Methodological and conceptual considerations in anthropological studies of classrooms

This paper explores the processes rather than the products of anthropological research and demonstrates how the research process is largely a reflection of the researcher's theoretical/conceptual framework. The research process is viewed through Gowin's (Novak & Gowin, 1984) heuristic “Vee” that divides the methodological aspect of the research process into seven parts: focus questions, events, records of events, transformations, validation, knowledge claims, and value claims. Anthropological studies of classrooms are analyzed using this epistemological framework. The options researchers have at each step of the research process, the decisions selected researchers have made, the theoretical/conceptual framework upon which these decisions are based, and the implications of such decisions are discussed.