Experimental research into teaching innovations: responding to methodological and ethical challenges

ABSTRACT

Experimental studies are often employed to test the effectiveness of teaching innovations such as new pedagogy, curriculum, or learning resources. This article offers guidance on good practice in developing research designs, and in drawing conclusions from published reports. Random control trials potentially support the use of statistical inference, but face a number of potential threats to validity. Research in educational contexts often employs quasi-experiments or natural experiments rather than true experiments, and these types of designs raise additional questions about the equivalence between experimental and control groups and the potential influence of confounding variables. Where it is impractical for experimental studies to employ samples that fully reflect diverse populations, generalisation is limited. Series of small-scale replication studies may be useful here, especially if these are conceptualised as being akin to multiple case studies, and complemented by qualitative studies. Control conditions for experimental studies need to be carefully selected to provide the most appropriate test for a particular intervention, and considering the interests of all participants. Control groups in studies that replicate innovations that have been widely shown to be effective in other settings should experience teaching conditions that reflect good practice and meet expected teaching standards in the research context.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational experiments
• random control trials
• control conditions
• teaching interventions
• replication
• ethical comparison conditions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. In this article, the convention in British English spellings (preferred in Studies in Science Education) to use ‘enquiry’ as the normal spelling for the general process of investigating (as the term ‘inquiry’ is usually reserved for formal proceedings) is followed. This usage is different to the convention with American English spellings. Where works cited use the alternative American spelling, ‘inquiry’, this has been retained in direct quotations.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Keith S. Taber

Keith S. Taber is the Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge. He taught science, mainly physics and chemistry, in comprehensive secondary schools and further education before joining the Faculty of Education at Cambridge, where for some years he worked primarily in initial science teacher education. He currently teaches research methods across a range of graduate courses. He was formerly editor of Chemistry Education Research and Practice, and was book reviews editor for Studies in Science Education. He is the editor-in-chief of the RSC Advances in Chemistry Education book series.