CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Historical Method
Types of Historical Research
Steps in Historical Research
Definition of a Problem
Collection of Data
Internal and External Criticisms
Case Study Method
Historical Report Writing
Interpretation and Synthesis
Style of Writing
Chapter III 76
Methodology

The present study aims to examine the educational activities of

the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar in the State of Kerala. As

the educational activities of the Church has a history of its own, an

understanding of its historical background would enable one to

recognize the period and circumstances which led to the

establishment of schools and colleges by the Church. Here the

researcher examines the origin and development of educational

institutions of this minority Church. The research methodology has

been adopted in such a manner as to effectively co-ordinate the data

from primary and secondary sources. The investigator explains the

event by describing the condition which led unto it and out of which

led unto it and out of which it grew. When the event to be explained

happened in the distant past, the best method of study was historical

research. As the educational institutions under the Mar Thoma

Church were taken as a unit, the purpose was to understand the unit.

The case study probes deeply and analyses intensively the interaction

between factors that produce development over a period of time.

Hence historical method along with case study was found suitable for

the collection, interpretation and analysis of the data.

3.1. Historical Method

History is a meaningful record of human achievement. It is not

merely a list of chronological events but a truthful, integrated account

Chapter III 77
Methodology

of the relationships between persons, events, times and places.1.

History is used to understand the past and to unravel the present in

the light of past events and developments. Historical research involves

digging into the past in order to re-enact the past in its entirety, to re-

construct the past events as fully as they must have happened, to

explain the meaning and significance of those events to correct the

wrong notions too long prevalent, if any, and to elaborate, analyze,

synthesise and philosophise the ideas in the light of the knowledge we

possess2. Historical analysis may be directed toward an individual, an

idea, a movement, or an institution. In this study the historical

analysis was directed towards the educational institutions run by the

Mar Thoma Church.

One way to understand current educational practices is to know

how these practices developed and to clarify the issues concerning

them. The history of education enables the educational worker to

detect fads and frills in whatever form they may appear and it serves

as a necessary preliminary to educational reform. Only in the light of

their origin and growth can the numerous educational problems of the

present be viewed sympathetically and without bias by the teacher,

the school administrator or the public3. Educational researchers

1
Best, John. W. and Khan, James. V. (1995). Research In Education. (7th ed.) New Delhi: Prentice –
Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., p.85
2
Ali, B. Sheik. (1978). History: Its Theory and Method’. Madras : The Macmillan Company India
Ltd., p. 107.
3
Knight, E.W. (1934). Education in the United States. Boston: Ginn and Company, p.38
Chapter III 78
Methodology

undertake historical studies for a variety of reasons. In the present

study, the following are the purposes of the investigator.

1. To make people aware of what has happened in the past.

2. To learn how educational institutions were established in the

past and see if they might be applicable to present day

problems and concerns.

3. To understand present educational institutions and its

functioning.

4. To understand the role of Mar Thoma Church in the

educational map of Kerala.

5. To understand the impact of these institutions in society.

3.2. Types of Historical Research

Historical studies that could be conducted with benefit to the

field of education may include the following:-

1. Bibliographic research

2. Legal research

3. Studying the history of ideas

4. Studying the history of institution and organizations4.

The present investigation comes under the category of studying

the history of institutions. While studying such history, the same

general method was applied as for the study of an educator‟s life. This

study aimed at determining and presenting truthfully the important

4
Chandra, Soti Shivendra & Sharma, Rajendra K. (1997). Research in Education. New Delhi: Atlantic
Publishers and Distributors, p. 345.
Chapter III 79
Methodology

facts about the origin, historical background and the present status of

educational institutions under the Mar Thoma Church as far as

possible. Various factors had contributed to the establishment of

educational institutions and such factors also came under review.

3.3. Steps in Historical Research

There are four essential steps involved in doing a historical

study in education.5

1. Definition of a problem or questions to be investigated

(including the formulation of hypotheses, if appropriate).

2. Collection of data through primary and secondary sources.

3. Internal and external criticisms of the data collected.

4. Presentation of facts in a readable form involving problems of

organizations, composition, exposition and interpretation.

