Empirical method
As an important research method in natural science, the basic norm of empirical method is to "prove or falsify theoretical hypotheses with empirical materials". These empirical materials can come from researchers' actual observation or experimental activities (direct experience), or from historical documents that record previous observation or experimental results (indirect experience); These empirical materials can be quantitative or non-quantitative in form, but they must be verifiable.
Empirical methods include educational measurement, quantitative observation, questionnaire survey, educational experiment and content analysis.
Educational measurement refers to the quantitative description of educational phenomena or certain attributes of educational objects according to certain rules or scales. Among them, it contains three elements of measurement: things and their attributes; Numbers or symbols; Law. The basic feature of educational measurement method is to use a test as a tool to test the research object according to certain rules, so as to obtain quantitative results and draw relevant conclusions through further analysis. It can transform abstract and generalized theoretical research results into convenient tools to reflect individual development level and educational development, and provide reliable data.
Quantitative observation is carried out according to a clear and rigorous "measurement system" designed in advance, which is also called systematic, structured and standardized observation. This system includes: clear observation objects, strict logical observation project system, determined observation procedures and recording units, and materialized observation recording tools. Its advantages are that it can obtain a large number of real and definite observation data systematically and efficiently, and it is easy to record observations, and the observation results are convenient for quantitative processing and comparative analysis of the system. Its disadvantages are high theoretical and technical requirements for observation designers and observers, relatively dull observation process and lack of flexibility.
Questionnaire survey is a method for researchers to communicate with the respondents through written language and collect information and materials on educational issues by using a strictly designed unified questionnaire. It has the following characteristics: 1. Standardization of survey tools; 2. Standardization of investigation process; 3. Standardization of survey results; 4. The research efficiency is high.
According to certain theoretical assumptions, educational experiment method is a comprehensive research activity to control some factors in educational activities in a planned way, make other factors change in the direction of improving educational effect, and then test the assumptions and reveal the laws of educational activities. Its basic characteristics are: 1. Educational experiments should reveal the causal relationship between educational phenomena or educational behaviors. 2. The presupposition of causality in educational experiment is expressed in the form of hypothesis, and a series of intervention activities such as manipulation and control are carried out around the hypothesis in the experimental process. After observation and analysis, the hypothesis was finally tested. Content analysis method is a research method to objectively and systematically analyze and describe the contents of educational documents, so as to make a factual judgment on related educational phenomena. The documents studied by content analysis method can be: 1. The materials recorded in words, newspapers, textbooks and other contents are often the research objects of professional researchers. 2. Materials recorded by sound, including: recording of class, recording of students' conversations, recording of campaign meetings, and tapes matched with textbooks in a certain period. 3. Materials recorded by images, including: teaching videos, movies, televisions, slides and pictures.
Content analysis method has four basic characteristics: obvious, objective, systematic and quantitative. 1. The content is obvious; 2. objective facts; 3. Records of the system; 4. Quantitative results.
qualitative method
As a qualitative research as opposed to empirical research, it has a unique research tradition and research assumptions, and the qualitative methods used in qualitative research also have their definitions. Mr. Chen Xiangming defined the qualitative research method as follows: "Qualitative research is an activity that takes the researcher himself as a research tool, uses various data collection methods to explore social phenomena as a whole in natural situations, analyzes the data by induction and forms a theory, and obtains an explanatory understanding through interaction with the research object to construct its behavior and significance."
Qualitative research includes interview investigation, qualitative observation and narrative research.
Interview survey is an investigation method by which researchers learn about someone, something, a certain behavior attitude and educational phenomenon in the form of oral question and answer through face-to-face conversation with the respondents. It has the following characteristics: 1. The investigation process is flexible and in-depth. 2. Get complete and true information. 3. The scope of application is wider. The main limitations of the interview survey method are: 1. Few samples, high cost, long time and low efficiency. 2. The degree of standardization is low and it is difficult to count. 3. The investigation process is prone to deviation. 4. Interviews and surveys can't reflect the characteristics of anonymity, and can't completely eliminate the psychological worries of the interviewees, which often affects the objectivity of the information provided by the interviewees.
