Abstract:
Educational psychology has a tradition of considering learning and motivation in
terms of the individual and individual functioning. Short-term intervention studies
have been common and quantitative measurement of the causes and effects of
variables has been the aim of much research. When a sociocultural approach forms
the basis of research into psychological constructs, a reappraisal of the research aims
and the ways in which data are gathered and analysed is necessary. If the underlying
assumption is that learning and motivation are socially and culturally situated. the
design of researcb studies needs to encompass participation in authentic and
purposeful activities. In order to develop a rich sociocultural understanding of these
constructs. qualitative researcb designs become increasingly important.
In this article, we consider two current research projects, one focusing upon
conceptual change amongst students in a first year university class, and the other a
classroom-based qualitative study exploring primary (elementary) students' interest in
learning. In each project, data have been collected over time in relation to both social
interaction and individual functioning in specific sociocultural contexts. Our
frameworks for data collection and approaches to data analysis are discussed in this
article, together with some of the issues which we have identified as problematic. In particular we are conscious of the difficulties associated with articulating and
describing the nature of social and cultural contexts, especially those with which we
are familiar, and of distinguishing their most salient features. We are also critically
aware that because our research is situated within very familiar environments, we
need to identify and explore our implicit assumptions about those environments and
the ways in which our roles as teachers and researchers both coincide and
occasionally conflict.
