Abstract
Bringing a complex systems perspective to bear on classroom-oriented research challenges researchers to think differently, seeing the classroom ecology as one dynamic system nested in a hierarchy of such systems at different levels of scale, all of which are spatially and temporally situated. This article begins with an introduction to complex dynamic systems theory, in which challenges to traditional ways of conducting classroom research are interwoven. It concludes with suggestions for research methods that are more consistent with the theory. Research does not become easier when approached from a complex systems perspective, but it has the virtue of reflecting the way the world works.
Highlights
Classroom-oriented research is important—especially when it is explicitly directed towards understanding effective learning and teaching—which is the theme of the conference in which the paper that this article was based on was presented
As part of this discussion, I maintain that conducting educational research from the viewpoint of complex systems calls for a departure from standard epistemological assumptions
What classroom-oriented research methods are compatible with complex dynamic systems theory (CDST)? I have already mentioned microdevelopment and idiodynamic approaches
Summary
Classroom-oriented research is important—especially when it is explicitly directed towards understanding effective learning and teaching—which is the theme of the conference in which the paper that this article was based on was presented. I begin by discussing characteristics of complex systems and the implications of these characteristics for research. As part of this discussion, I maintain that conducting educational research from the viewpoint of complex systems calls for a departure from standard epistemological assumptions. CDST questions the value of randomized control experiments for classroom-oriented research, even though such experiments have often been considered “the gold standard.”. I will conclude the article with a discussion of certain methods for conducting classroom-oriented research that do make more sense from a CDST perspective. I am not assuming that findings from classroom-oriented research should be directly applicable to teaching, a point I shall return to at the end of this article
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