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Members of the medical profession seem reluctant to value research into the effectiveness of educational interventions. 1 One reason for this reluctance may be that there is a fundamental difficulty in addressing the questions that everyone wants answered: what works, in what context, with which groups, and at what cost? Unfortunately, there may not be simple answers to these questions. Defining true effectiveness, separating out the part played by the various components of an educational intervention, and clarifying the real cost:benefit ratio are as difficult in educational research as they are in the evaluation of a complex treatment performed on a sample group of people who each have different needs, circumstances, and personalities.
Summary points
Health professionals are often reluctant to value research into the effectiveness of educational interventions
As in clinical research, the need for an evidence base in the practice of medical education is essential
Choosing a methodology to investigate a research question in educational research is no different from choosing one for any other type of research
Rigorously designed research into the effectiveness of education is needed to attract research funding, to provide generalisable results,and to elevate the profile of educational research within the medical profession
Methodology
Choosing a methodology to use to investigate a research question is no different in educational research than it is in any other type of research. Careful attention must be paid to the aims of the research and the validity of the method and tools selected. Educational research uses two main designs: naturalistic and experimental. 2 3
Naturalistic design
Naturalistic designs look at specific or general issues as they occur-for example, what makes practitioners change their practice, how often is feedback given in primary care settings, what processes are occurring over time in an educational course, what are the different experiences and outcomes for participants, and can these differences be explained? Like case reports, population surveys, and other well designed observational methodologies, naturalistic studies have a...