Kofi Marfo

Preparation of Educational Researchers in Philosophical Foundations of Inquiry

In this article we examine the nature, scope, and significance of basic philosophical issues in the preparation of researchers. Following a brief review of the history of educational research and a discussion of the philosophy of science supporting much of this research, we present and discuss two central assertions in the context of the growing prominence of paradigmatic and methodological pluralism in education and the human sciences. The first assertion is that the curriculum for preparing researchers in education continues to be dominated by the epistemology of logical empiricism, the philosophy of science undergirding the quantitative research tradition. The second assertion is that research education tends to place a disproportionate emphasis on technical methods and procedures, with little attention given to the philosophical, moral, and political values that underpin procedural practices and that frame, however tacitly, the context for knowledge production. We argue that the hegemony of quantitative science and the narrow preoccupation with methodological rigor as the singular yardstick for judging good science are serious problems requiring immediate attention in research education programs. We present a case for expanding the research education curriculum to include a strong and broad foundation in the history, philosophy, sociology, and ethics of inquiry. To illustrate how this can be achieved, we propose two features of an intellectual culture that may be developed: (a) course work on philosophical issues in inquiry, which doctoral students should be required to take in preparation for—or as a supplement to—technical courses on statistical methods and research design; and (b) an atmosphere of interdisciplinary and multiparadigmatic collaborative research that provides an informal context for students to experience and practice the values fostered by such course work.

Early childhood development in Africa: interrogating constraints of prevailing knowledge bases

The past two decades have been characterized by renewed attention to the importance of early childhood development (ECD) policies and services in the worlds richest and most industrialized countries. During the same period, we have witnessed unprecedented efforts to place ECD policies on the national development planning agenda of the economically less advantaged countries of the Majority World. This paper is premised on the concern that the purposes that have led bilateral and multilateral international agencies to promote and support ECD services in Africa may also be paving the way for uncritical adoption of program and service delivery models grounded in value systems and knowledge bases that may not be appropriate for the continent. We present two critiques to highlight the dangers of ignoring the sociocultural contexts of the knowledge bases that inform ECD policies and practices. We describe one capacity-building effort, under the auspices of the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU), to promote culturally relevant knowledge and prepare leadership personnel for Africas emerging ECD movement. Finally, based on an exercise designed for an ECDVU cohort to engage and reflect on critiques of mainstream research and theorizing on child development, we share insights that are suggestive of the ways in which African perspectives can contribute to and enrich a global knowledge base on child development.

Interactions between mothers and their mentally retarded children: Integration of research findings☆

Abstract Research findings from 20 observational studies of interactions between mothers and their retarded infants and/or young children are brought together to provide a summary picture of: (1) differences in interaction patterns between mother-non-retarded child interactions. Several conceptual and methodological issues are raised: the need to bridge the gap between our current conceptualization of the dyadic interaction process and the methodology for its study and analysis; the importance of including both CA- and MA-match comparisons to reduce confounding of results; and the place of naturalistic observations in sampling interaction pattern as targets for modification in home-based intervention programs. The review indicates that generally, mothers and their retarded children exhibit a number of problems in their interactions. It is suggested that a sound observational data base is required to facilitate the development of interventions into problematic interactions.

Factor structure of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 in a sample of girls adopted from China

Confirmatory factor analysis with robust weighted least squares estimation of the 103 dichotomously scored items of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2001) in a sample of 516 girls adopted from China (ages 6.0-15.7 years; M = 8.2, SD = 1.9) indicated that the fit of the 8-factor model was good (root-mean-square error of approximation = .047) and was slightly better than what T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorla (2001) reported for the same model (.06). Support for the 2nd-order factor structure of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems also was provided. Comparisons of the mean scores for the syndromes and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems revealed mostly small differences between the sample of adopted Chinese girls and T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorlas normative samples.