3.3.1. Definition of a Problem

The purpose of a historical research study should not be to find

out what is already known about a topic and to retell it. The nature of

historical research, of course, eliminates control of phenomena, so the

purpose of the research study should be to explain or predict, not to

rehash6. A researcher may select a problem pertaining to the history

of individuals, institutions, organizations, law, curriculum,

administration, text books, teacher education, equipment, important

5
Fraenkel, Jack & Wallen, Norman E. (1993). How To Design and Evaluate Research In Education.
(2nd ed.). New York: Mc Graw-Hill Inc., p. 434.
6
Gay, L.R. (1996). Educational Research Competencies for Analysis And Application. USA: Prentice
– Hall Inc., p.187.
Chapter III 80
Methodology

concepts and thoughts that have influenced education during a

specific period of time in a given culture. Due care should be

exercised in selecting and delimiting the historical problem for

investigation. Besides, the investigator should make sure that the

problem selected is not only of historical and current significance, but

answerable by available methods of research and by the available

sources of data. In the present investigation, the problem was related

to the educational endeavour of the Mar Thoma Church.

The hypotheses in historical research are useful in explaining

events, conditions or phenomena of the period in question.

Hypotheses are particularly necessary in studies where cause and

effect relationship are to be discovered. They are perhaps, less crucial

in studies in which the task is one of determining the status of given

phenomenon although even in such studies the investigator is likely

to need some tentative hypothesis to guide him to the areas worth

exploring. The hypotheses for historical research may not be formal

hypotheses to be tested. They are written as explicit statements that

tentatively explain the occurrence of events and conditions. Although

hypotheses are not always explicitly stated in historical investigations

they are usually implied.

Chapter III 81
Methodology

3.3.2. Collection of Data

In a historical research study, the review of related literature

and the study procedures are part of the same process7. The term

„literature‟ takes on a much broader meaning in a historical study and

refers to all sorts of written communication; in addition, identification,

acquisition and review of such „literature‟ are considerably more

complex. The written communication may be in the form of legal

documents, records, minutes of meetings, letters and other

documents which will not normally be indexed alphabetically by

subject, author, and title in a library. The researcher usually sifts

through the vast materials of human activity that testify past events.

From these the investigator identifies and selects data that are

relevant to his problem. These data are classified into primary and

secondary sources.

3.3.2.1. Sources of Historical Data

(a) Primary Sources: - As eyewitness accounts these are the only

solid bases of historical enquiry. Good, Barr and Scates (1941) have

called them as the first witness to a fact‟. These are the life-blood of

historical research8. Primary source is one prepared by an individual

who was a participant in or a direct witness to the event being

described. The original documents or remains which come under the

7
Ibid., p. 188.
8
Cohen, Louis and Manion, Lawrence. (1994). Research Methods in Education. (4th ed.). London &
New York: Routledge, p.50.
Chapter III 82
Methodology

category of primary sources, are available in written, pictorial and

mechanical forms as under:

(i) Personal Records:- These include certificates, diaries,

autobiographies, affidavits, declarations, letters, wills, deeds,

contracts and original drafts of speeches, articles, books and

pamphlets.

(ii) Official Records:- These include legislative, judicial or executive

documents prepared by central or state governments, municipalities,

panchayats or other local bodies such as constitutions, laws,

charters, court proceedings and decisions. The data preserved by

missionaries and other religious organizations such as financial

records and records of minutes of the meetings of managing or

governing bodies. This includes the information complied by central

or state education departments, special commissions, professional

organizations, school boards and administrative authorities in the

form of minutes of meetings, reports of committee and commissions,

administrative orders, school surveys, annual reports, budget,

attendance records, cumulative records of games, musical and

athletic events and examinations9.

iii) Oral Testimony

These include folk tales, family stories, ceremonies, myths,

tales, legends, charts, songs and other forms of oral expression that

9
Chandra, Soti Shivendra et.al. op.cit,p.347
Chapter III 83
Methodology

have been used by people down through the ages. Researchers can

also conduct oral interviews with people who were a part of or who

witnessed past events. This is special form of historical research,

called oral history10.

(iv) Pictorial Record:- These include photograph records of events

and tape recordings of interviews, meetings and speeches.

(v) Remains or Relics:- These include fossils, skeletons, tools,

weapons, clothing, buildings, furniture, utensils, art objects, teaching

materials, samples of student work and murals.

