This article was downloaded by: [University of New Mexico]On: 24 November 2014, At: 04:59Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Educational PsychologistPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hedp20

Considering Contexts in Educational Psychology:Introduction to the Special IssueLynley H. Anderman & Eric M. AndermanPublished online: 08 Jun 2010.

To cite this article: Lynley H. Anderman & Eric M. Anderman (2000) Considering Contexts in Educational Psychology:Introduction to the Special Issue, Educational Psychologist, 35:2, 67-68, DOI: 10.1207/S15326985EP3502_1

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3502_1

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of theContent. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon andshould be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable forany losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use ofthe Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Considering Contexts in Educational Psychology:Introduction to the Special Issue CONTEXTS IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGYANDERMAN AND ANDERMAN

Lynley H. Anderman and Eric M. AndermanEducational and Counseling Psychology

University of Kentucky

The impetus for this special issue grew from our observationof an ongoing call from researchers, symposium discussants,and journal editors for increased attention to contextual ef-fects in the study of educational psychology. For example,Goodenow (1992) argued that an ecologically valid psychol-ogy of education must include an understanding of the socialand interpersonal processes that make up the social context ofschooling. More recently, Pintrich (1994), in speculatingabout directions for research in educational psychology, in-cluded an increased focus on the role of contexts and culturein shaping students’ cognitions as a major issue that confrontsresearch activities in the field. Similarly, Solomon (1995)noted that the traditionally espoused assumption that “most ifnot all that is important and interesting in educational psy-chology lies in the study of the decontextualized individual”(p. 105), which underlies much of the work in our field, needsto be seriously revised. Solomon went on to suggest that thereis a growing demand for greater ecological validity and prac-tical relevance of our research and that these demands requirethat we change our focus to include individuals “within widerpsychological, disciplinary, social and cultural contexts” (p.106). In part, educational psychologists’ interest in contextsreflects trends in the study of cognitive development that em-phasize the social nature of human learning (e.g., Rogoff,1990; Tharp & Gallimore, 1988; Wertsch, 1985). It also re-flects the growth of interdisciplinary research programs andthe influence of theory and research in fields such as socialpsychology and sociology.

Whereas many researchers now agree with the importanceof considering context in their work, the challenges of doingso are many. One set of challenges revolves around concep-tual issues related to what context is and how persons and sit-uations interact. A second but related set of challengesinvolves methodological issues in terms of how to go aboutmeasuring and analyzing contextual effects. Goodenow

(1992) noted that educational psychologists need to add to themethods they typically use. More specifically, we need to in-corporate other methods more traditionally used in fieldssuch as sociology, sociolinguistics, and anthropology.

In putting this special issue together, we selected authorswho are grappling with these issues in their own work. As isreadily apparent, each brings a different approach to the studyof contexts, including utilizing widely varying definitions,theoretical perspectives, and methodologies. In each article,the authors discuss both conceptual and methodological chal-lenges they have faced in their ongoing research programs,using examples from recent studies for illustration.

QUESTIONS RAISED IN THE STUDY OFCONTEXTS

What Dimensions and Levels ofContext Do We Measure?

Much research on contexts has focused on what Bronfenbrenner(1978) termed themicrosystem. For example, in thisissue Ryandiscusses peer groups, whereas Turner and Meyer discussclassrooms. Turner and Meyer describe that in the history ofclassroom research there has been great variance in the di-mensions of classrooms considered important for study. Sim-ilarly, as Ryan points out, definitional and level of analysis is-sues are central in considering peer influences. Other authorsin this issue discuss a more macro level of context. For exam-ple, Lee focuses on the school as a whole, whereas Murdockfocuses on students’ economic status as a context. Stigler,Gallimore, and Hiebert examine classrooms cross-cultur-ally—thus grappling with both micro and macro levels simul-taneously.

Whose Perspective Do We Attend To?

In educational psychological research often there is a ten-dency to take a phenomenological view and assume that stu-

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST,35(2), 67–68Copyright © 2000, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Requests for reprints should be sent to Lynley H. Anderman, 101 TaylorEducation Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506–0001.E-mail: lande2@pop.uky.edu

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

ew M

exic

o] a

t 04:

59 2

4 N

ovem

ber

2014

dents’ perceptions are the most powerful predictor available.Alternative perspectives are also important, however. Thistopic is highlighted in this issue by Stigler, Gallimore, andHiebert’s discussion about the number and location of videocameras used in video-based studies of classroom context.Similarly, Turner and Meyer discuss the importance of incor-porating multiple perspectives (e.g., those of students, teach-ers, and researchers). Once a researcher has collected datafrom multiple sources, the challenge of integrating differentperspectives that may contradict one another remains. Aspointed out by Ryan, a key issue in studying peer influencesrelates to whether one should attend to students’ perceptionsof their peers’ behaviors and attitudes or to the actual behav-iors and attitudes reported by those peers.

Different Participants’ Experiences

A related question is how to manage differences in partici-pants’ experiences. What are the appropriate ways to aggre-gate data, and how do we deal with the nested nature of mucheducational data? That is, students function within peergroups or classrooms that function within schools, districts,neighborhoods, and larger cultural contexts. In this regard,the development of multilevel analysis techniques, such ashierarchical linear modeling represents a major step forwardfor quantitative researchers. In this issue, Lee argues that con-textual studies in education are, by definition, multilevelstudies that require multilevel designs and analyses. She pro-vides an introduction to the use of hierarchical linear model-ing to study school effects. This technique clearly has appli-cation in the study of other contexts (e.g., see Ryan, thisissue).

Changing Contexts

Another challenge for researchers is dealing with the fluid na-ture of contexts over time. It is clear that longitudinal studies

have advantages over one-shot data collection, but the prob-lem is more complex than this solution suggests. For exam-ple, when is it appropriate to create some kind of mean experi-ence over time, and when do we need to attend to particularsalient experiences that overshadow day-to-day routines? Inthis issue, Stigler, Gallimore, and Hiebert discuss this topic interms of the coding of tapes and the importance of not over-emphasizing a memorable event. Alternatively, Turner andMeyer discuss the need for an ongoing researcher presence inthe setting. In addition, new methodologies such as experi-ence sampling offer possibilities here, as do quantitative ad-vances such as growth curve and trend analyses.

It is obvious that the challenges inherent in consideringcontexts in educational psychology are great, and five articlescannot provide an exhaustive treatment of all the possible is-sues. Our goal for this special issue is to provide a set of inter-esting and stimulating articles that highlight the challengesand describe some potential solutions. In bringing these arti-cles together, we hope to provoke further discussion and on-going exploration of educational psychology in context.

REFERENCES

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1978).The ecology of human development: Experi-ments by nature and design.Cambridge, MA: Harvard UniversityPress.

Goodenow, C. (1992). Strengthening the links between educational psychol-ogy and the study of social contexts.Educational Psychologist, 27,177–196.

Pintrich, P. R. (1994). Continuities and discontinuities: Future directions forresearch in educational psychology.Educational Psychologist, 29,137–148.

Rogoff, B. (1990).Apprenticeships in thinking: Cognitive development inthe social context.New York: Oxford University Press.

Solomon, G. (1995). Reflections on the field of educational psychology bythe outgoing journal editor.Educational Psychologist, 30,105–108.

Tharp, R., & Gallimore, R. (1988).Rousing minds to life: Teaching, learn-ing, and schooling in social context.Cambridge, England: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Wertsch, J. (1985).Vygotsky and the social formation of mind.Cambridge,MA: Harvard University Press.

68 ANDERMAN AND ANDERMAN

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

ew M

exic

o] a

t 04:

59 2

4 N

ovem

ber

2014