What is it about?
Using the term 'formative evaluation', a key component of educational assessment and education generally, in German as an example, this paper demonstrates how some concepts are expressed in a multitude of ways - many more than are commonly used in scholarly works - and the fruitfulness of using one term to find another as an initial step in the data collection phase. This method to online keyword searches is being labelled 'semantic iterative keyword sampling' (SIKS). It was found that German authors use no fewer than 47 terms to refer to 'formative evaluation' and that it is also known by many other names in English.
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Why is it important?
The findings are important, predominantly, because they show the fruitfulness of compiling a repertoire of keywords first before embarking on the primary research object. Using a broader spectrum of keywords to investigate a concept or phenomenon will produce more source material which, in turn, can strengthen the credibility and validity of the research findings and conclusions.
Perspectives
This was a labor of love that started five years ago when, initially, it was a literature review of formative evaluation practices in Germany. Over that time, it evolved into a methodological piece that uncovered a method for fine-tuning an element of the research process, keyword searches, that receives very little attention in research methods textbooks. It is simple - almost too simple - but useful (even in the age of AI and LLMs), so I hope it finds application across and beyond the field of education and that it helps researchers discover and utilize the wealth of information that is out there but not always under same guise.
Dr Chris J Cookson
University for the Creative Arts
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Using semantic iterative keyword sampling for polyonymous concepts in interlingual educational research by example of ‘formative evaluation’ in German, International Journal of Research & Method in Education, February 2024, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/1743727x.2024.2315552.
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