The purpose of this research was to develop, test, and demonstrate a systematic methodology of triangulation. Triangulation is a technique used to establish credibility of data gathered in qualitative ways. Triangulated conclusions are more stable than any of the individual vantage points from which they were triangulated. Using a previous study…

Describes a methodology for student involvement in courseware evaluation and for utilizing student reactions in purchasing and implementation decisions. The evaluation forms used in a survey of 2,308 Indiana students are presented, and the results of that survey are discussed. (18 references) (CLB)

This article reviews and analyzes the literature from 1980 through 1983 dealing with summative evaluation of training and development efforts in industry and business. An analysis is made to determine to what extent evaluation process components used by professional program evaluators are addressed by each of the articles reviewed. (CT)

Responds to Rubin and Knox's (1996) article concerning data analysis in single-case evaluations. Refutes the assertion that ambiguous data patterns discourage clinicians from doing single-case evaluations, and questions the assertion that emphasis on single-case designs should be reduced in the social work curriculum. (JPS)

A substantial literature on the effective treatment of bipolar disorder has begun to appear, particularly in the last 20 years.The majority of treatments studied have employed medications, particularly mood stabilizers, a typical antipsychotics and antidepressants. Most treatments produce side effects and medications are no exception. A review of…

Support for the validity of the equipercentile assumption is presented in contrast with the conclusion of Powers, Slaughter, and Helmick (EJ 289 091). Observed "gains" from pre- to posttests are better attributed to stakeholder bias, posttests that match curriculum content too closely, or a combination of these factors. (Author/DWH)

Relativism is an inevitable consequence of our interpretive mode of being in the world. This is so for both our daily lives and our professional lives. What does not overly concern us at the former level should likewise not concern us at the latter level. (Author/BJV)

The Bayesian inferential process is modified for use in an aggregate meta-analytic evaluation. Compared with the average effect size meta-analytic approach, the Bayesian approach was more sensitive, more consistent and more powerful. This approach is recommended when primary data are not available and when all evaluations involve comparisons of…

The seven chapters of this special issue explore problems in how to better understand the reasoning process that is used to establish evaluative conclusions. The many unanswered questions about reasoning should stimulate further investigation of the meaning of sound evaluative reasoning. (SLD)

A study involving three individuals (ages 13-20) with developmental disabilities and problem behaviors examined the influential role that unanticipated idiosyncratic stimulus variables play in affecting the outcome of a functional analysis. Guidelines are discussed concerning when to suspect that idiosyncratic stimuli might be acting to influence…

Ethnographic study, which calls for tape-recorded interview data, requires a means of interpreting such data. One manner of interpretation is the fairly typical approach of providing descriptive and interpretive accounts of the persons who populate particular social scenes. Excerpts from or transcripts of recorded interviews are often used to…

This article examines the clinician/researcher relationship, suggests directions for improving the relationship, and discusses avenues for transferring research information to clinical practice. An eight-step model for transferring research studies to practice is adopted and three steps are targeted for discussion and illustration. A case study…

A study involving 11,804 British children (age 10) found that when specified criteria for dyslexia were used, 269 children qualified as dyslexic. These included 223 boys and 46 girls, for a ratio of 4.51 to 1. Difficulties in interpreting these data are discussed and a defense of the criteria is provided. (Author/CR)

Explains how rubrics can be used to assess children's understanding of chance and data concepts. Encounters unexpected results besides assessing chance and data outcomes. (ASK)

Background: Accountability demands are increasingly pushing school leaders to explore more data and do more sophisticated analyses. Data-driven decision making (DDDM) has become an emerging field of practice for school leadership and a central focus of education policy and practice. Purpose: This study examined principals' DDDM practices and…