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The Obviousness of Social and Educational Research Results

The School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305

Highly estimable writers have averred that well nigh all of the results of social and educational research are obvious, that is, could have been predicted without doing the research. To examine the justifiability of this allegation, one should examine its accord with actual research results. Thus, is it a "truism" that higher achievement comes about when students spend more time with the subject matter? That smaller groups are easier to control than larger groups? Do judges regard actual results as more obvious and statements of their opposites as nonobvious ? Both the century-old research results of Joseph Mayer Rice and recent results throw light on these issues.

Educational Researcher, Vol. 20, No. 1, 10-16 (1991)
DOI: 10.3102/0013189X020001010


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