How Things Work - Doha Academy of Tertiary Studies

150 QUaLItatIVe ReSeaRCH
teaching: the support of other teachers and parents, the aspirations of
the principal, the involvement of the Chicago schools in more than 10
years of “school reform.” They were potential parts of the bubble gum
story, but the story already was long. For my Academy readers, it seemed
not important to explain further why things worked or did not work in
this project. As a qualitative researcher, I wanted to portray the episode
in ways that the Academy staff and others could use in their work.
This story was, and so yours will be, enhanced by attention to the
persons: Grogan’s theatricality, Sammy’s impetuousness, Gabriel’s being
ignored. It was enhanced by having a deep theme: Is getting things right,
morally and academically, more important than staying immersed in a
conceptual problem- solving situation? It raised the question of whether
or not a visiting researcher who knows how to calculate the median
should intervene to assist in the teaching. Many such questions arise
spontaneously, some anticipated a little and some requiring impulsive
decisions as to how the study will be useful.
This patch was used as one of three parts of the Year 2000 annual
report of the evaluation of the Chicago Teachers Academy. It contains a
chronological account of happenings in the classroom, a rich description
(but without connection to a scientific theory, not a thick description) of
the mathematics being taught, and some interpretation of the connection
with teacher continuing education. We should connect with Chapter 2
and talk more about interpretation. We are moving toward the last third
of this book and need to focus on our assertions and assembling the final
report.
8.3. iNteRPRetatiON aND sORtiNG
Telling how it works is both description and interpretation. Sorting is a
part of interpretation. In Chapter 2 we observed that qualitative research
is sometimes called interpretive research. So, too, are historical and philosophical
research. Quantitative research is interpretive, too, but much
less so depending on what the researcher interprets experientially. Frequently
using themselves as their instruments, qualitative researchers
find much meaning coming from their own experience, as well as experience
with people they interview, and as learned about from documents.
In Chapter 1 we distinguished between macroresearch and microresearch.
The sizes differ—the worldly versus the local—but also the