Educational Research Methods
A site to support teaching and learning...
Using the method of triads
This is a personal site of Keith S. Taber to support teaching of educational research methods.
(Dr Keith Taber is Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.)
2016-2017
The construct repertory test (a.k.a. ‘Kelly’s triads’) is a technique to elicit constructs developed to reflect Personal Construct Theory.
The elements
To carry out the construct repertory test you will need a deck of cards to act as elements, These may contain words (possibly provided by the research participant, e.g. people who have been significant in their educational development) or images or symbols.
The set of elements are considered to be potentially relevant to the focus of the research (classroom environment, school organisation, curriculum subjects, whatever!)
Instructions
Researcher shows each card to the informant to ask, “do you associate what is written on the card with [focus of research]?” (This step is omitted if the participant has provided the elements)
Remove from deck any cards not seen relevant by the informant. (Keep these separate.)
Proceed to present a random triad of cards: Ask:
Which two seem to go better together?
Which is the odd-one-out, which does not fit with the others?
Why? (can the participant offer a label for the construct they are using to make the discrimination?)
Record construct label, discriminations ( , ✕ )
Is there another reason these two fit together/ that one is the odd-one-out? …
Could another card be seen as the odd one? Why?
When exhausted, try another triad.
