Human as Instrument Statement

When I was in graduate school at the University of Virginia, I had a course in qualitative research methods. The course was taught by a great guy by the name of Bob Covert. Bob taught us to use naturalist inquiry as an inductive method of theory generation (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Human beings act first as data collection instruments by collecting large amounts of data using methods including detailed interview and prolonged observation (indeed, nearly total immersion in the phenomenon of interest), and as then as the primary means of data analysis by conducting content analyses. The resulting narratives, written using “thick description,” are designed to provide the context for themes and theory to emerge.

Those whose research sensibilities are aligned with more traditional quantitative methods often look at naturalistic inquiry and have great concerns about objectivity. “How can one expect to find objective truth when one is so closely associated with the phenomenon under study,” they might ask. Part of the answer is for those conducting research using naturalistic inquiry to produce a “human as instrument” statement in which they state with as much objectivity as they can muster at the onset of a study who they are, and what their beliefs and biases are relative to the study. Doing so gives context to the study, it provides a lens through which the reader can view the findings.

In order for you to have the proper context to understand the posts in this blog, I suppose it is important for me to provide you with a human as instrument statement of sorts. In this blog version, you will get a fairly idealized sense of what it is I believe about the endeavors of teaching and learning.

In my mind, classrooms (or schools) ought to be, in all respects, close-knit communities in which all members (students and teachers) enjoy certain freedoms and are protected from certain harms. It is place where the search for truth and knowledge always remains the central purpose. Classrooms and schools should strive to ensure academic, social, and physical safety for all. For example, students and teachers should be free to take academic risks without fear of invective reactions from others or the loss of academic empowerment. All members (teachers and students) should realize that in order to achieve this, they will act at times as teachers and at times as learners; we all stand to learn from each other.

The ability to attain this sort of community of learning is mediated by the nature of the relationships between and among the members of the community. When teachers employ authoritarian, teacher-directed approaches, they create a community in which there are two classes of members. When teachers, as singular "owners" of new knowledge, use pedagogical techniques in which students are made to be passive vessels to be filled with this knowledge, they preclude the students from actively engaging in the construction of new knowledge through their own, often collaborative, processes.

However, when members of the community make authentic commitments to the needs and abilities of the others during the search for knowledge and truth, a classroom becomes an interactive, nurturing place. When a teacher makes an earnest commitment to a student such that the latter is provided with authentic, rigorous opportunities to gain truth and knowledge, each benefits, each learns.

Put another way—a shorter way (and as inspired by Epanchin, Townsend, & Stoddard, 1994), I believe it is important to:

• avoid teacher-centered, authoritarian approaches to educating children that stress passivity by students, conformity to teacher-made rules, and a need for overt control of students;

• advocate for student-centered and student-directed pedagogies using meaningful, relevant, and rigorous curricular materials and instructional strategies in which students are challenged to take control of their own learning (i.e., are empowered with a sense of control of their own “intellectual” destiny) and are reinforced for taking risks; and

• develop deep, positive, and caring interactions with students and their families and make, as professional educators and, when appropriate, as friends, strong commitments to them.

And so there you have it, my beliefs about education, about teaching and learning and the nature of the classroom. When, down the road, I write about one topic or another you can use this human as instrument statement to give you context for what I am saying, to use as a lens through which to view my work. Then you can make the decision to accept what I say or reject it.

Until next time…



References

Epanchin, B. C., Townsend, B., & Stoddard, K. (1994). Constructive classroom management: Strategies for creating positive learning environments. Grove City, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.

Lincoln, Y. & Guba, E. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications