THE DESIGN OF A METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH
PROJECT FOR TEACHING ENGLISH-AS-A-FOREIGN
The theoretical basis of the research
Logical positivism has been and still is the scientific method most "widely used in both the natural and social sciences" (Borg & Gall, 1989, p. 16). One of its major principles is verifiability. One of its major methodologies is observation. Clearly, observation is value-laden--an attribute which contradicts strict verifiability.
Postpositivistic philosophy accepts as given the fact that science is theory- and value-laden. Yet, it has led to methodologies used increasingly in educational research, in spite of its relativistic aspect. What replaces strict verifiability are the weight of evidence, however "unscientific", and practical deliberation (Garrison, 1986, pp. 12-18), i.e. the consensus of practitioners.
In this paper, I have adopted this postpositivistic stance, because, in the absence of a truly scientific approach, it makes sense and, through a combination of observation, testing, and professional opinions, it currently offers the only viable and reasonable possibility. Of course, I have been concerned with generalizability, but I believe that, although there are individual fluctuations in learning modes, there are likewise general mechanisms that hold across individuals. In this perspective, I believe that my methodological approach is valid and most appropriate.
The methodological basis of the research
The Project constitutes a Qualitative Research characterized by:
1. Its involvement in holistic inquiry carried out in a natural setting.
2. The use of humans as primary data-gathering instruments.
3. Its emphasis on qualitative methods.
4. Its purposiveness rather than random-sampling.
6. Its development of grounded theory.
7. The emergence of its design as the research progresses.
8. The role of the subject in interpreting outcomes.
9. The utiliza...