4.2 Multiple Worlds: Research Paradigm

In his discussion of paradigms and research programs in the study of teaching, Shulman (1986) highlights the complex nature of the world of teaching:

I begin with the assumption that there is no "real world" of the classroom, of learning and of teaching. There are many such worlds, perhaps nested within one another, perhaps occupying parallel universes which frequently, albeit unpredictably, intrude on one another. Each of these worlds is occupied by the same people, but in different roles and striving for different purposes simultaneously. (p.7)

Schulman's assertion fits well with the epistemological framework or perspective of the present research. This investigation is premised on the notion that a teacher's world is a diverse and complex phenomenon. It assumes not a linear, rather a cyclical or circular direction of causality in the chain of behaviors of students' and teachers' classroom actions. Furthermore, it considers of primal importance the experiences of individuals and the meanings and interpretations they attach to these experiences. Learning is understood as being the social negotiation of shared meanings and interpretations which groups of individuals construct based on experiences and interactions with their environment.

Research is seen as a means of gaining insight into these experiences in order to understand the meanings of events and not to influence them. This inquiry is thus interpretive and reflective. It does not attempt to explain how things work, nor does it attempt to predict how they might work. The orientation of the present research aims to understand the meanings which individuals in a particular context have evolved. Specifically, it seeks to understand some of the underlying beliefs or implicit theories of teachers. It attempts to make sense, to understand, to make more explicit, this underlying aspect of teachers' complex world.

The present study can be described as "interactive" in the sense that the researcher actively participates in the discussion list along with the other participants. While the researcher’s role in the list may be more of a leader and an individual who prompts others, the role nonetheless involves active participation. Such research can be described more specifically as ethnographic. Ethnography can be defined as "analytical description of social sciences, individuals, and groups that recreate their shared feelings, beliefs, practices, artifacts, folk knowledge, and actions" (McMillan Schumacher, 1997, p.427). Ethnography is a form of "naturalistic enquiry" (Taft, 1988). The emphasis on subjective realities as the focus of the investigator's attention has much in common with the philosophy of naturalism which purports that "there exist multiple realities which are, in the main, constructions existing in the minds of people" (Guba Lincoln, 1988, p.81). These multiple realities are synonymous with Shulman’s (1986) multiple worlds described in an earlier section of this chapter. The role of the researcher as ethnographer is to observe these multiple realities, to articulate, interpret and reconstruct them (McMillan Schumacher, 1997).

The methodological approach adopted is designed to take into consideration the challenges related to investigating beliefs. Innovative and non-obtrusive techniques are required to elicit tacitly held beliefs and to provide an environment in which teachers will be encouraged to reflect on and articulate their beliefs. Many approaches might or could have been used to probe and profile teachers’ beliefs. However, ensuring the integrity of these beliefs has to be a guiding factor in the choice of methodology. The present research model has been designed specifically to ensure the integrity of the beliefs and to provide teachers with an optimal opportunity to reflect and articulate their beliefs. The following section describes in detail the challenges related to studying beliefs.