The critical incident technique is an exploratory qualitative method of research which generates a comprehensive and detailed description of a content domain. It consists of asking eyewitness observers for factual accounts of behaviors (incidents) which signficantly contribute to a specified outcome (are critical). This paper illustrates how to do…

Item response theory (IRT) methodology is introduced as a tool for improving assessment instruments used with people who have disabilities. Need for this approach in rehabilitation is emphasized; differences between IRT and classical test theory are clarified. Concepts essential to understanding IRT are defined, necessary data assumptions are…

Presents research approaches using qualitative methods that are needed as alternatives to traditional, quantitative methods. Describes the three qualitative methods of participant-observation, in-depth interviewing, and life histories and case studies. Discusses exemplars of qualitative techniques for research in counselor education and…

Describes two strategies for assessing measures of practical fit and the goodness of fit from structural equation models. Focuses on linear structural relations (LISREL), chi-square fit index, practical fit indices, and hierarchical analyses. Includes empirical example of hierarchical model procedures used with practical and statistical indices to…

Notwithstanding its iconic status within geography, the debate continues about how fieldwork should be taught to undergraduate students. The authors engage with this debate and argue that field studies should follow the teaching of research methodology. In this paper they review relevant literature on the place of fieldwork in geography training,…

Describes methods and concepts for empirically evaluating pertinence or suitability of therapist's interventions to patient's problems, needs, and treatment goals. Presents intensive studies of two brief psychotherapy cases in which patient-initiated critical incidents were identified, case-specific accuracy of therapist's responses was rated, and…

Selectivity bias arises in program evaluation when the treatment or control status of the subjects is related to unmeasured characteristics that themselves are related to the program outcome under study. This situation has the potential to lead to an incorrect estimation of the treatment effect when assignment to treatment and control groups is…

Reviews application of causal modeling in family research. Discusses uses of and critics' views of causal modeling to explain reasons for controversial position of causal modeling in social sciences. Reviews requirements for effectively implementing causal modeling strategy, commenting on some attempts of family researchers to use it. Includes…

Reviews previous work in training observers for collecting observational counseling data. Outlines a nine-step Systematic Rater Training Model, which includes overview and contract, concept presentation, stimulation, modeling, passive discrimination, active discrimination, production, transfer of training to performance, and ongoing evaluation.…

Uses three hermeneutical or quasi-hermeneutical studies in career development to illustrate important dimensions of this type of research. Discusses collecting, recording, and analyzing research material and presenting the interpretative framework. Addresses issues of subjectivity, reliability, validity, accessibility, feasibility, and…

Presents a speculative model for predicting differential rates of therapeutic change. From a review of 52 comparative psychotherapy studies, certain hypothesized relationships between the characteristics constituting the model and a variety of psychological treatment procedures were assessed. Use of the model for generating and guiding research is…

Study articulates model for single-case research in psychotherapy. Saw patient with major depressive disorder for 2.5 years of psychotherapy. Videotaped sessions and obtained assessments of change at regular intervals. Used time-series analysis to model fluctuations in therapy process. Bidirectional analysis of causal effects showed that influence…

Over the years, research and evaluation practices have influenced and been influenced by intervention procedures in the school system and classroom. This document discusses the historical influences of research and evaluation on interventions in schools conducted in the past, and outlines important trends, issues, and suggested practices for…

Asserts that path analysis is an optimum data-analytic technique for the research, development, and evaluation of planned interventions to reduce college student attrition. Describes and illustrates technique of path analysis. (Author/NB)

With the development of refined theory and increased measurement sophistication in family research, multidimensional concepts and multiple indicators are appearing in the literature. This paper provides a nonmathematical introduction to canonical correlation analysis and three empirical examples that demonstrate the technique's applicability in…