Understanding the nature of the "early teacher pipeline," how many and what types of individuals are pursuing a teaching credential, is critically important. Unfortunately, we conclude that the two national data collections that can be used to explore the early teacher pipeline provide an incomplete and contrasting pictures of the supply…

This commentary reflects on the contributions to learning analytics and theory by a paper that describes how multiple theoretical frameworks were woven together to inform the creation of a new, automated discourse analysis tool. The commentary highlights the contributions of the original paper, provides some alternative approaches, and touches on…

The commentaries on my article contain a number of points with which I disagree but also several with which I agree. For example, I continue to believe that the existence of many cases in which between-person variability does not increase with age indicates that greater variance with increased age is not inevitable among healthy individuals up to…

In this article, the author explores what Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP) is about. He contends that the predilection for testing is a catastrophe as far as the teaching and learning of mathematics is concerned; it is an outcome of the drive for collecting so-called "data" on pupils. What those people, who should know better, either choose to…

Many evaluation researchers are now attempting to synthesize quantitative and qualitative approaches. Although such efforts appear to carry great promise, some subtleties and incompatibilities of these approaches are perhaps being overlooked. Implications for social inquiry are discussed. (Author/GDC)

Action research involves responding to practice problems through problem posing and solving. Its core processes are planning, acting, reflecting, and observing. Data collection methods include anecdotes, field notes, document analysis, logs, journals, portfolios, questionnaires, interviews, audio/video recordings, and tests of learner performance.…

Notes that national information is seriously lacking concerning the number and types of board and care homes, their residents, and the quality of services provided. Examines shortcomings in current living arrangement classification procedures used in federal surveys. Proposes definition and classification system that transcends state and local…

Deliberations about social policy often center on estimates of harm or benefit generated by different interest groups. Problems in what is measured and how it is measured are illustrated by a discussion of research into sexual abuse and rape. Advocacy research is an unreliable foundation for social policy formation. (SLD)

Discusses the problems plaguing ISORID, particularly the unresolved stresses that hinder the effective contribution to the world community that this interactive system for information scientists was envisioned to make. (FM)

A theory of policy intervention in social problems is needed to enhance our understanding of the processes of change when investigated by social engineers. The development of such a theory could encourage the integration of basic and applied research. (Author/RLV)

Educational data collection may be fraught with problems because of individuals' resentment and resistance to providing data. State and local education agencies often report that data requests from federal agencies represent an administrative burden, especially when they are not an expected part of the personnel workload. Educators may not know…

Questionnaire and interview methods are described as reactive because when these methods are used, the participant's reactions to the research process may influene his or her responses. Nonreactive methodology refers to unobtrusive methods of collecting data in which participant reaction to the process of data collection does not interfere with…

This poem, with stanzas in limerick form, refers humorously to the many threats to validity posed by problems in research design, including problems of sample selection, data collection, and data analysis. (SLD)

Age is often ranked as a significant variable in research studies concerned with the measurement of intellectual and linguistic capacities, including reading. In fact, age is often cited as the cause of a decline in performance on such tasks. However, determining the social, psycho-social, and physiological status of subjects and applying…

Examines these questions: What are life histories? What problems and people are best suited for them? What motivates people to write them? Does the collection procedure affect the content? and How should the material be analyzed? (Author/SK)