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Table 1: Bhaskar’s three domains (1978:56) There are areas in critical realism which are problematic, such as the nature of the causality provided by human agency (Archer, 2002; Hodgson 2003), or the vagueness o Bhaskar’s description of social mechanisms (Baéhr, 1990:771). The first problem can be addressed by distinguishing between contingent (i.e. incidental) and intentional (i.e purposeful) causality (Pratt, 2006). The second problem is not specific to critical realism as social science literature in general contains somewhat vague definitions of the tern “social mechanism” (see Mahoney, 2003:14-15). Franck’s (2002) work on modelling goe: some way towards clarifying the term by representing a social mechanism as having bott formal and practical aspects, reflected in a theoretical and empirical’ model respectively The critical realist preoccupation with mechanisms (i.e. complex systems of forces) is at attempt to understand the deep structure or “essences” of things (Bhaskar, 1978:19) including the complex social processes in which humans are involved on an everyda' basis. But understanding is not enough: according to Bhaskar, social science “alway: consists in a practical intervention in social life’ (1986:169). While an idea can be & powerful motivating factor and have true causal force, it is doing - praxis - whicl transforms social structures, as it is human agency which keeps these in place. As Arche points out, human agency has the potential to transform not only our own lives but the lives of those around us (2002:19).

Table 1 Bhaskar’s three domains (1978:56) There are areas in critical realism which are problematic, such as the nature of the causality provided by human agency (Archer, 2002; Hodgson 2003), or the vagueness o Bhaskar’s description of social mechanisms (Baéhr, 1990:771). The first problem can be addressed by distinguishing between contingent (i.e. incidental) and intentional (i.e purposeful) causality (Pratt, 2006). The second problem is not specific to critical realism as social science literature in general contains somewhat vague definitions of the tern “social mechanism” (see Mahoney, 2003:14-15). Franck’s (2002) work on modelling goe: some way towards clarifying the term by representing a social mechanism as having bott formal and practical aspects, reflected in a theoretical and empirical’ model respectively The critical realist preoccupation with mechanisms (i.e. complex systems of forces) is at attempt to understand the deep structure or “essences” of things (Bhaskar, 1978:19) including the complex social processes in which humans are involved on an everyda' basis. But understanding is not enough: according to Bhaskar, social science “alway: consists in a practical intervention in social life’ (1986:169). While an idea can be & powerful motivating factor and have true causal force, it is doing - praxis - whicl transforms social structures, as it is human agency which keeps these in place. As Arche points out, human agency has the potential to transform not only our own lives but the lives of those around us (2002:19).

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Figure1: Bhaskar’s transformational model of social activity (Bhaskar 1994:92)
Figure1: Bhaskar’s transformational model of social activity (Bhaskar 1994:92)
4.3. The empirical model of blended learning A blended delivery is more than the sum of traditional and eLearning delivery, a aspects of each may combine in unexpected ways. What we are left with are blen effects which may be complementary, compensatory or enhancing influences Knowledge of the impact of the various inputs allows the educator to exploit th elements which make the blend effective. However, how does one measure the impac of cultural influences on a course delivery system? The plethora of definitions of cultur and the lack of descriptive particulars in cultural research necessarily preclud exhaustive analysis, whilst the variety in the cultural backgrounds of the actors engage: in our blended learning environments makes it difficult to isolate cultural factors clinicall for specific investigation. This is not problematic in a critical realist approach as | modelling process such as that suggested by Franck (2002) allows for the identificatio of mechanisms through an analysis of the functions of the system. To this end w postulate an empirical model based on the above described theoretical model an which takes account of various cultural inputs as they are seen to impact on the blende: delivery system.
4.3. The empirical model of blended learning A blended delivery is more than the sum of traditional and eLearning delivery, a aspects of each may combine in unexpected ways. What we are left with are blen effects which may be complementary, compensatory or enhancing influences Knowledge of the impact of the various inputs allows the educator to exploit th elements which make the blend effective. However, how does one measure the impac of cultural influences on a course delivery system? The plethora of definitions of cultur and the lack of descriptive particulars in cultural research necessarily preclud exhaustive analysis, whilst the variety in the cultural backgrounds of the actors engage: in our blended learning environments makes it difficult to isolate cultural factors clinicall for specific investigation. This is not problematic in a critical realist approach as | modelling process such as that suggested by Franck (2002) allows for the identificatio of mechanisms through an analysis of the functions of the system. To this end w postulate an empirical model based on the above described theoretical model an which takes account of various cultural inputs as they are seen to impact on the blende: delivery system.
It is already apparent from WebCT discussion forum records that our ESL learners engaged in web searches start posting some time after MT English speakers, and post much less frequently; it is hoped that the VPAs will reveal cultural influences which might impact on time taken to post and frequency of posting. Because we are looking at cultural influences as input into a system of blended learning delivery rather than as ad hoc random data, we hope to arrive a composite picture which will help us to design courses which take cognisance of cultural influences, and which will give us more insight into how to administer the courses to accommodate cultural diversity. The VPA yields rich data with a fairly narrow sample of learners. Its main disadvantage is that it is not feasible to administer more than a small sample of VPAs because of the time taken to explore individual activities, thoughts and feelings: the small-scale sampling may not be representative of the majority of students in a group. Moreover, while VPAs do not seem to inhibit illicit Composing behaviour (e.g. plagiarism) they are very likely to inhibit illicit Internet activities (e.g. browsing porn sites). Finally, as the composite picture given by VPAs is qualitative rather than statistical, the task of analysing and displaying the data for even a few samples is extremely time-consuming (Macleod & Rengger, 1993:2). In spite of these problems, the data yielded by VPAs are considered to be a valuable adjunct to the picture obtained from mass questionnaires, observation and interviews, and potentially to offer valuable insights into the actual workings of the general trends revealed by the latter methods. Figure 2: Frame from a video protocol used to test out educational software
It is already apparent from WebCT discussion forum records that our ESL learners engaged in web searches start posting some time after MT English speakers, and post much less frequently; it is hoped that the VPAs will reveal cultural influences which might impact on time taken to post and frequency of posting. Because we are looking at cultural influences as input into a system of blended learning delivery rather than as ad hoc random data, we hope to arrive a composite picture which will help us to design courses which take cognisance of cultural influences, and which will give us more insight into how to administer the courses to accommodate cultural diversity. The VPA yields rich data with a fairly narrow sample of learners. Its main disadvantage is that it is not feasible to administer more than a small sample of VPAs because of the time taken to explore individual activities, thoughts and feelings: the small-scale sampling may not be representative of the majority of students in a group. Moreover, while VPAs do not seem to inhibit illicit Composing behaviour (e.g. plagiarism) they are very likely to inhibit illicit Internet activities (e.g. browsing porn sites). Finally, as the composite picture given by VPAs is qualitative rather than statistical, the task of analysing and displaying the data for even a few samples is extremely time-consuming (Macleod & Rengger, 1993:2). In spite of these problems, the data yielded by VPAs are considered to be a valuable adjunct to the picture obtained from mass questionnaires, observation and interviews, and potentially to offer valuable insights into the actual workings of the general trends revealed by the latter methods. Figure 2: Frame from a video protocol used to test out educational software
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Critical Realism
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