Creating a Useful Science of Education

Dr. R. Barker Bausell was the first educational researcher to demonstrate the learning superiority of both tutoring and small group instruction when the curriculum, teacher differences, instructional time, and student differences were rigorously controlled. He served as a biostatistician, research methodologist, and the Director of Research in two departments within the University of Maryland over a 35+ year career and was the founding editor/editor-in-chief of the peer reviewed, Evaluation and the Health Profession for 33 of those years. He has authored 12 other books including: Conducting Meaningful Experiments: 40 Steps to Becoming a Scientist, Too Simple to Fail: A Case for Educational Change, and Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

In this exciting new, two-volume trek, Bausell introduces us—with insight and levity—to diverse genres of unproductive research. Happily, he also tosses us several solution strategies to make our schools sparkle.

• IntroductionChapter One: The Importance of Developing Instructional ProductsChapter Two: Digital and Developmental Instructional ResearchChapter Three: Decision Making in Product Development ResearchChapter Four: Chapter Four: Assessment Products that Might Contribute to a Useful Science of Education Chapter Five: Research that Might Improve Learning despite the Traditional Classroom Chapter Six: Research Conducted in the Most Important Instructional Environment (And theMost Difficult in which to Intervene)Chapter Seven: Curriculum ResearchChapter Eight: A Big Science Experiment that Might Jumpstart the Science’s InfrastructureConcluding ThoughtsReferences