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Code Development Strategy
Based on the experiences and findings
of the first TIMSS Video Study, we elected to begin code development
by generating tentative models of mathematics lessons akin to those
which Stigler and Hiebert concluded were essential for interpreting
the results of their more detailed coding procedure. Rather than begin with development
of specific codes, in TIMSS-R we would begin with development of a more
holistic model of teaching in each of the participating countries. In
this way we hoped to achieve two goals:
The figure below provides a metaphor
for this dual coding strategy. Each country has its own unique shape
(or teaching system). By using a common framework incorporating six
dimensions of classroom lessons, we can build descriptions of the system
along each dimension that conserve some of the unique features (the
same rows have differently-shaped boundaries in each country) while
sharing some common elements (codes can be developed within each dimension
that look the same across countries). The important point is that codes
or indicators get their meaning from the role they play in the system,
so it is critical to keep the pictures of both the individual codes
and the whole systems in view simultaneously. Visual
Metaphor for Analytic Framework
To accomplish these goals, we took
advantage of the 50+ field test tapes from the participating countries.
Using these videotapes, we began with an inductive, top-down construction
of tentative models of teaching in each country. A Country Associate
led the development of an inductively derived model of a typical mathematics
lesson in each country. There is an anthropological injunction
to seek "insider" perspective when investigating cultural
matters. Although truly cultural matters may be transparent to insiders
and taken for granted, a standard protocol in the comparative culture
literature is to ask insiders to respond to constructions of cultural
belief and practice. After developing a tentative model of teaching
in each nation, we solicited feedback from experts in each country.
These materials were used to revise the models, as well as to identify
elements codes that will faithfully represent teaching in each country. The top-down phase of our code development
is nearly complete. The next step we characterize as bottom-up. It is
the development of specific codes that can be applied to all countries
to achieve the goal of a comparative analysis (with reliable coding),
and yet retain the meaningful context of each element as it relates
to the system of teaching in each country.
(1) Some aspects of this approach
have been described by Glaser and Strauss (1969) as the "discovery
of grounded theory."
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