Important primary sources used in the present study are the

following:-

Among the personal records, the researcher used Mar Thoma

Sabha Directories of three years (1969, 1983, 1999), certificates of

affiliation of colleges, autobiography of Juhanon Mar Thoma

Metropolitan and circulars issued by various Metropolitans.

Constitution of the Mar Thoma Church, minutes of the meetings of

governing bodies of colleges and Mar Thoma Higher Education

Commission, annual reports of educational institutions, attendance

registers and result analysis files of various colleges, pamphlets

issued by various educational institutions, Prathinidhi Mandalam

Reports of six years of the Church (from 1998 to 2006), brochures of

various institutions, Constitution of the Board of Collegiate

10
Fraenkel, Jack R.& Wallen, Norman E. op.cit.,p.436
Chapter III 84
Methodology

Education of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, handbooks and

calendars issued by various colleges, directory issued by the M.T. and

E.A. Schools Corportate Management and Peer Team Report on the

Institutional Accreditation constituted the official records.

Oral Testimony includes unstructured interviews conducted

with people who were part of the M.T. and E.A. Schools Corporate

Management and heads of educational institutions. Photographs of

various educational institutions represented the pictorial record.

Among relics or remains, the archives of Mar Thoma Theological

Seminary (Kottayam), marble inscriptions, planks with descriptions

and buildings of various educational institutions occupied an

important place.

(b) Secondary Sources: - Secondary sources are those that do not

bear a direct physical relationship to the event being studied. They

would thus be one in which the person describing the event was not

actually present but who obtained descriptions from another person

or source. It is not always possible to obtain primary data. In such

situations the researcher may have to rely on secondary sources.

These sources may help to bridge the gap between the various pieces

of primary data. Secondary sources used in historical research

include quoted materials, textbooks, encyclopedias and other

reproduction of material or information. The value of these sources

should not be minimized. There are numerous occasions where a

Chapter III 85
Methodology

secondary source can contribute significantly to more valid and

reliable historical research than would otherwise be the case. To

quote Mouly “the secondary sources are useful, but should not be

taken as final”11. As secondary sources, the investigator delved into

various Malayalam and English books related to the Mar Thoma

Church. Besides these books, various articles, magazines and

souvenirs of educational institutions were also examined in this

study.

The sequence of study included a series of shuttling movements

between secondary and primary sources. Mouly has suggested that “if

the historian has an adequate insight into the situation, so that he

can balance one secondary source against another, he may come

much closer to the truth than he would if he relied on a single original

source12. In fact, many of the secondary sources indicated above were

consulted first in order to obtain scholarship into the field, to get an

orientation into the problems and the approaches, and also to get an

idea of the main primary sources. The investigator also became aware

of the gaps in the existing knowledge on the factual side as well as in

aspects of educational interpretation, through a careful study of

secondary sources.

11
Mouly, George J. (1963). The Science of Educational Research. New York: American Book
company, p. 208.
12
Mouly, George J. op.cit., pp. 208-209
Chapter III 86
Methodology

3.3.3. Criticism of Data

As workers in the field of research gather much of their data

and information from records and documents, dissertation must be

carefully evaluated so as to attest their worth for the purposes of the

particular study. Evaluation of historical data and information is

often referred to as historical criticism and the reliable data yielded

by the process are known as historical evidence. Historical evidence

is derived from historical data by the process of criticism, which is of

two types-external and internal.

3.3.3.1. External Criticism

External criticism is concerned with establishing the

authenticity or genuineness of data. It is also called lower criticism. It

is aimed at the document itself rather than the interpretation or

meaning of them in relation to the study. The tasks of establishing

the age or authorship of a document may involve tests of factors such

as signatures, handwriting, scripts, type, style, spelling and place

names. According to Mouly, “the purpose of external criticism is not

so much „negative‟ (the detection of fraud) as it is the „establishment

of historical truth‟.

As with external criticism, several questions need to be asked in

attempting to evaluate the accuracy of a document and the

truthfulness of its author.

Chapter III 87
Methodology

With regard to the author of the document:-

 Was the author present at the event he or she is describing? In

other words is the document a primary or a secondary source?

 Was the author a participant in or an observer of the event?

 Was the author competent to describe the event?

 Was the author emotionally involved in the event?

 Did the author have any vested interest in the outcomes of the

event?

