V Diagrams

 

Bob Gowin developed the vee diagram as a way to aid in the understanding of meaningful relationships between events, processes, or objects. It is a tool that helps in seeing the interplay between what is known and what needs to be known or understood. Upon completion, a V diagram is a record of an event that was investigated. The vee diagram has three purposes: (1) planning and carrying out a research project, (2) analyzing a research article, and (3) as a teaching tool. Students in our Explorers of the Universe project primarily use the vee to analyze research articles and to plan and carry out their case-based research.

The V is a name derived from the shape of the diagram. A vee diagram is a structured visual means of relating the methodological aspects of an activity to the underlying conceptual aspects. It focuses on the salient role of concepts in learning and retention.

 

Gowin's Vee showing epistemological elements which are involved in the construction or description of new kowledge. All elements interacts with one another in the process of contructing new knowledge or value claims, or in seeking understanding of these for any set events and questions.

 

The Vee diagram has a conceptual (thinking) side and a methodological (doing) side. Both sides actively interact with each other through the use of the focus or research question(s) that directly relates to the events and/or objects. The point of the V contains the events and/or objects that are to be observed.

The conceptual side includes philosophy, theory, principles/conceptual systems (which include developing a concept map), and concepts all of which are related to each other and to the events and/or objects on the methodological side of the Vee. The methodological side includes value claims, knowledge claims, transformations, and records. These records (facts) of events and/or objects consist of various types of data collecting instruments (e.g., log entries, journals, data received from telescopes -- those that are automated and/or equipped with a CCD camera and those that are not. -- use of video tapes to capture related events or objects, interviews, field notes, measurements of time, length, weight, height, temperature, related documents, and so forth). When planning a research investigation, it is important to think about what kinds of instruments you will use to collect data. The data will be transformed into some organized fashion such as tables, graphs, charts, figures, transcribed dialogues, and so forth. These tabulated results enable you to make knowledge and value claims. The knowledge claims answer the questions that were asked. The value claims determine the worth of the investigation (e.g., What good is it? Is this knowledge worth knowing? Does it have any practical or theoretical use? Does it help to better understand the event or object that was studied?). While there is no set way to read a V Diagram (either from left to right or right to left, or anywhere in between), it is advisable to begin with the events at the point of the Vee followed by the focus or research question(s). The reason for such a progression is that the event is paramount in determining the focus or research question(s) for the inquiry and the subsequent interplay among the conceptual and methodological elements. Familarize yourself with these terms: event, object, and concept. They are described above under Concept Maps and apply to the V Diagram.