a terms used to refer to the knowledge of traditional, indigenous, communities which often does not strongly demarcate between ('Western' notions of) science and religion, spirituality, and myth.
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Main glossary
methodological naturalism
the view that science is only concerned with explanations based on natural entities and mechanism.
This view does not reject the possible existence of the supernatural, but considers that supernatural entities/mechanisms are not valid as components of scientific accounts
not to be confused with metaphysical naturalism
Read about science and religion
metaphysical naturalism
the view that all that exists is the natural world, which is open to scientific investigation – that all phenomena are natural or imagined (no place for God, spirits, etc.)
Not to be confused with methodological naturalism
Read about science and religion
Pygmalion effect
The tendency for people's expectations (e.g., in research studies) to indirectly influence outcomes: the 'expectancy' effect,
Read about expectancy effects
double blind
In research studies this refer to both investigators and participants not being aware of which participants are in an experimental condition, and which in a control condition.
Read about experiments
In peer reviewing (for journal publication, funding awards, etc.) this means that the authors of paper/grant proposal do not know who has reviewed their work,and the paper/proposal is anomymised before being seen by reviewer.
Read about peer review
response rate
Often in research the investigators invite participation form a range of potential informants, but not all those invited may respond. In a survey where a questionnaire was sent to 1000 teachers, and 200 replied with responses to the questions, then the response rate would be 0.2 or 20%
Read about response rate
population
The population is the collective that is of interest in a research study. The population may be small (biology teachers in one school) or large (all university students in France) so in research it is often necessary to sample a large population when it is not realistic to collect data from the full population.
Read about Populations in research
Read about Sampling
A population does not need to mean people. We might sample from the 'population' of lectures in a degree course, or school physics examination questions.
flipped learning
a pedagogy or teaching approach that commits classroom time to supported student learning activities, and makes available this class time by replacing lecturing with access to learning resources that students are expected to engage with before coming to class
(Read more about 'Flipped learning')
implicit learning
learning that occurs without someone deliberately engaging in study – spontaneous learning that occurs due to the inherent nature of our cognitive systems that have evolved to recognise patterns in the environment/our expereinces
confirmation bias
human cognition has an in built confirmation bias – we are more likely to notice and see as significant those supporting instances that seem to confirm a belief or suspicion (taxi drivers swear a lot, it often rains on Thursdays, you cannot trust Keiths, whatever…) than non-instances (a dry and sunny Thursday…)
teleology
A teleological explanation explains something in terms of its purpose
Read about 'Teleology'
simile
A 'figure of speech' which compares one thing with another by using 'as', 'is like', or similar constructions.
Read about 'Science similes'