Explains the characteristics and importance of random assignment in experimental research on education. Considers factors supporting causal inferences, the nature of "assignment units," differences between random sampling and random assignment, the characteristics of randomization tests, forms of random assignment, and effects of experimental…

Investigators interested in conducting school health research face many challenges. This article focuses on an analysis of research designs and measurement issues that most frequently confront school health researchers. (Author/DF)

Presents a sampling of commentary about epistemological function, about the diverse research processes that result from a particular philosophical position, and about technical implementation of various attempts to discover knowledge. Discussion of the qualitative versus quantitative research debate highlights ethnography, controlling for bias,…

This discussion of the role of research in improving systems for people with severe disabilities identifies flaws in current research, including problems of topics, methods, and analyses. Solutions proposed include: (1) linkage of quantitative and qualitative research; (2) democratization of research by including subjects as collaborators; and (3)…

Criticizes the methodology of a questionnaire-based study that found a discrepancy between the beliefs of sexually active adolescents about condoms and their use of condoms. Discusses six methodological problems in the study to demonstrate how the overly simplified treatment of complex behavior can lead to invalid conclusions. (FMW)

Provides a nontechnical explanation of the family of multivariate statistical techniques known as multidimensional scaling (MDS). Explains the purpose of MDS, and the advantages of using these techniques in the study of musical perception. Discusses two approaches to the interpretation of MDS solutions. Lists examples of musical studies using MDS.…

This paper reviews evidence that characteristics of the perceptually fluent speech of stutterers change as a function of a number of variables and that, because these variables are difficult to fully control, comparison of the characteristics of the perceptually fluent speech of stutterers and nonstutterers as a method of studying stuttering…

This paper describes world perspectives on gifted education, focusing on definitions, identification procedures, and attitudes. It then examines key areas in gifted education that require further clarification and rigorous examination. (Author/JDD)

A survey of studies in the "Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders" and the "Journal of Speech and Hearing Research" found that only 12 direct replications and 15 systematic replications appeared in a total of 271 studies. Based on the probabilities of false findings in this literature, replication is recommended to verify…

This paper argues that behavior analysis is not technological to a fault, but rather has a faulty technology by being incomplete. The paper examines reinforcers and punishers that result from the outcomes of either (1) striving for better experimental control, or (2) inventing theories to explain why current control is imperfect. (JDD)

Social sciences research is entrenched with particular values, beliefs, norms, and practices that students, faculty, and researchers reproduce over time. In this article, the author argues for extending what counts as research within the social sciences to be more inclusive of differing methodologies and writing genres. Using personal narrative,…

A quantitative method, meta-analysis, is used to integrate research findings from a representative group of 38 coaching studies. Because different studies reported results on different scales, effect size was used to transform all results to a common metric. This meta-analysis showed that there are two distinct literatures on the effectiveness of…

Although there have been frequent calls for over-time research in mass communication, there are still many reasons that researchers use simpler designs. Each approach: two-time point, panel/repeated measures, and time-series experimental designs, offers its own advantages and disadvantages. By examining the benefits and disadvantages of each…

This paper examines some of the problems that arise when conducting multivariate analyses with incomplete data. The literature on the effectiveness of several missing data procedures (MDP) is summarized. The most widely used MDPs are: (1) listwise deletion; (2) pairwise deletion; (3) variable mean; (4) correlational methods. No MDP should be used…

Ethnographers find themselves among a family of researchers referred to as naturalists. This rather diverse family conducts research described by turns as qualitative, participant observational, case study, symbolic interactionist, phenomenological, constructivist, and interpretive. The focus of the ethnographer's inquiry is on the mundane,…