, it presents action in terms of the collective pursuit of known goals.

開幕禮

現正修讀教育行政的我，想出了一個迫自己好好讀書溫習的方法，就是建立一個有關這課程的blog，要盡量天天更新。

這做法有多個好處：

1. 令自己不斷吸收知識，否則怎會有「料」寫blog？
2. 要做到發佈，不能單單將材料搬字過網，總要有點融會貫通才成，所以能令自己多作思考。
3. 將資料公諸於世，或會有人回應，便可收拋磚引玉之效。
4. 以blog作為溫習筆記，等於將之電子化，日後可作重溫和搜尋，比用紙張好。

如果你對教育、行政、教育行政有興趣，請多來訪啊。