ERIC Number: EJ773888
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Aug-1
Pages: 5
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0098-6283
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Methods and Techniques: Observation or Interpretation? Demonstrating Unintentional Subjectivity and Interpretive Variance
Connor-Greene, Patricia A.
Teaching of Psychology, v34 n3 p167-171 Aug 2007
People often make interpretations when they believe they are providing factual descriptions. To demonstrate unintentional interpretation, the author showed a brief ambiguous video clip and asked students to write descriptions of what they saw and heard. When students evaluated their responses, they discovered that 96% of the class wrote interpretations rather than strictly factual descriptions. Furthermore, the content of students' interpretations varied widely. Analyses of a qualitative measure of three dimensions of student learning (subsequent behavior, success at articulating the purpose of the exercise, and self-reported personal impact) supported the effectiveness of this exercise in increasing students' understanding of unintentional interpretation.
Descriptors: Data Interpretation, Interpretive Skills, Intentional Learning, Learning Strategies, Statistical Studies, Statistical Surveys, Inferences, Content Analysis, Qualitative Research
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A