Tooltip Categories: Site glossary

external to science – e.g., extra-scientific values are values from outside science itself.

the linking together of related concepts into larger frameworks or nets of ideas – something of value in science, and in learning

Visit page: Conceptual integration

occurs when a more advanced learner takes on a role in supporting the learning of a less advanced learner. When this is set up within formal educational contexts care is needed to consider ethical issues, and the likely benefits to both learner.

Read about 'Peer tutoring'

Cohen's Kappa is a statistic sometimes calculated to measure inter-rater reliability: the extent to which two researchers give the same ratings when evaluating the same material.

 Read about inter-rater reliability

a statistic calculated to check the internal consistency of a set of scale items

Read about 'Internal consistency'

something that cannot be observed directly, but which can be inferred from indirect measurements

Read about 'Measurement scales'

a measure of the level of agreement between two observers or analysts when using the same scheme to record or code data

Read about 'Inter-rater reliability'

A teaching approach based on leading sequences of questions

(See 'Socratic dialogue')

a heuristic ('rule of thumb') in chemistry for identifying viable species (molecules, ions…)

although a useful rule of thumb, it is often adopted by students as the basis for an (invalid) explanatory principle ('the full outer shells explanatory principle').

Red about 'the full outer shells explanatory principle'

General Certificate of Secondary Education – public examinations usually taken across a spread of subjects at age 16 in England.

Admission to study at A levels (G.C.E. Advanced Levels), the most common qualification for University admissions, is usually dependent on G.C.S.E. grades.

is a term used to the reporting of certain types of study such as case study and ethnography, where the reader is offered a detailed, descriptive, account of the research subject(s) and context.

Visit the web-page: Reporting case study with thick description

refers to the influence of people's expectations on outcomes. In experimental research the expectations of those involved in a study may act as a confounding factor, and influenced the measured outcomes. If  researchers/participants expect one treatment to be superior to another, this can lead to measured differences without regard to the inherent qualities of the different treatments.

Visit web-page: Experiments