A Triangulated Study: Step-by-step Example
A Triangulated Study: Step-by-step Example
A teacher suspects that a new spelling routine is helping students with lower spelling scores. She uses three different methods.
- Spelling test. Weekly spelling quiz. Their scores rise over six weeks.
- Student questionnaire. The students rate their confidence with spelling. The average rises from 2.0 to 3.5 on a five-point scale.
- Observation. During free writing time, the teacher notices that these students attempt longer words instead of using the same five short words they used before.
Three tools. Three sources. All three point to improvement. The conclusion is far more credible than if she had only the quiz scores.
If only the quiz scores had improved while the students still felt unconfident and still used short words in writing, the teacher would have to question whether the improvement was real or just an artifact of the quiz. Triangulation prevents that mistake.
The same logic works in any classroom study. A reading study can combine a fluency check, a student questionnaire, and a teacher observation log. A behavior study can combine a checklist, a parent interview, and the student’s own diary. The pattern is always the same: three angles on one question.
One more card on the other half of the story: what to do when the tools disagree.