With regard to the contents of the document:-

 Do the contents make sense?

 Could the event described have occurred at that time?

 Would people have behaved as described?

 Does the language of the document suggest a bias of any sort?

 Do other versions of the event exist? Do they present a different

description or interpretation of what happened?

3.3.3.2. Internal Criticism

Internal criticism which is also known as higher criticism is

concerned with the validity, credibility, or worth of the content of the

document. Both the accuracy of the information contained in a

document and the truthfulness of the author need to be evaluated.

Internal criticism has to do with what the document says.13 Besides

13
Fraenkel, Jack R. & Wallen, Norman. op.cit. p. 438.
Chapter III 88
Methodology

the textual criticism, it also involves such factors as competence, good

faith, bias and general reputation of the author. It is positive in nature

when the researcher seeks to discover the literal and the real meaning

of the text. It is negative when the researcher tries to seek every

possible reason for disbelieving the statement made, questioning

critically the competence, truthfulness or accuracy and honesty of the

author. Both positive and negative criticisms are essential in

historical research but the researcher should not go so far as to be

cynical and hypercritical.

Travers has listed those characteristics commonly considered in

making evaluation of writers. Were they trained or untrained

observers of the events? What were their relationships to the events?

To what extent were they under pressure, from fear or vanity, say to

distort or omit facts? What were the intends of the writers of the

documents? To what extend were they experts at recording those

particular events? Were they too antagonistic or too sympathetic to

give true pictures? How long after the event did they record their

testimonies? And were they able to remember accurately? Finally, are

they in agreement with other independent witnesses?

Regarding the authenticity of the Directory published by the

Mar Thoma Church as well as the Directory of the Management, the

conclusion of the researcher was that the Mar Thoma Church was

unbiased in their recordings. The information regarding various

Chapter III 89
Methodology

organizations and institutions were added on the basis of the reports

directly sent by the mother institutions. More than that, the preface

and introduction part of M.T. and E.A. Schools Directory of 1974 was

written by persons who were directly involved in the efforts of starting

educational institutions. It was the usual practice of the church to

record the daily accounts and to publish budget, Prathinidhi

Manadalam reports, directories and income-expenditure statements.

They have done all those things in a reliable manner. With regard to

the veracity of the secondary sources which have been referred by the

researcher, it is presumed that all those published works are based

on the above mentioned registers, reports and minutes taken and

passed by the Sabha Council and governing bodies of educational

institutions. So there is little scope for errors and fallacies.

Furthermore, the investigator also spent much time on comparing the

primary and the secondary source materials in order to point out and

remove erroneous statements or findings, if any.

After the authenticity of historical documents was established,

there were still problems of evaluating their accuracy. For this,

questions were asked as to whether they revealed a true picture,

whether the writers were competent, honest, unbiased and how they

acquired the facts or whether they were prejudiced, too antagonistic

or too sympathetic to give a true picture. Often these questions were

found difficult to answer, but the researcher presumes that the data
Chapter III 90
Methodology

were authentic and accurate. In addition the footnotes mentioned in

the work cited the authority for statements and helped in cross-

references.

3.4. Case Study Method

A case study is the in-depth investigation of one unit. According

to P.V. Young „Case study is a method of exploring and analyzing the

life of a social unit- be that unit a person, a family, institution,

culture, group, or even an entire community‟. Case studies may be

very objective or very subjective; they may utilize a number of

methodological techniques-naturalistic observation surveys,

interviews, or other approaches14. It is a way of organizing social data

for the purpose of viewing social reality. The specific method of case

study would depend upon unit, commonsense and imagination of the

person doing the case study. A case study examines a current

phenomenon in its real life situation, using whichever research

strategies are necessary to address the problem at hand15.

In the present study the researcher has probed deeply and

analysed intensively the multifarious phenomenon that constitutes

the life cycle of the unit that is, Mar Thoma educational institutions,

with a view to establishing generalization about the wider population

to which that unit belongs. The way the research question is set up

14
Schweigert, Wendy A. (1998). Research Methods in Psvchology- Pacific Grove: Brooks Cole
publishing Company, p. 158.
15
Baker, Therese L. (1994). Doing Social Research. (2nd ed.). New York: Mc Graw-Hill, Inc., p. 300.
Chapter III 91
Methodology

will define the actual units of analysis in the study. In the present

context as the study is focused on the attempt of the Mar Thoma

Church in the field of education, the unit of analysis deals with the

antecedents of the educational activities of the church.

