1st Night Lecture Notes-Overview of Ed Research I. Research is the formal systematic application of the scientific method to the study of problems. Compared to other sources of knowledge, such as experience, authority, inductive or deductive reasoning, application of scientific method is undoubtedly the most efficient and reliable. A. Ed research is applying scientific method to the study of educational problems. Difficulty with human research is that rigid control of all variables is not possible.
Observation is more difficult.
Observers may be subjective. Persons observed may behave atypically simply because they are being observed. Laws - statement of relationship between two or more events 2. Operational definitions are the definitions by which we operate-how we observe, measure, effect constructs. Aptitude for school is scaled score on individual intelligence test.