Validity
An account of a Living Educational Theory Research enquiry consists of descriptions and explanations of the researcher's purposes, methodology, methods and outcomes.
Specific outcomes usually include claims:
- to have improved practice which enhances educational influence in learning
- to have advanced knowledge (epistemology)
All claims, of whatever sort, must be valid, in that:
- they are validated in the course of the research
- evidence for their validity is given the resulting account.
The validity of a claim is tested by applying standards of judgment to the claim. Within a research enquiry based on Living Educational Theory, standards of judgment are based on the researcher's values that evolve, emerge and are identified in the course of the research. Appropriate values-based standards of judgment are applied by the author to each claim (as a unit of appraisal) to test its validity.
Claims to have improved practice or to have advanced knowledge may also be publicly tested by means of validation groups. These groups usually include people who form an active part of the research enquiry, either as subjects of the research or as co-workers with the account's author.
Validation groups do not validate an author's claims by simply concurring with the claims made. A validation group should test an author's claims and the account should contain a summary of that testing (usually within a conversation / group meeting). A claim should be seen to emerge strengthened from such an interrogation (held within the collaborative community of practice that is engaged in the research).
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Habermas