Division D Fireside Chat. What is Truth in Research: Can Methodologically Strong Research Provide Clarity in a Post-Truth Era?

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

How do researchers function in a world where objective facts have little value? In the Division D fireside chat, we will explore the role of education researchers and methodologists in a society that increasingly gets its information from social media. Do researchers have an ethical obligation to play the role of activist for the truth? Panelists will examine 1) the role of sound methodology in truth-telling; 2) the responsibility to help others understand how to effectively evaluate sources; and 3) epistemology—how can we really know something.

Sub Unit

• Graduate Student Council

Chair

• Eva Chiang, George W. Bush Institute and Southern Methodist University

Participants

• Meredith Paige Richards, Southern Methodist University

• Jeff A. Greene, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Matthew A. Clifford, American Institutes for Research