Interpretation of Interpretivism

3_11_08 Class Notes By Merrissa Ritch and Angie Clark

Field Trip
When we got to class Dr. Pope told us that we were going to be taking a field trip. A few of us were hoping for Discovery Place but alas we ended up outside of Withers.
Dr. Pope told us that we would have ten minutes to describe Withers. After about ten minutes we returned to the classroom. Upon our gleeful return to class a few of us were asked to read our descriptions. Each proved very different as some were more architectural, some more emotional and each pointed out different features that others may have excluded or overlooked.
What is the point?
Dr. Pope says….The key point of Interpretivism that all description is interpretation. This was an objective assignment designed to get objective results. All of which had a significant amount of variation. Interpretivism is built on the idea that interpretation is the constant. When we describe something, we are interpreting our experience. It is a contrast of Functionalism and Marxism which is based on the metaphysical assumption that there is no objective reality.
It was interesting that when we were outside once we got the assignment everyone went to work individually. A lot of people didn’t move but just looked straight in front of them. Others didn’t even look up or walk around the building. A few people moved and only a few people talked to each other. Dr. Pope didn’t specifically say that he didn’t want us to not communicate or move but we didn’t. It was funny too that most of us chose to describe the building with words while only two of us drew a picture.

Interpretivism
Review of Functionalist, Marxist and Interpretivism views:
· Functionalist View: To sort students as accurately as possible according to ability and achievement for their social roles.
· Marxist View: Schools serve to serve the interest of the status quo and to perpetuate legitimate class distinction. Ultimately, the law governs schooling.
· Interpretivism View: A true description of social phenomena is impossible. Social Science and physical science is very different. The way people interact is very different, for example, from the neutrons an electrons interaction.
Social phenomena are radically different from natural phenomena. Choices were made in how we described the school. To highlight some areas and downplay others
Personal accounts of instances (descriptions of events) are due to their various levels of accuracy. For example, those who missed a small detail in describing Withers missed something. Therefore, all of the details that would make the description accurate are not there. Human descriptions are good according to their accuracy. Thus, an accurate description of school depends on how accurate the school is for society. Interpretivism suggests the best way to understand what schools are requires a different model of research then that of the physical sciences.
In Interpretivism there is no way it is but various ways it may be.
Interpretivism is based on the idea that research is done to understand social and natural phenomena. They should not be treated the same. Natural scientist analyze, they do a lot of experiments. The research depends on the represented observations of the same phenomena. Using the data, they can predict what happens in the future. What counts as social phenomena cannot be judged by the context of what is physically observable. Peter Winch points out that events and social interactions have different meanings depending on the accepted social norms. Social science is nothing like actual science. Winch says what natural science is determined by is doing experiments repeatedly to get the same results. Social science cannot be truly determined by what is only observed. The action having different meanings in different cultures and context, for example, raising your hand are all very similar but the meaning is different in what the context the hand is being raised is in. Meaning is different. Different words meaning different things.
The Interpretivist says social science’s job in educational research is to uncover the rules and frameworks that give physical actions their meaning. Within a classroom there is a certain set of meanings see as normal and right.
Playing the Game:
Another key point of Interpretivism is the idea of the game. (The full story is in the book on pgs. 87-93 and pgs. 105-106.) she makes decisions based on her data and physical observations and still misinterprets the game because she doesn’t understand the context. Therefore, correlations alone cannot describe an event or its context. The same is true in the context of schools. There are many possible reasons for the same event, but the actual meaning depends on the intent. Example: A child may give an incorrect answer because he doesn’t know the answer or because he doesn’t want to be seen as a nerd.
Everything that she says is accurate but completely wrong because she doesn’t know anything of the game. Doesn’t know rules, roles, terminology, point of the game, she completely misunderstands what it means to play baseball. The intent is important but it is not enough, you also need to know the context. Baseball is a great example, because it is a complex game. There is a whole lot going on within the context of the game that we do not see, especially in the majors.

