Journal article

Are all biases bad? Collaborative grounded theory in developmental evaluation of education policy

2016

Published in:

Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation 12(27), 44-57.

By: Ross Anderson, Meg Guerreiro, Jo Smith

Abstract

Using two researchers as independent instruments for interpretation in education policy evaluation, this study applies a collaborative grounded theory approach to qualitative data analysis and theory generation. This study argues that varied perspectives should be a critical component in the methodological and analytical choices of education research, especially when the sought after outcome is deeper understanding of the impact, both positive and negative, of an education program or policy. In this study, rather than using one researcher to confirm the reliability of the other, the study explores the outcome of drawing on the positional reflexivity of two researchers, each with a distinct perspective, as a potential strength to cogenerate themes and theory in the evaluation of complex policy or programs. The data for this analysis originated from interviews of education leaders (n= 13) from two states with contrasting approaches to teacher evaluation: Kentucky and California.
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