Assessing Early Intervention Outcomes: Beyond Program Variables

THE EARLY INTERVENTION field is witnessing some major shifts in the focus of efficacy research. The traditional preoccupation with the question as to whether early intervention works is giving way to greater concern with understanding how programs make their impact. While this is seen as a progressive shift, much of the focus has so far been placed on how specific dimensions of the intervention process contribute to outcomes. Little attention has been paid to extra‐program variables which impinge upon or interact with the intervention process to shape outcomes. This paper presents the perspective that an intervention program is only one of many factors with potential influence on child and family functioning. Consequently program efficacy must be assessed in relation to both program and extra‐program variables. A framework outlining five classes of “independent” variables and two classes of outcomes to be considered in efficacy research is presented. Regression and path analytic techniques are presented a...

Mother‐Child Interactions and Early Intervention Programmes for Handicapped Infants and Young Children

Abstract Increased emphasis in the provision of early intervention programmes with families of biologically impaired or at‐risk infants, in recent years, has produced a wide variety of such services based upon various conceptual and empirical analyses of early development. The impact of these early interventions has been investigated quite extensively since the mid‐sixties, particularly regarding positive effects upon intellectual development. A synthesis of recent research regarding mother‐child interaction patterns and the influence of these social interactions upon cognitive, linguistic, and social development has resulted in a shifting emphasis in early interventions from the parent‐as‐teacher model to a parent‐infant interaction model. In concert with this shifting emphasis, interactional models of intervention are considered and described which provide the basis for identifying specific intervention strategies related to parent‐child interaction dynamics. These strategies provide the basis for progr...

Experimental Analysis of Question Wording in an Instrument Measuring Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education

An experimental study (n = 288 general and special education teachers) examining the effects of altering the referent (“students with mild disabilities,” “students with severe disabilities,” or “students with disabilities”) on a four-item scale (Negative Effect of Inclusion) indicated that wording changes had little effect on the scale’s psychometric properties (e.g., factor pattern coefficients). Changes did result in a shift in the mean level of the attitude scale. Regression coefficients between the scale and type of teacher, total years of teaching experience, years of experience at current school, and training in inclusion were not significantly altered by changing the referent. Gender was the only predictor that exhibited a lack of invariance in its regression coefficients across questionnaire forms that differed in referent. For most of the bivariate relationships examined in this study, the same conclusions would be drawn no matter which of the three referents were used.

Developing an Ethos for Change in a Department of Special Education: Focus on Collaboration and an Ethic of Care

During the course of the past five years, the Department of Special Education at the University of South Florida has undergone a change process designed to position itself to better respond to the changing needs of the field as we move toward a new century. This paper describes key aspects of that change process. The introductory section outlines seven interrelated core beliefs and values that have served as the force behind the change process and guided the work of faculy and students. The second section deals with the theme of collaboration and describes the various collaborative research groups (CRGs) which provide the context for collaborative inquiry, scholarship, and program development. The paper also shows how we have used the CRGs to create linkages with other academic units in the university and with schools and the community at large.

CONTEXT AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF A GLOBAL SCIENCE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: A COMMENTARY

United Nations agencies mandated to address the needs of children around the developing (Majority) world, routinely create large global data sets mostly for purposes of surveillance and strategic planning of development aid. UNICEFs Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) have produced one of the largest sources of internationally comparable data on women and children. This monograph creatively and elegantly harnesses MICS data on 41 low- and middle-income countries to shed light on risk and protective factors associated with growing up a boy or girl in the developing world. In this commentary, I assess the monographs contribution to the progress that our field must make toward greater geo-ecological and cultural inclusiveness of its knowledge base. I do so in the context of scholarship that is increasingly and justifiably questioning the relevance of mainstream developmental science outside the Euro-American world. I conclude that notwithstanding the limitations inherent in the data set, Bornstein, Putnick, Lansford, Deater-Deckard, and Bradley have done our field a great service by moving us further on a trajectory toward a more global science.

Cognitive Education: A Longitudinal Examination

There is an urgent need at present for educators to focus their endeavors on the development of higher-level cognitive skills which enable students to become independent learners and creative problem solvers. Because of our rapidly changing technological environment, these skills are even more important today than they have ever been before. It is increasingly recognized that students need to know how to learn new information and skills (i.e., learning/thinking strategies) they will require throughout their lives and not just what to learn.