Dr. Pope is a Red Sox fan. In baseball the situation changes with every pitch. Intricate game, the more you understand the rules and the context the more you can understand and enjoy the game.
Dr. Pope read the quote on pg. 90-91:
“In other words, the intention behind an individual’s behavior receives meaning in the context of a set of shared rules and goals that allows that behavior to be the activity that the individual intend it to be.”
If you are going to strike someone out, it only makes sense in the context of a baseball game. Fundamentally, social interaction is like a game.
Interaction is the key to Interpretivism. In school the interactions between:
· Teacher to Teacher
· Teacher to Student
· Student to Teacher
The teacher and student are in constant negotiation and construction of a social situation. Interpretivists are trying to understand the rules of the school classroom game which are not always explicit. The explicit rules both govern and constitute an activity. (Govern-have to play by certain rules/ Constitute-if you go by the rules you are in fact “playing the game”)
The Interpretivist believes classrooms have rules and the rules govern and constitute what a classroom is. Example: Little girl raising hand late. She gives the appearance of participating without the fear of being called on. It is an unspoken agreement between the teacher and the student.
In Interpretivism meaning merges from interactions between individuals not from individual characteristics. Functionalism and Marxism depend on individual characteristics such as ability and status. In schools the Interpretivist looks at the meaning that arises from interactions between students and teachers.

Games
Game: Life
To further illustrate Interpretivism there is an activity: four people called to play the game of Life. They were given all of the pieces but they were not given the rules. This game was familiar to the four participants. The other students were to be interpreters and could not help out initially. There was a great deal of discussion as to where pieces went, how the order of play should be chosen, clockwise vs. counterclockwise, how much money should be given and much, much more. The second round Dr. Pope allowed everyone in class to help. A couple of people knew the rules and pointed out where things may have gone wrong. The comments that followed play were:
· The game was chaotic without knowing the rules.
· Everyone seemed to recognize the logistics of playing a game such as how to determine who goes first, follow the path and there is money therefore a banker is needed. The players used the knowledge of past game playing to try to determine how to play the new game.
· Dave violated the rules of money and everyone followed along because they benefited.
· Started out as a team then separated.
· They constantly changed the rules, negotiated.
Game: Carcassonne (German Game, Dr. Pope’s favorite)
Four new contestants were called on for this game. Everyone worked quietly at first to figure out the meanings of the pieces and then some discussion took place. This game was not familiar to anyone but Dr. Pope. The class was invited to help but no one could figure out how the game was to be played. Though everyone tried to apply prior knowledge of gaming nothing really worked because it was a different kind of game altogether.
Without the rules that governed or constituted the game, it could not be played. The meaning was lost.
Three Types of Meaning
Pg.99 in the book
1. Propositional: The truth claim; “It’s late.” The meaning is given by the actual words themselves and what they refer to; the meaning is conveyed contextually.
2. Relational: the relationship is implied by the giver and the receiver of the message. (The message conveyed says something about the relationship of the people involved.) The message is conveyed by: the action that follows, tone of voice, words used, the way the person(s) is addressed, modes of address, changes used. Example: A parent might ask their child “Don’t you think it’s time to go to bed?” (There really is no option or choice for the child. It is really more of a command from the parent who “reigns” over the child. The parent has power over the child. There is really no choice for the child.)
3. Attitudinal: How the message is suppose to be taken; this is conveyed by tone of voice (sarcasm), context, who the message is for, body language and emotion behind the words.

Relevance to Interpretivism: It is about figuring out meaning within the social context. When figuring out meaning one should consider the three types and look for multiple modes of meaning.
Interpretivists engage in qualitative research allowing people to respond in their own words to generate a view of what schools are and what they are for. There is some measure of choice and control over meaning because it is a mere objective approach. One can have knowledge of a structure without being a participant. (There is the matter of knowing or learning the rules and making the choice to play.) The better a student understands the rules, the better he/she will do in schools.

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