The Ethics of Comparison: A Statistician Wrestles with the Orthodoxy of a Control Group

Document Type

Contribution to Books

Publication Date

2002

Publication Title

Ethics of Inquiry: Issues in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This collection contains seven case studies about ethical issues faced by scholars of teaching and learning, each with commentary from individuals who bring different perspectives to bear on the issues. This case-plus-commentaries format enacts a central theme of the volume, which is that there is no single right way to resolve the ethical dilemmas that arise when investigating classroom practice. The cases are: (1) "The Ethics of Comparison: A Statistician Wrestles with the Orthodoxy of a Control Group" (John P. Holcomb, with commentary by Roberto L. Corrada, Joan B. Garfield, and Caroline Hodges Powell); (2) "Using Student Work as Evidence" (David Takacs, with commentary by Amy Driscoll, Kevin Miller, and Cynthia Scheinberg); (3) "Refining Questions and Renegotiating Consent" (Suzanne Burgoyne, with commentary by Richard Gal, Peter J. Markjle, and Helen A. Neville); (4) "Balancing Pedagogic Needs with the Needs of a Classroom Experiment" (Charles McDowell, with commentary by Peter Alexander, Heather E. Bullock, and Eileen M. Tanner); (5) "Too Close for Comfort and/or Validity" (Tomas Galguera, with commentary by Camille Calica, David M. Donahue, and Judith Haymore Sandholtz); (6) "From Private to Public Classrooms: 'Inadequate' Student Texts in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" (James E. Seitz, with commentary by Christie Raney, Mariolina Rizzi Salvatore); and (7) "Giving Public Students' Work: The Movie" (Sherry Linkon, with commentary by Randy Bass, Thomas Hatch, and John Stern). A discussion of "Questions To Shape Practice" makes up the eighth chapter. An annotated bibliography of 52 items is attached, titled "Research Ethics and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" by James Bequette and Chris Bjork. (SLD)

Original Citation

Holcomb, J., (2002). The ethics of comparison: a statistician wrestles with the orthodoxy of a control group, in Ethical Issues in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Pat Hutchings, editor, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

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