Is This "Good" Research?

by Shelley Gauthier-McMahon

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I have been thinking about the "teachers as researchers" question. Again. It seems that no matter how much we discuss it, it keeps coming up over and over again. I am feeling a bit closer to calling myself a researcher. I am not quite there yet - still waiting for some stats to appear to make it official. So many years of learning the strict guidelines of "good" research makes it hard to shake that perception.

Not to mention ongoing discussions at home about validity. You see, I live with a "white coat". Every aspect of the research must be clearly defined, isolated, observed, measured, compared, etc, etc. Then the whole process must be replicated by others to make sure all that work didn't somehow produce an anomaly. Validity, reliability, reproducibility, objectivity, statistical significance - all swirl around inside my head. My "white coat" partner believes that most research ever conducted by anyone, in any field (including his own), is flawed, or biased, or meaningless. Well, maybe not meaningless, but certainly not good enough to really count on and definitely not proof of causality. Yet somehow he manages to get up in the morning, go to work, continue to research, live life. I struggle with all this. I try not to believe everything I hear: "Studies show that factor x causes factor y. Therefore you should blah, blah, blah." I try to think critically: what do these results really mean, how have they been skewed by people who want to prove a point, was the research any good? Back to the same old questions: What is "good" research, are teachers researchers, is the work I am doing really research? I guess I feel that I am doing research. I am just not convinced it is good research.

In fact, I know deep down that it is not - at least not in the strictest sense. My only indication that my assumptions and results are correct is my own sense of relief about teaching and my students' improved behaviour. However, I don't think it matters very much whether I am conducting "good" research in the traditional sense. Not at this point. As long as I am learning and applying what I learn then this process will not have been a waste. Rephrase that: it will have been worthwhile. Just as long as the research is good enough to produce positive results. No incorrect assumptions. They can lead to incorrect practice. That would be reckless and unforgivable. There will be opportunities down the road to do better research. Maybe even "good" research.