Qualitative observation is an open observation of people or things observed by researchers in real situations. It has the following characteristics: 1. You can learn more real information. 2. More complete information can be obtained. 3. Multiple observations can be made. Qualitative observation also has limitations: 1. It is easily influenced by observers. 2. The representativeness of observation results is not high enough.
Narrative research method is to describe people's experiences, behaviors and lifestyles by telling stories, and to explore the significance of experiences and behaviors, as well as their thoughts and philosophies through the stories described. In the field of educational research, narrative research is to discover or reveal the meanings, ideas and concepts hidden behind daily work, events and behaviors, to discover educational problems, to explore educational ideas and to reveal the characteristics of educational activities through the description and analysis of meaningful teaching events, teachers' lives and practical experience in education and teaching. The basic feature of educational narrative research is that researchers express their understanding and explanation of education by narrating and telling stories. Educational narrative research includes: 1. Qualitative research methods are used as tools. 2. Take the story in education as the object. 3. Educational practitioners become research objects. 4. Inductive method is used to form understanding. But it also has limitations: 1. It is quite time-consuming for foreign researchers to obtain the cooperation of their research subjects. It is not easy to know what insiders really think. 3. Researchers are easily influenced by the narrator's story and deviate from the research purpose. 4. Narrative research is influenced by the personal inclination of researchers. 5. Narrative research has high requirements for researchers.
(3) systematic method
The application of system science methodology is embodied in the research subject, mainly in system thinking. Its key feature is to use the principles of system science to examine and grasp the essence of the research object, and comprehensively use various technical methods-both empirical methods and qualitative methods-to achieve the research purpose. Among them, the most important thing is to study the object and related factors in a systematic way according to the systematicness of things themselves, focusing on the mutual constraints between the whole and the parts, between the parts, and between the whole and the external environment. Characteristics of system methodology and system thinking: 1. Compared with China's traditional holistic thinking, systematic thinking is clear and open. 2. Compared with reductionist analytical thinking in natural science, systematic thinking emphasizes the integrity of the system. 3. Compared with any previous research paradigm, system methodology provides a new thinking principle, mode, route and method example of multidisciplinary comprehensive research.
(D) Complex thinking methods
The original diversity, complexity and vivid richness of complex thinking in the face of changes in the world or things. It is characterized by nonlinear thinking, relational thinking, process thinking and situational thinking. The complexity of the education system is reflected in: 1. Diversity and variability of components of educational activities. 2. The nonlinear interaction between the structure and function, system and part of educational activities. 3. The dynamic generation of educational activities and the uncertainty of educational results.
(5) Action research method
Action research method refers to a research method that relies on the help of educational experts and scholars to carry out scientific research in educational practice and guide their own practice with research results.
Its basic characteristics are: 1. Primary and secondary school teachers are the research subjects, teachers are researchers, courses are experiments, and classrooms are laboratories. 2. Emphasize participation, cooperation and communication. 3. Emphasize practical reflection.
(6) Literature method
Literature retrieval is an important step in scientific research, which runs through the whole process of research and is one of the most commonly used research methods in educational science research. Literature retrieval can be divided into broad sense and narrow sense. Literature retrieval in a broad sense is a retrieval system consisting of literature storage and literature retrieval. In a narrow sense, document retrieval refers to the process of finding out the required documents and their clues by using certain retrieval tools according to the retrieval theme. Literature method is conducive to comprehensively and correctly grasping the situation and present situation of the problems to be studied, making maximum use of the existing knowledge, experience and scientific research achievements, and helping researchers choose research topics and determine research directions; It is conducive to providing scientific demonstration basis and research methods for education and scientific research; Avoid duplication of work and improve research efficiency; It is conducive to expanding research ideas, developing creative thinking and improving the innovation of subject research.