The procedures of case study are (a) selection of the case (b)

determining status of the phenomenon (c) formation of a hypothesis

(d) collection of data (e) tentative diagnosis (f) instituting remedy (g)

follow-up or rechecking. In the present attempt, the investigator has

procured personal testimony from subjects by asking them to recall

various past experiences or to express present wishes through

unstructured interviews. The researcher has also employed direct

observation and search through literacy source materials. In that

sense, it can be considered as a case study.

3.4.1. Literacy source Method.

The investigator searches through the primary and secondary

sources and documents of available information. While documenting

information from books, journals, magazines, etc. as used in

historical research method, internal and external criticisms are

applied to establish validity and reliability of the data.

3.4.2. Unstructured Interview Technique

Interview is a two-way method which permits an exchange of

ideas and information. Roughly defined interviews might be said to be

„talk to some purpose‟. Different interview types are worth listing – (i)
Chapter III 92
Methodology

structured interview (ii) semi-structured interview and (iii)

unstructured interview. The structured interview lies close to the

questionnaire in both its form and the assumptions underlying its

use. The semi-structured interview is a much more flexible version of

the structured interview. In the unstructured interview scope is

allowed for the interviewer to introduce raw material into the

discussion which had not been thought of before hand but arose only

during the course of the interview.

Based on the depth of discussion between the interviewer and

interviewee, the investigator relied on unstructured interview. It

allows the interviewer greater scope in asking questions out of

sequence and the interviewees of answering questions in their own

ways16. In an informal unstructured interview, one can penetrate

behind initial answers, follow up unexpected clues, and redirect the

inquiry on the basis of emerging data into more fruitful channels. This

type of interview presupposes nothing about the direction of the

interview or what will be learned. In short it will follow the

interviewee‟s flow of ideas.

In the present investigation the investigator interviewed the

former and present manager of M.T. and E.A. Corporate Management,

the heads of institutions and some of the early workers in this field.

The researcher established rapport with the interviewee and centered

16
Hitchock. Graham and Hughes. David (1989). Research and The Teacher. London & New York:
Routledge, p.87.
Chapter III 93
Methodology

around a topic that is, the early educational activities of the church.

This enabled the interviewer to move backwards and forwards in the

interview itself providing the opportunity to clarify points, go over

earlier points and raise fresh questions. In this unstructured

interview, the respondent could develop his own ideas, feelings,

insights, expectations or attitudes. The responses thus obtained

served as a source of data for analysis in the present study.

3.5. Historical Report Writing

Historical composition is a synthetic and constructive process

that involves the mechanical problem of documentation, the logical

problems of selection and arrangement of topics and subtopics and

the philosophical problem of interpretation. Condensation, precision,

simplicity, dignity, objectivity, lucidity, synthesis, unifying theme and

concentration are the qualities of a good historical narrative. It

involves the same step in giving detailed bibliographical references as

in any other scientific investigation.

3.5.1. Selection and Organization

A good writer of educational history must know the historical

value and significance of each topic. This historical perspective must

guide him in selecting only the relevant meaningful data. The relative

importance of events and topics has to be carefully analyzed and kept

in mind while selecting or rejecting historical data.

3.5.2. Interpretation and Synthesis

Chapter III 94
Methodology

Interpretation of the data must be made from the standpoint of

whatever hypothesis or theory the data will most adequately support.

Isolated facts have no meaning and a mere listing of historical

occurrences is not research. It is necessary that the data is

considered in relation to another, synthesized into generalization or

conclusion which place their overall significance in focus17.

3.6. Style of Writing

Reports of historical research in the field of education should

neither be dull and colourless, nor too flowery and flippant; neither

too persuasive of the soap box type nor lacking in proper usage. They

must follow simplicity, dignity, power, lucidity and objectivity.

In the present study all the procedures such as giving complete

footnotes and detailed bibliography, etc are strictly followed in writing

the report of the historical research. In writing the present

dissertation, mainly the chronological –cum-topical type of

organization is used. The qualities like simplicity, dignity and

objectivity are kept in mind while writing the report.

17
Mouly. George J. op. cit, p. 205